Happy Friday, Greater Washington! We have a nice bundle of performance coming your way …
Saturday, February 5, Noon-10:30 PM
Takoma Park Middle School, Silver Spring, MD
Washington Revels celebrates nautical song and dance at the The Folklore Society of Greater Washington (FSGW) Midwinter Festival. A family-friendly extravaganza of music, dance, stories, workshops, and crafts, the Mini-Fest provides a wonderful opportunity to beat the winter blues. More info? Call (301) 587-3835.
Welcome to Wednesday, folks! We have a good bundle of local and non-profit news items coming your way …
CSG’s 2011 State of the Washington Region — Following the State of the Union, Greater Greater Washington has an excellent post this week from Coalition for Smarter Growth’s Laura DeSantis on the state of our community, focusing on “our top five opportunities and challenges.” She summarizes that “adopting a range of smart growth policies — from transit-oriented development to a range of housing options — will set us firmly on a course to become the most energy efficient, and environmentally and fiscally sustainable region in the nation.” I would only add that CSG’s call for more mixed-use corridors and broader housing options are particularly apt: “We must ensure every community throughout the region has a full range of affordable housing choices through mixed-use revitalization, housing trust funds, affordable housing preservation strategies, and inclusionary zoning policies.”
Welcome to February, Greater Washington!
And welcome to GoodWorks, Judith Dittman, Executive Director of Alternative House. Founded in 1972 as a shelter for runaway and homeless teens, Alternative House has evolved into an entire support system designed to keep kids off the streets — and is currently the only shelter for youth in Northern Virginia. Learn more about Judith and their incredible work right here:
1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?
We started a new program called the homeless youth initiative, which provides help with rent and support for high school students who are homeless without the support of a family. It’s been phenomenally successful, but we are scrambling for funding. In June of 2009, there were 100 homeless youth in Fairfax without the support of a parent or guardian who were trying to complete high school. Almost 10% ended up in adult homeless shelters and many dropped out of school. We started our Homeless Youth Initiative in September 2009. In June of 2010, there were more than 200 homeless youth without the support of a family who were still in high school. None went to an adult homeless shelter, only one dropped out of school, and 77% of graduating seniors went to college. I am so inspired by what these kids are doing, given the chance and a roof over their heads. It’s amazing!
Good snowy morning, Washington!
That was an exciting bit of weather. But according to our friends at WUSA9, we are looking at a relatively warmer weekend. So do check out these great performances at our non-profits!
District of Columbia Arts Center
Last chance! A Cre@tion Story for Naomi, Bright Alchemy Theatre’s tale of a teenager’s search for direction and purpose in the realms of cyberspace, closes this weekend! So head to DCAC tonight or Saturday at 7:30 PM. Stay until 10:00 PM, you can catch Shawn Mikael’s Theater — a sketch comedy featuring DC’s established and newer comic talents.
Courtesy of Philanthropy 2137, this short (two-letter-focused) post from last Friday:
It just occurred to me. The last decade was defined by the prefix “e” — ePhilanthropy, eDiplomany, eCommerce.
The next decade will be similarly defined by the prefix “o” for Open — oGov, oData, oPhilanthropy.
As they say on Sesame Street, this past decade was brought to you by the letter “E.” Will the next indeed be brought to us by the letter “O”? And moreover, what do these single-letter prefixes even imply? I always see that lower-case vowel as an indication of means and medium. In other words, “ePhilanthropy” is philanthropy brought to you by means of the Internet, giving that takes place and is shaped by its digital nature — and by its accessibility.
Good morning, Greater Washington! Hope you are all enjoying this strange bout of balmy weather … prior to (predictions) of further snow. So what are you up to this weekend?
Looking to Volunteer?
Definitely stop by Byte Back’s information session this Saturday at noon. Based in DC, Byte Back has a great core of volunteer tutors who offer computer literacy instruction to low-income individuals — in everything from surfing the web to composing an email to using a mouse. To learn more about joining up, call (202) 529-3395.
At 1:00 PM on Saturday, For Love of Children invites new and returning volunteers to learn more about their mission, goals, and tutoring programs for kids in the Shaw and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. Call (202) 349-3509 for more info!
Looking for Dance and Music?
On Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 4:00 PM, Dance Place will welcome TAKE Dance and a showcase of Artistic Director Takehiro “Take” Ueyama’s repertory of powerful athletic movement contrasted with delicate gesture. Nab your tickets here.
You can still catch The In Series‘ double-bill of “pocket operas:” new English adaptations of the iconic Cuban musical, Maria la O, and the clown tale I Pagliacci are back at the Source Theatre on 14th Street on Saturday at 8:00 PM. (And the reviews have been great!)
Looking for Theater?
DCAC is busy again this weekend! Bright Alchemy Theater’s A Cre@tion Story for Naomi, the tale of a teenager in search of direction and purpose in the realms of cyberspace, returns at 7:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Then at 10:00 PM on Saturday, the lively Capital City Showcase (a variety show that will feature any and all things DC) will take the stage. Lean more here.
… Are you looking to perform?
Skipping ahead to next week, Washington Revels will kick off its next round of awesome children’s classes. Monday marks the first day of How Deep is the Snow? A Blizzard of Fun! For students in grades 2-3, these workshops will celebrates the coldest months through crafts, stories, song, and dance, while developing skills in collaboration and performance. You can register online!
And at 7:00 PM on Monday, singers and non-singers alike can head to CHAW to learn all about the oral tradition and singing rhythms, chants, traditional songs from Africa and the Diaspora. Reservations are definitely encouraged and all the info is here.
If you have not already, do check out this piece in yesterday’s Post. “Taking to roads to find Martin Luther King’s legacy” highlights the years-long journey of a group of DC students with a simple yet ambitious goal: gaining a deeper understanding of Dr. King’s life and work by exploring the streets named for him — including DC’s own Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE:
Eight teenagers from five D.C. high schools crisscrossed the country with two mentors and video cameras, visiting more than a dozen “MLK streets.” Their driving tours in 2008 coincided with the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, putting the students between a history they barely knew and history in the making.
Welcome to mid-January, Greater Washington.
First, to skip to the end of the long weekend … both Heart of America Foundation and Joe’s Movement Emporium are offering great Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming. HOA Foundation invites young students and their families to an annual MLK Day of Service Literacy Celebration at 11:00 at Howard University — striving to make this a great day “on” rather than a day “off.” And in Mount Rainier starting at 10:00, Joe’s will offer service projects, guest speakers, and featured performers, including the Buffalo Baptist Church Choir and students in their Arts Education programs.
Throughout the weekend, we also have a bundle of exciting performances at our non-profits. So read on and enjoy!
Welcome to Wednesday, folks! A bit of snow appears to be coming our way — along with some mid-weeks news here on GoodWorks.
Nonprofits Must Lead the Push for Civility — A post in The Chronicle of Philanthropy this Monday proclaims that, in the wake of the tragedy in Arizona, “we must ask ourselves what people at foundations and nonprofits can do to prevent such senseless acts of violence in the future.” Moreover:
Our public leaders and leading media personalities set the tone for the public square. It is their duty to promote civil discourse and encourage peaceful participation in society. In the wake of this tragedy, we must demand nothing less.
People in the nonprofit world — as trusted members of communities everywhere — are in a powerful position to set the parameters for a decent society. We can use the power of our collective voice in many ways.
As the Post reported yesterday, “DC residents rank as the nation’s most well-read” according to a new study from Central Connecticut State University. The America’s Most Literate Cities study “ranks the largest cities (population 250,000 and above) in the United States on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.”