Black Male Achievement Fellowship

Open Society Foundations and Echoing Green Launch Black Male Achievement Fellowship

Date:

December 2, 2011

Contact:

Maria Archuleta marchuleta@sorosny.org 1-212-547-6916

The Open Society Foundations and Echoing Green announced a new fellowship program for individuals dedicated to improving the life outcomes of black men and boys in the United States. It is the first fellowship program of its kind that targets social entrepreneurs who are starting up new organizations in the field of black male achievement.

“We’re proud to support innovators working to transform the lives of black men and boys and their communities,” said Shawn Dove, manager of the Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement. “Historically, black males have been prevented from fully engaging in American society due to a host of economic, civic, social, and political barriers. Now for the first time, there’s a fellowship program dedicated to providing creative thinkers the space and support they need to tackle this complicated and entrenched problem.”

The online application for the Open Society Black Male Achievement Fellowship will be available on December 5, 2011, and closed on January 9, 2012. It will be awarded to eight fellows who are generating new ideas and best practices in the areas of education, family, and work such as initiatives related to fatherhood, mentoring, college preparatory programs, community-building, and supportive wage work opportunities. Fellowships will also be awarded for efforts in the areas of communications and philanthropic leadership.

“The pioneering efforts of social entrepreneurs have real and long-term systemic impacts on society,” said Cheryl L. Dorsey, president of Echoing Green. “We’re excited to be partners in this new fellowship program focused on black male achievement. When all segments of our society succeed, we can be much more innovative and competitive as a country.”

Echoing Green has run a social entrepreneur fellowship for the past 24 years. Eighty-five percent of their fellows remain in the social sector in leadership positions after their fellowships have ended.

Each BMA Fellow will receive a $70,000 stipend in start-up capital as well as: technical assistance over 18 months to help them launch and build their organizations; access to technical support, pro bono partnerships, and a community of like-minded social entrepreneurs and public service leaders; and other benefits.

For eligibility and application information, go to www.echoinggreen.org/bma-fellowship.

International Women in Homeland Security and Emergency Management

15 December 2011

20 INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME FOR

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Dateline December 15, 2011 - The International Network of Women in Emergency Management (inWEM) hosted its inaugural “International Women in Homeland Security and Emergency Management Hall of Fame” Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011, in Las Vegas. The reception and ceremony was held in conjunction with the International Association of Emergency Manager’s (IAEM) 59th Annual Conference & EMEX 2011.

The Homeland Security and Emergency Management Hall of Fame is inWEM’s first major initiative, honoring women who are pioneers and contemporary leaders in the fields of homeland security and emergency management in local, state, tribal, and federal governments. Women around the world have been innovators in critical infrastructure facilities; volunteer, faith, and community-based organizations; the private and nonprofit sectors; academia; the military; and private industry. 

The inductees, divided into Pioneers (achievement prior to 1970) and Contemporary Achievers (1970-present,) were chosen because they have made outstanding achievements and significant contributions in the fields of homeland security and emergency management. They are professionals who have devoted careers to women's and girls' causes and community endeavors; and who motivate and inspire young women envisioning careers in homeland security and emergency management.

Dr. Jacqueline McBride, President of inWEM, said, “This award honors the contributions individuals have made in the advancement of women in emergency management and a culture of preparedness for safer, resilient, and sustainable diverse communities. Young girls and women around the world need to see and read about these ‘trailblazers’ - someone who reaches out and encourages them to one day follow their career path.  Our future goal is to establish a permanent home.  We will initially share and display information in a traveling exhibit for use by schools, colleges/universities, art centers, businesses and libraries throughout the world.”

The 2012 ceremonies will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2012, during IAEM-USA 60th Annual Conference & EMEX Exhibit, Orlando, FLA, USA (Orange County Convention Center).  Requests to receive a nomination form should be addressed to drjmcbride@yahoo.com.

The first Hall of Famers are:

1865 – Catherine Booth and husband founded the Salvation Army

1906 - General Evangeline Booth started disaster relief services for The Salvation Army. Also, in 1934, she became the first female General of the Salvation Army.

1919 – Eglantyne Jebb, founded the Save the Children Fund, Jeanne-Aimee De Marrais, Director, Domestic Emergencies Unit, SC

1941 – First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt appointed Assistant Director; the “first woman in Homeland Security/Emergency Management” (formerly Civil Defense)

1950 - National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, Inc. (NACWC, Inc (formerly the National Federation of Colored Women and National Federation of Afro-American Women) participated in the first national “Women and Civil Defense” conference was held in Washington, DC. (President Evelyn Rising)

1981 - Dorothy J. Lewis, International Association of Emergency Managers’ lead liaison for governmental relations and second female President of IAEM

1990 – Margaret Brenda Verbeek, founded the Canadian Emergency Preparedness Association (CEPA), which became IAEM-Canada

1991 - Avagene Moore, emergency management trailblazer and 1987-1988 President of IAEM

1994 - Kay Goss, first female Associate Director of FEMA

1994 - Molly Grant, one of the first Native American females in emergency management

1994 - Rosalita Whitehair, one of the first Native American females in emergency management

1995 - Lynn Canton, first African American, female Regional Administrator of FEMA

1996 - Oluremi Olowu, the first Director of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)

2001 – Lisa Orloff, one of first female founders of an international emergency management program

2001 – Elizabeth Davis one of the first female founders’ of an international emergency management program

2001 - Annie Searle, first female leader in private sector/industry of emergency management

2002 - Rosemary Cloud, first female African-American Fire Chief

2005 - Susan Diehl-Brenits, first female project manager in emergency management at Con Edison

2005 – Kelly Discount founded EMPOWER, the first modern day organization for women in emergency management

2010 - Carmen G. Rodriguez, the first female Fire Chief of the Puerto Rico Fire Department - Bomberos de Puerto Rico (BPR).

© 2011 inWEM

Front row, from left, Rosalita Whitehair, Elizabeth Davis, Oluremi Olowu, Molly Grant and Kelly Discount

Second row, Carmen Rodriquez; Evelyn Rising representing NACWC, Inc.; 

                      Rosemary Cloud; Kay Goss; Avagene Moore; Annie Searle; Lisa Orloff

Back row, Major Darryl Leedom representing Catherine and Evangeline Booth, posthumously; 

                   Margaret Verbeek; Susan Diehl-Brenits

Not present for the photograph were Lynn Canton and Dorothy Lewis.

Inducted posthumously were First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Eglantyne Jebb

Only a Dream Part I: HBCU creates open door policy for local jurisdiction

This was only a dream, or was it a nightmare.

HBCU in ________  creates open door admission policy for local jurisdiction to support the 'whole community approach' to address social, political, economic, and to future opportunities in STEMM education and other national issues.

Program is being instituted under the following guidelines with and initial admission of 100 candidates in their jurisdication with a yearly increase based on the success of the program.

Criteria:
     1.  African-American male
     2.  Graduation from local high school
     3.  Completion of SAT within one-year of admission
     4.  Initial admission as General Education major for first two-years of attendance
     5.  Selection of STEM, or education major can be selected early based on
             first year grades improvement
     5.  Participation in campus CERT team, and other community related organizations
             mandatory.  Salaried and volunteer opportunities in these areas based on
             funding.
     6.  Financing based on tuition of lowest community college fees in jurisdiction
This is only a dream.


Totally thinking outside of the box.  Looks as though the dreamer got out of the box and re-designed it.

Trauma: Post Disaster Crisis Counseling

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and National Crisis Counseling Toll-Free Lines Established for Disaster Survivors 

Release Date: December 16, 2011
Release Number: 4025-125

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Project Keystone, a federally funded crisis counseling program for survivors of Tropical Storm Lee, has initiated a toll-free-phone number for individuals emotionally affected by the disaster. The number is 1-855-789-7890.

Project Keystone counseling services are available to residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who live in Bradford, Columbia, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, and Wyoming Counties.

U.S. residents anywhere in the country who are experiencing emotional distress as a result of a disaster can call the first nationwide Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) dedicated to providing disaster crisis counseling.  The number is 1-800-985-5990.
The Helpline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Operators are multilingual. People may also text the DDH Helpline by using 'TalkWithUs' to 66746. Spanish speakers can text 'Hablanos' to 66746.  Standard text messaging/data rates apply. 

The Disaster Distress Helpline connects individuals under stress to trained professionals from the closest crisis counseling center in its network. The DDH staff provides free confidential counseling, referrals and other support services. 

A National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available. That number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Friday, 16-Dec-2011 14:42:28

OPM Dismissal Procedures

New Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Dismissal Procedures for incidents within the Washington, D.C. area are posted.  

These procedures are broad in nature with much of the decision-making being left to individual agency management, and the employee on decisions for early dismissals to decrease the number commuter traffic issues in a major incident that effects federal government, city, and community operations.

The shelter-in-place (SIP) guidelines should be of particular importance for individuals that would rather ride out the storm in a safe and secure location. 

For individuals with children these procedures become even more complex for custodial, and non-custodial parents. 

In any case remember safety is the key factor.

This procedure can also be accessed at https://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/dismissal.pdf .

Trauma: More women in combat means more mothers with PTSD

More women in combat means more mothers with PTSD

 

 

By Kyra Phillips and Michael Cary, CNN

updated 11:31 AM EST, Tue December 13, 2011

Female veterans coping with PTSD

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Staff Sgt. June Moss was diagnosed with PTSD after serving in the Iraq war
• As more women see combat, more female vets are suffering from PTSD
• Treatment helps, but Moss worries about slipping back into depression
• Today, Moss has gotten over her fear of crowds

Palo Alto, California (CNN) -- It wasn't until five months after Army Staff Sgt. June Moss returned from the Iraq war in 2003 that her real battle began. The horrors of the war -- witnessing decapitated and burned bodies amid mass destruction -- led to post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I do notice when I'm stressing out that I start having dreams about what I saw and how I felt," says Moss, now 40 and retired from the Army. "It does come back as if to haunt you."

The percentage of women in the military has doubled in the last 30 years, with more than 350,000 serving as of 2009, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs' latest figures. With more female troops in combat, there has been an increase in PTSD diagnoses: One in five female veterans suffer from PTSD, according to the VA.

As a light-vehicle mechanic, Moss drove across Baghdad and provided security at checkpoints during her combat tour in Iraq. When she returned home, she became overly protective of her two children, fearing that someone was going to kidnap or harm them.

At the same time, she hunkered down inside her home, staying in bed, because she says it was too hard to face the most mundane tasks such as shopping.

"It was crazy. I couldn't even do crowds. It reminded me when we were in a marketplace (in Iraq), and we didn't know if somebody was out there to kill us," Moss explains. "I'm back home, and I didn't have to worry about a suicide bomber, but I still felt as if there was one lurking in the mall or the grocery store."

Army Staff Sgt. June Moss provided checkpoint security in Baghdad during the Iraq War.

 

Six years ago, she contemplated cutting her wrists to end the pain. Today, Moss has progressed significantly after specialized therapy provided by the local Veterans Affairs in Palo Alto, California, where the focus is on female vets like herself.

"Women tend to be diagnosed more often, at least with our recent returnees, with depression, whereas men are being diagnosed more often with substance abuse," says Natara Garovoy, program director of the Women's Prevention, Outreach & Education Center at VA Palo Alto Health Care System.

Garovoy says recent studies show the percentage of women veterans suffering from PTSD is on par with the percentage of men: 20%.

"Women are exposed to combat now more than ever before, and they're proving to be just as resilient to those exposures as men," he said.

There is no cure for PTSD, only treatment.

"It takes a lot to live with PTSD," Moss says. "I hate to compare it with being an alcoholic, because I'm not one, but that's the best description I can give. You're always one incident from spiraling out of control back to where you were -- being depressed, not coming out of the house, not being able to sleep, having night terrors, night sweats, all those kinds of things."

Today, with the help of her local VA, June Moss has gotten treatment for her PTSD.

Moss attributes an angry outburst in her workplace last year to PTSD, after she says she had become complacent with her treatment. Moss physically struck a fellow employee with whom she was romantically involved.

"I just went off. It went from verbal to physical. And, thank God, I didn't lose my job over it. But I did get in trouble," says Moss, who was suspended for three days without pay. "Those feelings came out of nowhere."
Moss says she realized that even years later, she needed to actively engage in her weekly therapy. She also turned to her boss, the chaplain at the Palo Alto VA, to focus on her spirituality.

"I'm constantly working on how I'm thinking," Moss says of her regimen today, which includes morning meditation, listening to gospel music and exercising.

It takes a lot to live with PTSD. ... You're always one incident from spiraling out of control.
Retired Staff Sgt. June Moss

 

Her new mantra: "Staying positive and keeping negativity out of my life!"

Moss has lost 40 pounds in the last two years and is pursuing a degree in human resource management at San Francisco's Golden Gate University.

Moss beams with pride when she discusses recent steps in her therapy made within the last six months. She went on a trip by herself to Philadelphia while her teenage children went away to camp. She says technology, like video chat, helped her make such a stride. Moss also took her daughter to a concert in October, braving a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd.

"It's a big deal to know that from then to now, I've come a long way," Moss says with a smile. "From head to toe, I'm a better me."

CNN's Linda Hall contributed to this report.

 

 

2nd National ASU HBCU Conference. March 5-7, 2012