USF Collaborative for Children, Families and Communities Presents Annual Conference [09/21/2006]

Event features results of community-based research.

The USF Collaborative for Children, Families and Communities will present its annual conference on results of recent community-based research. Educators, child welfare professionals, community activists and the general public are invited to attend.

Titled Touching Lives and Improving Our Community, the conference will take place October 12, 2006, 8:00 am-12:30 pm at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 East Palm Avenue, Ybor City, FL.

The keynote address will cover the benefits of university-community engagement and relationships. Speakers are Robert Friedman, Ph.D., Professor and Interim Dean of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, and Luanne Panacek, Executive Director of the Children’s Board of Tampa.

Following the opening session, research results will be featured in a World Café format, where professors give a 15-minute presentation of their findings and then participants discuss the importance of the research to the community, potential applications and the need for additional study and follow up.

The conference’s research topics include:

• Easing the impact of relocation: A university-community collaboration presented by Professor Susan Greenbaum, Department of Anthropology

• Listening to caregivers: family involvement in education presented by Associate Professor David Allsopp, Department of Special Education.

• Coping strategies used by children in International Baccalaureate Programs presented by Assistant Professor Shannon Suldo, Department of Psychological and Social Foundations.

• Student conducted oral histories in East Tampa presented by Professor Barbara Shircliffe, Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Social Foundations.

• Creating social support among Latino parents of children with mental heath needs presented by Linda Callejas, Assistant Instructor, Division of Training, Research, Evaluation and Demographics.

 • The value of workforce mentors in early adolescence presented by Lisa Rapp-Paglicci, Associate Professor, School of Social Work. • A study of gay-straight student alliances in Pinellas County high schools presented by Professor Maralee Mayberry, Department of Sociology.

• The use of pedometers to increase student physical activity presented by Allison Edmonds, Instructor College of Nursing.

The conference is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required by October 6. Call the USF Collaborative for Children, Families and Communities, 813-974-7318, for more information and to RSVP.