| Dear Friend of PCAMN:
As you probably know, April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and that means a lot of activity for us! Of course, our Annual Conference is fast approaching, and we are looking forward to a number of excellent speakers this year. We are also pleased to help promote a wide variety of conferences and events from other organizations as well; you can see the list to the right. |
| April 3rd Kick-off Event at the Capitol, 10am-11am |
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Child abuse and neglect continue to impact the lives of far too many children and adult survivors all around the state. Prevention is possible and that is our goal. Please take the time to join us at this rally to demonstrate your concern and commitment to all of Minnesota's children on April 3rd. Bring your children, parents, friends and neighbors and help us fill the rotunda of the state capitol for this event, and pick up your "Pinwheels for Prevention." For more information about this event please visit our website. |
| Annual Strengthening Families to Prevent Child Abuse & Neglect Statewide Conference |
 This year's conference will feature a keynote address from Judge William A. Thorne on the issue of "Diversity as Best Practice, Not Political Correctness." Our conference tracks will focus on Child Abuse and Culture, Parent Leadership, Self-care for Parents and Professionals, and Institutes for Healthcare and Legal Professionals. The conference will take place on Wednesday April 23 and Thursday April 24 at the University of MN Continuing Education and Conference Center. For the complete conference brochure and to register, please see our website. |
| Blue Ribbon County Award Nominations |
Prevent Child Abuse MN will be presenting the Sixth Annual Blue Ribbon County Awards in conjunction with the dinner Gala, "An Evening for the Children." These awards are given to counties or tribes which show strong, innovative, and successful efforts in child abuse and neglect prevention. You can see a more complete description and complete the nomination form here. Nominations are due by March 31. |
| 26th Annual "Protecting our Children" National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect |
This year's conference will focus on the future of Indian children, and take place April 20-23. We are very fortunate to have this national conference in our backyard, and extremely fortunate that two of the presenters (Judge William Thorne and Priscilla Day) are also going to present at the Prevent Child Abuse MN conference. For more information or registration, please visit the NICWA website. |
| Seeking Members for Advocacy Committee |
PCAMN is looking for volunteers interested in influencing public policy relating to children as a member of our Advocacy Committee. We are looking for someone with good written and verbal communication skills who is a team player. Duties include providing input to the development of PCAMN's legislative platform, assist with planning and distributing information to legislative offices for the April rally at the capitol, attend public policy collaborative groups, follow and report on bills impacting children and families, and even testify at hearings. Previous experience is a plus but not required. Meetings are held the last Monday of each month from 4:00pm-6:00pm. For more information please contact David Gonzalez at 651-523-0099 or 1-800-621-6322, or via email. |
| "Lending a Hand: The Wakanheza Project" |
Please join us on April 1st from 1:30-3:00pm at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul to learn about and celebrate the success of the Wakanheza Project. The project has helped organizations and communities create more welcoming environments for children, young people and families, preventing the difficult situations that can arise when we fail to act. See how hundreds of people have begun to practice Wakanheza Project principles in their everyday lives. Then, on Saturday April 12 at 8:30pm, watch the world premiere of "Lending a Hand...The Wakanheza Project" on Twin Cities Public Television's Minnesota Channel. For more information or to register please click here or call 651-266-2444 x2. |
| Circle of Parents® Award Nominations |
Once again, it's time to submit award nominations for outstanding service to Circle of Parents® in the following categories: outstanding parent leaders, outstanding facilitator, outstanding children's program leader, outstanding chapter, and Gerry O'Konski chapter volunteer. We will review all nominations and select recipients that most exemplify the principles of mutual self-help, family support, and shared leadership. The deadline for submission of nominations is March 31, and you may submit more than one nomination. For more information, please contact Roxy Foster, Coordinator of Civic Parent Leadership at 651-523-0099 or rfoster@pcamn.org. |
| Announcing Prevent Child Abuse America's New Blog |
Please visit Prevent Child Abuse America's new blog "Changing the Way We Think About Prevention." This blog has been developed to expand our message to new audiences and to ensure consistency, clarity and continuity of messages in many new venues and mediums. |
| Action Needed on Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act |
Please call your Representative(s) today and urge him/her to sign Rep. Johnson's letter on Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act funding. The goal is to get many Representative to sign the letter to encourage funding of child abuse prevention. For more information, contact Bridget Gavaghan at Prevent Child Abuse America at bgavaghan@preventchildabuse.org or 312-334-6819. | |
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| Upcoming Conferences and Events |
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Check out the list below to see some of the various training opportunities; in most cases, the link will take you directly to the conference brochure or website. We hope you find some valuable trainings that will enhance the work you do to strengthen Minnesota Families and Prevent Child Abuse. |
| Dakota County 2008 Child Abuse Prevention Symposium |
| Friday April 4th.
Please pre-register by contacting Sue Larson at 651-554-6125. |
| Child Abuse Candlelight Vigil |
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On April 9th, the Kids Count Abused Children Program of Red Wing will hold its annual Candlelight Vigil. Everyone is welcome to attend at 6:30pm at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Red Wing. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Albarado-Grand at 651-388-9360 x12. |
| Teaching Kids to Think and Act Ethically
April 29th |
| This is a free workshop for parents with renowned author Barbara Coloroso. For more information or to register, please call 763-433-4145. |
| Saving the Children: The Sex Abuse Tragedy |
"Saving the Children: The Sex Abuse Tragedy" is a documentary program that the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children (NAPSAC) produced in partnership with Twin Cities Public Television. The program will be aired on Sunday, April 13 at 8:30pm on Channel 17 on broadcast television, satellite, and most cable stations, and channel 13 on Comcast Cable in Minneapolis. For more information or to obtain a copy of this documentary, please contact NAPSAC. |
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