Fellowship Opportunity: Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program. Deadline October 15, 2019

APPLY FOR A 2020-2021 FELLOWSHIP!

Deadline for Applications: October 15, 2019 Deadline for Letters of Recommendation: October 22, 2019 The deadline to apply for the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program has been extended to October 15, 2019. The fellowship is an international exchange program that offers five-month fellowships to leading democracy activists, journalists, civil society leaders, and scholars from around the world to conduct independent projects at the National Endowment for Democracy. During their time in residence at NED's International Forum for Democratic Studies, in Washington D.C., fellows reflect on their experiences and consider lessons learned; conduct independent research and writing; engage with colleagues and counterparts in the United States; and build ties with a global network of democracy advocates.   We encourage qualified candidates to apply or share this call for applications with other democracy advocates! Click here to view our promotional video! Eligibility: The program is intended primarily for practitioners from developing and aspiring democracies, and those from nondemocratic countries. Distinguished scholars from the United States and other established democracies are also eligible to apply. Practitioners include activists, journalists, lawyers, and civil society professionals who have substantial experience in their field. Scholars include professors, researchers, and other writers who have a Ph.D. or academic equivalent at the time of application. A working knowledge of English is required. Support: Fellows receive monthly payments to cover living expenses, plus basic health insurance, travel reimbursement, and research support. Fellowship Dates: Fall Session: October 1, 2020–February 28, 2021; Spring Session: March 1–July 31, 2021. For more information and to apply, visit www.ned.org/fellowships.

Disagree with everything. Maybe that way we'll make a change.

Margaret Heffernan: Dare to Disagree Personal Development Most people avoid conflict but, as Margaret Heffernan shows us, constructive conflict is key to progress. In this short video, you will learn the value and techniques of creating conflict that enables individuals and organizations to innovate and do their very best thinking. Watch Video Forgot your password? Click here to create a new one.

Disability Preparedness Summit (Sep 26, 2019). Washington, D.C.

Disability Preparedness Summit

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Thursday, September 26, 2019 from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM (EDT) Kellogg Conference Hotel, Gallaudet University 800 Florida Avenue Northeast Washington, DC 20002 View Map

Your event password is: DCAG This event is password-protected. Register with the password above to attend this event.

When it comes to emergency planning, the District takes a whole community approach that engages individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs (DAFN) before, during and after an emergency. We embrace the disability community’s saying, “Nothing about us, without us,” and look forward to discussing the community's needs and challenges. In honor of National Preparedness Month, please join us on September 26, 2019 for the District Government and Disability Community's Inaugural Emergency Preparedness Summit. The Summit will launch the Outreach and Engagement component of the District’s Emergency Preparedness Disability Integration Initiative (EPDII.)  Summit Objectives Meet the member organizations of the newly-formed Disability Community Advisory Group (DCAG.) Meet District emergency managers and partner agencies that have a role in EPDII. Learn how the District and DCAG plan to improve emergency planning.   Receive a toolkit for creating your Business Continuity Plan. Receive a toolkit for creating your Personal Emergency Plan To request reasonable accommodations, please contact Cynthia Jones at Cynthia.Jones4@dc.gov or 202-256-4413 by September 20, 2019.

Former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was arrested Tuesday. September 2019

Stay above reproach.

Assume

    -Someone is always watching even at the local level,

    -If you can’t explain it, don’t do it!

    -I always fly economy on business

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/10/fema-official-arrested-for-fraud-over-hurricane-maria-recovery-effort-in-puerto-rico.html A former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was arrested Tuesday for taking bribes from the president of a company that landed $1.8 billion in federal contracts to repair Puerto Rico’s electrical grid after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017. Federal authorities arrested Ahsha Tribble, FEMA’s former deputy administrator for the region that includes Puerto Rico. Donald Keith Ellison, the former president of Cobra Acquisitions was also arrested. They were accused of “conspiracy to commit bribery of public officials; acts affecting a personal financial interest; false statements; disaster fraud; honest services wire fraud, Travel Act violations, and wire fraud,” according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Ms. Tribble and Mr. Ellison had a “close personal relationship” from October 2017 to April 2019, and Mr. Ellison gave Ms. Tribble gifts that ranged from personal helicopter use, hotel accommodations and personal security services, according to the DOJ statement. In exchange, Ms. Tribble performed “official acts” including influencing, advising, and exerting pressure on Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and FEMA officials, in order to award restoration work to Cobra and accelerate payments to the company. “All government officials are entrusted with performing their duties honestly and ethically,” said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez for the District of Puerto Rico. “The charged offenses are reprehensible, more so in light of PREPA’s and Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis.” FEMA said in a statement that the agency takes allegations of employee misconduct “extremely seriously” and added that they are “fully cooperating with federal investigators.” “FEMA’s mission is to help the American people before, during, and after disasters and our mission can only be accomplished by maintaining the public trust and confidence of those we serve. As such, the Agency takes allegations of employee misconduct extremely seriously and holds all employees to the highest ethical standards – requiring them to protect government resources and place public service over private gain in everything they do.”

Black Emergency Managers Association  

1231-B Good Hope Road.  S.E.

Washington, D.C.  20020

Office:   202-618-9097 

bEMA 

"We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice.  Not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.  Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the pressing urgencies of the great cause of freedom…a time like this demands great leaders.”      Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P)             A 501 (c) 3 organization.

Stress Management. September 2019

Stress Management

Feeling stress is normal, but too much of it can hurt your health. Learn about the different types of stress, how you can recognize the signs in loved ones young and old, and simple ways to help your family de-stress. Knowing there are resources out there is important especially during the new school year.

Disaster Risk Reduction Guide. September 2019

Sustainable Community-Based Disaster Risk Management Disaster Risk Reduction

When it comes to community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM), you don’t need to be an expert to design, plan, and implement great CBDRM activities. This guide uses the analogy of cooking to present concepts and examples of successful CBDRM. Learn how to create the perfect recipe for building resilience at a community level in a sustainable and institutionalized manner, even if you are not a world famous chef.

Download Guide

Tech to Protect Challenge. September 2019

Tech to Protect Challenge: Washington, DC

Date: September 27-29, 2019, 5:00pm-6:00pm

Location: 509 7th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20004

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tech-to-protect-challenge-washington-dc-tickets-62210653740 

Contact: DC@TechtoProtectChallenge.org.

The Tech to Protect Challenge, implemented by the RedFlash Group and SecondMuse under contract with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division, is a national open innovation contest designed to help emergency responders—including EMS, firefighters and police—accomplish their mission to serve and protect our communities nationwide.

Join entrepreneurs, inventors, and innovators with diverse backgrounds who share a common interest in creating technology that can improve the safety of their communities. 

Regardless of your area or level of expertise, we invite you to use your talents and join researchers, scientists, and emergency responders in advancing technologies and applications for public safety.

For additional information on how to participate in-person or online, the contests you can create solutions for, the rules and more, visit techtoprotectchallenge.org. 

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Tech to Protect Challenge can be found at https://www.techtoprotectchallenge.org/faqs

Faith-based Organizations. Disaster Relief Ministry and Training. September 2019

May be of interest to your organization.

Not able to attend.  How can you get this training\presentation at your location.

BEMA International

Setting up a Disaster Relief Ministry - Presented by Saddleback Church Date: September 20, 5:30-8:30pm Location: Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 361 Tilghman Road, Salisbury, MD 21804 Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/setting-up-a-disaster-relief-ministry-presented-by-saddleback-church-registration-65726113575 For over 14 years, Saddleback has had an effective Disaster Relief ministry. For the first time they are providing the opportunity for other churches to learn from their experiences, by bringing this training to us! Get tips and ideas of how to set up a new DR ministry at your church. We will discuss successes, pitfalls to avoid and even the characteristics of the people who are best at leading this type of ministry. You can take what Saddleback does and how we do it and use those principles to create a ministry in your church that works for your congregation. Pizza provided from 5:30 - 6pm, training from 6-8:30pm. Disaster Relief Volunteer Training - Presented by Saddleback Church Date: September 21, 9:00am-5:00pm Location: Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 361 Tilghman Road, Salisbury, MD 21804 Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/disaster-relief-volunteer-training-presented-by-saddleback-church-registration-65720079527 Have you been watching disaster updates on the news and wondered if you could help? It is the desire of our Saddleback Relief Team that everyone be equipped to reach out to the suffering and displaced both here in the US and around the world. We have developed these classes to do just that! Light breakfast snacks will be available in the morning. Lunch will be provided from 12-1pm. 9am - 12pm: Orientation: This orientation will prepare you to serve in the aftermath of these disasters, or others in the future. We will also talk about the emotional stages of what people go through in a disaster, as well as specific things you can say and do that are helpful to them. There are a variety of ways you can serve -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Don't wait until the next big disaster happens. This class will prepare you to respond with us quickly 1-5pm: Trauma training: Follow-up to the basic orientation which discusses more in depth the spiritual and emotional help you can give to someone in the aftermath of a disaster. You will learn the basics of how to simply enter into someone’s pain for a short time and help them process and recover from the disaster and to also notice the symptoms that may require professional counseling.

Black Emergency Managers Association   

Disaster Insurance Presentation. September 17, 2019

Disaster Insurance Presentation

Date: September 17, 2019, 6:00-7:30pm

Location: George Howard Building – Howard County Government Complex, Columbia/Ellicott City Room, 3430 Court House Dr # 100, Ellicott City, MD 21043

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/disaster-insurance-presentation-tickets-68486754727

Contact: Howard County OEM at 410-313-6030, emergencymanagement@howardcountymd.gov

Often times, "conducting an insurance check-up" isn't on disaster preparedness checklists. But having the right type and amount of insurance is a crucial component of disaster preparedness, and the best way to maintain a healthy financial future following a disaster. Making sure you understand all your insurance options, what is covered (and more importantly NOT covered by insurance), and updating your insurance coverage should be as routine as an annual physical. Take the first step in conducting a disaster insurance check up by joining us to hear the Maryland Insurance Administration's presentation on what you can do to prepare for a disaster, what your insurance will and will not cover, and what resources are available to help.

Is your business prepared? Business Preparedness Day. Sep. 17, 2019. DC HSEMA

Business Preparedness Day

Date: September 17, 2019, 9:00am-3:00pm (deadline 9/13)

Location: 2720 Martin Luther King Junior Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20032

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-preparedness-day-tickets-64376665339

Contact: DC.BEMOC@dc.gov

Whether it’s a flood, blizzard, or hurricane, a disaster can strike the District at any moment. The effects can be devastating to both residents and businesses. A swift and coordinated private sector response can expedite recovery and restore normalcy in the District. This 6 hour event will convene first responders, emergency managers and the District’s private sector partners to: Discuss business preparedness initiatives in the District; Showcase new technologies that are being leveraged by the BEMOC; Identify and prioritize operational issues that can be solved through public-private partnerships; Conduct the first ever BEMOC Tabletop Exercise. Be prepared show a photo identification when you arrive. There is a free visitor parking lot available. If you prefer to take the Metro, the closest station is Anacostia and the following buses take you to HSEMA: A2, A4, A6, A8, and W3.

Urban Violence. September 2019. Baltimore, MD.

Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence

Date: September 10, 2019, 5:30-7:00pm

Location: Sheldon Hall (W1214), 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bleeding-out-the-devastating-consequences-of-urban-violence-tickets-66498616151

The 21st Century Cities Initiative and the Urban Health Institute at Johns Hopkins welcome Thomas Abt for a discussion of his new book Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence – and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets. Urban violence is one of the most divisive and allegedly intractable issues of our time. But as Harvard scholar Thomas Abt shows in Bleeding Out, we actually possess all the tools necessary to stem violence in our cities. Coupling the latest social science with firsthand experience as a crime-fighter, Abt proposes a relentless focus on violence itself — not drugs, gangs, or guns.