|
Weekly Updates
|
May 9th, 2012 Vol. 2. Issue 19
|
|
|
Hello Friends!
Check out our "Special Reports on Regional Change" section, which highlights a special group of people who are dedicated to providing resources and information to those who want to conduct their own research in their communities.
While big universities and non-profit institutions are well-versed in organizing research projects, many smaller organizations don't have the means or know-how to do so. Research for Organizing now provides all kinds of helpful tools in order to help grassroots organizations learn and study the issues that are affecting their immediate communities.
 
|
|
|
|
CRC Activities
| |
 On Monday, the Yolo County School Boards Association and Saving California Communities will host Jonathan London and Mindy Romero, as they present the results of Healthy Youth/Healthy Resources. A panel of students from Yolo County high schools, Sacramento City College and the University of California, Davis will offer their personal perspective on youth assets and challenges in the region. Read more about the even here.
In advance of the Zócalo Public Square event in Fresno "Why is the Central Valley Sick?," the magazine asked several experts including CRC director Jonathan London about the topic. Check out Jonathan's and the rest of the responses here.
|
|
Regional Change in the News
|
As California's unemployment rate drops to its lowest point in years, federal long term unemployment pay will be cut off to at least 93,000 Californians. In Merced, unemployment is at 20 percent, sending panic throughout the agricultural areas, as jobs are just not available for many citizens. Read more on the subject here.
 Construction to build a 2.8 mile solar power plant in the Mojave Desert has started and is expected to be finished by 2014. The plant will help PG&E meet a state mandate requiring utilities to provide 33 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2020. The project, however isn't cheap, and many agree that less taxpayer money should be used to fund and run the plant. Read the rest here.
New numbers from the Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit predict that growth in the San Joaquin Valley is slowing. By 2050, the eight counties that make up the valley will have about 7.5 million people. This number is 2 million less than previous estimates. Experts suggest a slowing migration from Northern California and sharply lower birth rates are the main causes for population growth decline. Read more here.
Families in CalWORKs, the state's welfare-to-work program, have the opportunity to get involved with a program that is helping youths in the San Joaquin Valley find summer jobs this summer. The program will link young people to jobs in government agencies, hospitals, schools and nonprofit organizations. Find out more here.
|
| Special Reports on Regional Change | |
Research for Organizing understands that some grassroots organizations may not have the training, tools or resources to conduct proper research, which is why they have built a comprehensive guide. A toolkit for Participatory Action Research, the site provides templates, surveys, tutorials, and fact sheets to help do great research.
The site hopes that the participatory action research will help support work towards social justice and document problems in communities. Generating grassroots data and evidence that strengthens social justice ensures that we are experts about the issues that face our own communities.
|
| Upcoming Events |
Ready by 21's webinar series is hosting "Aligning Policies, Increasing Inpact" on May 21. Learn how you can improve policies and align resources to maximize their positive impact on youth health. Find out how to sign up here.
 The UC Davis Center for Poverty Research is hosting an event this Thursday in which Katherine Newman and Rourke O'Brien will discuss their book, "Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged." The authors will explain how legislation has continued punish the poor and exacerbate the very conditions that drove them into poverty in the first place. Read more here.
Graduate students are invited to attend a Summer Institute in New Economics hosted by Boston College Sociology department in late June. The event is focused on "new economics" which emphasizes sustainability, equity and fairness, the democratization of wealth and the importance of social connection. Find out more here.
The Cultural Studies Graduate Group is holding their colloquium series on Thursday, May 10th. The event, titled, "Food on Fire: Quantification, Calorimetry, and the Epistemology of Food" will be hosted by Jessica Mudry, associate professor at Concordia University. Download the flier here.
|
| Request for Proposals & Call for Papers | |
 The Center for Poverty Research seeks applications from faculty members and undergraduate students who are interested in working together on a poverty related research project. The Center anticipates providing up to five undergraduate students with paid internships during Summer 2012. Find out more here.
The Environment Program makes grants to conserve the North American West and to tackle the problems of energy and climate change. The program pursues four broad goals designed to help protect the planet for generations to come. There are no deadlines for submitting Letters of Inquiry. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Read about how to apply here.
|
|
Fellowships and Employment Opportunities
| |
The Peace Corps is in need of a recruitment coordinator at UC Davis to advise students about service opportunities with the Peace Crops and facilitating recruitment into the service. Download the flier here.
The UC Davis department of Land, Air, and Water Resources is looking for a junior specialist to work independently and reliably in the field. Read more about the position here.
The UC Davis Department of Entomology is hiring a full time field assistant in pollinator habitat restoration research. Find out how to apply here.
The San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center seeks an environmental analyst with the Historical Ecology Team. Find out more about this entry-level position here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
