PhotoVoice Exhibit April 22, 2010  |  4pm-6pm A reception and discussion for an exhibit of photographs and narratives reflecting youth perspectives on issues of health disparities, and personal and group abuse. Location: ICR's gallery, 146 Wyllys Street in Hartford. Exhibit runs through May 7. more-exhibit | exhibit photo contact info Honorary Reception April 27, 2010  |  5pm-8pm Reception for Trudie Lamb Richmond, an American Indian educator and storyteller, who has received the Community Spirit Award from the First Peoples Fund. Features a talk by Trudie, and remarks from Native cultural leaders and colleagues. Location: ICR, 146 Wyllys Street in Hartford. Photo credit: Allen Phillips, Mashantucket Museum & Research Center. more-reception contact info Artists Marketplace May 15, 2010  |  11am-3pm Traditional Arts Marketplace featuring artists from Somalia, Bosnia, Burma, and Sri Lanka and many other communities now living in CT. The artists, who participate in ICR's Refugee Artists' Sewing Circle, will display and sell their beautiful textiles, and will offer foods from their countries to sample. Above: Quilt made by Sewing Circle Project artists and Christina Garbarino. more-sewing cirlcle  contact info PUERTO RICAN GIRLS SPEAK! This new project is documenting stories of success and well being from Puerto Rican girls, ages 14 to 18, and their families, peers, and community networks in the South End of Hartford. Funding is by the Puerto Rican Research and Policy Initiative, and sponsored by the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños (CUNY). MORE AT ICR ICR in the News Recent Photos Publications Job Opportunities RESEARCH FINDINGS Alcohol Use and HIV Prevention in India AIDS is expected to emerge as the most significant cause of adult mortality in India in the next decade. Present estimates suggest that well over 2.5 million adults are infected with HIV. The influence of alcohol on the spread of AIDS is a growing topic of concern, particularly in Mumbai, a location where 70,000 truckers arrive and leave each day, formal and informal commercial sex opportunities abound, and alcohol is readily available at affordable prices. ICR and the International Institute for Populations Sciences conducted a multilevel study of alcohol use and sexual risk in three low income communities in Navi Mumbai. The study team surveyed approximately 1239 men, obtained in-depth interview data on drinking behavior and sexual risk with approximately 100 men and 44 women, and explored the spacial dimensions of drinking and sexual risk taking. more-study findings   CULTURE Showcasing Connecticut's Artistic Treasures ICR's Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP) Spring activities are underway. CHAP nominated Schaghticoke Indian elder and renowned storyteller Trudie Lamb Richmond for a First Peoples Fund Community Spirit Award, and she will be honored at ICR on April 27. Trudie represents true Connecticut traditions in her deep knowledge of the culture of native people in this state, and as a beloved educator, she has shared her experience with generations of schoolchildren and audiences across New England. On May 15 the artists of CHAP's Sewing Circle project will present and sell their exquisite textile arts, while offering visitors a chance to sample food from their many cultures. Then on June 10, Ambassadors of Folk, an exhibit showcasing Connecticut traditional artists who have received nationwide or international recognition for their artistic skill and knowledge of their community art forms, will open in ICR's gallery. more-trudie lamb richmond | ct heritage arts | sewing circle project CHAP's Spring 2010 activities are supported by Greater Hartford Arts Council's Community Events Program. Ambassadors of Folk is also supported by the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation. Above: Plate painted in the Hallingal style by Norwegian rosemaler Eldrid Arntzen. YOUTH High School Youth Explore Underage Drinking A group of 17 high school youth from West Hartford are conducting research designed to bring youth voice and perspective to the issue of underage drinking and its effects on teens. The needs assessment and strategic prevention strategies are being developed in collaboration with the West Hartford Prevention Commission, and will incorporate environmental as well as individual or group level approaches. This coalition-based work on underage drinking is part of the CT Department of Mental Health's Best Practice/Strategic Prevention Framework Initiative. more-youth Above: Youth practice interviewing techniques for underage drinking project.   INTERNATIONAL ICR Studies Effects of Smokeless Tobacco on Women's Reproductive Health in India  Smokeless tobacco has been shown to have serious consequences for reproductive health. Even so, various forms of smokeless tobacco are now being marketed by international tobacco companies as "healthier" than smoked tobacco. A team of researchers from the Institute and the National Institute for Research on Reproductive Health is studying the use of non-smoked tobacco in women from a low income community in Mumbai, India. The study will identify tobacco outlets, explore patterns of use of smokeless tobacco among women of reproductive health age, and assess whether women associate their tobacco use with reproductive health issues, including infertility, premature births and low birth weight.   more-study Above: Gutka (a potent form of smokeless tobacco) strips hanging in front of a small tobacco shop.   You're receiving this email because of your relationship with The Institute for Community Research. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us. ICR News is a bimonthly email newsletter from The Institute for Community Research, an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts applied research and community enhancement programs to promote equal access to health, education, and cultural resources. To learn more about what we do, please visit www.incommunityreseearch.org.