WCCC Blog

The WCCC Blog is a forum for sharing and discussing information related to the WCCC's mission including, but not limited to:

To join the WCCC Blog, e-mail info@watsonvillecommunityconnections.com and follow the Instructions for Joining the WCCC Blog. Remember to add event information to the Community Calendar. All Contributors must agree to follow the WCCC Blog Guidelines.

 

October 29, 2007

Digital Bridge Academy hosts Informational Session

Join the Digital Bridge Academy for an Informational Session on program features and benefits.
The Digital Bridge Academy is an award-winning innovative program designed to prepare students for a full-time college-level course load in one semester by exploring students unique strengths in learning and leadership within a learning community.
Along the way, learn skills in management, leadership, computer technology, and communication.
If you know anyone who is currently unemployed, interested in returning to college, and/or a change in career, or would like additional support through college, please encourage them to come!
The session will take place this Tuesday, October 30th at the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center in Room 4340 at 3 pm. Refreshments will be provided!

October 27, 2007

Day of the Dead

The Viernes Cultural Committee
invites you to participate in a community celebration of art, tradition, and culture
commemorating the Day of the Dead.

Watsonville Plaza

November 2 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Viernes Cultural is a series of exciting cultural and educational events that will be presented the first Friday of the month at the Plaza next to the Watsonville Farmers Market.

Events & Offerings

The White Hawk Indian Council will open the event with a traditional blessing and danza

The folkloric dance troupe Semillas de Esperanza will carry you off to the traditions of Veracruz, México with their colorful dances

Sangre Antigua will fill you with joy as they take you on a diverse musical journey down the paths of our latinamerican pueblos

Esperanza del Valle will honor the lives of our ancestors in a traditional and communal danza, encouraging the public to participate

Students from local schools will have you laughing your socks off with their traditional and contemporary Calaveras

Members of the organizations LLL, Somos, Latino LGBT, y YWCA-LyLyA will create an Exhibition of Luminarias in remembrance of the Women of Juarez, LGTB victims of violence and other victims of social injustices

Community organizations and local artists including Justino Hernández and María Luisa Pérez will create altars in honor of the spirits of their departed loved ones. Community members are invited to create an altar or bring photos, mementos, or flowers to place on the community altar

Mask making workshops will be presented on October 24 and November 1st, 5:30 pm at La Manzana Resource Center by renowned artist, José Ortiz and Hijos del Sol


Free Bread of the Dead & Champurrado

This is a community based effort working toward community participation and development through visual art, music, dance, theatre, and the spoken word. We invite all local artists, community members and organizations to participate in this and future events. This event is sponsored by the Community Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, The Santa Cruz Arts Council, Migrant Education Region XI, YWCA, Pajaro Valley Arts Council and La Manzana Community Resources.

October 25, 2007

Great Training Opportunity!

The City of Watsonville’s Neighborhood Services Division has scholarships for bilingual participants to attend the Conflict Resolution Center’s (CRC) annual community mediation training next year. This is a training valued at $385.00! (Neighborhood Services and CRC have collaborated over the years to develop and implement a bilingual neighborhood mediation program for Watsonville residents).

This intensive four day, 30-hour training will teach you how to help others work through their conflicts. You will learn how to facilitate communication, mutual understanding and cooperative problem solving between people in conflict. The training involves one prerequisite workshop in Conflict Management Tools and Skills, which you may attend on either November 7, 2007 or January 30, 2008.

The mediation skills training is then held in 2008 on: Thursday, February 21, Saturday, February 23, Thursday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1.

Call Mariaelena, 763-5679, to learn more about this great opportunity.

October 20, 2007

Urgent Community Action Needed -DREAM Act

Support a DREAM — TAKE ACTION !

This is urgent — the DREAM Act has been introduced as S2205 – and will hopefully be voted on within days !

Passage of the DREAM Act would would lead to greatly increased stability and self-reliance for young people in Watsonville. Community Action is critical to passage of the DREAM Act. Please pass this information on to your contacts and community groups and encourage immediate action.

Call your Senator Today and tell her that you support the Dream Act

The Dream Act provides a pathway to Citizenship for students that have been in the United States for at least five consecutive years and who were in the U.S before turning 16.

Students must go to college for at least two years or serve in the military in order to be eligible. DREAM Act students will be able to get conditional legal residency for up to six years upon completion of high school while they complete the requirements of the DREAM Act.

The Dream Act
Is not an amnesty, it is a way to encourage undocumented young people to stay in school and out of trouble and make a better future for our communities. The DREAM Act will provide a means for eligible young people to drive, work and continue their educations.

The DREAM Act ultimately benefits the entire community by increasing the tax base, decreasing social service and health care costs and providing motivation for young people to make good choices in their lives.

The DREAM Act will help those that are up through the age of 29 and were in the U.S before turning 16 years old.

Call (202) 224-3553 to speak to Senator Boxer and (202) 224-3841 to call Senator Feinstein and encourage them to PASS the Dream Act .

Please go to www.dreamact.info for more information and action ideas.

October 17, 2007


Red De Información Para Padres Especiales
SPIN
los invita a un/invites you to an:
Entrenamiento de IEP
Presentado en Español
IEP Training Presented in Spanish
Presentado por/Presented by:
Rosa Solorzano
Especialista de Recursos de Educación de PHP
Bilingual Education Resource Specialist
Sabado, 3 de Noviembre 2007/Saturday November 3rd 2007
10:00am-2:00pm
Watsonville High School-Cafeteria
250 E. Beach Street
Watsonville
Este evento es gratis. Proveeremos Almuerzo. Habra cuidado de niños pero es limitado.
Favor de llamar a Elizabeth al 722-2800 para hacer las reservaciones
This event is free and lunch will be provided. Childcare is available but is limited. This event will be conducted in Spanish ONLY!!!. Please call Elizabeth at 722-2800 to RSVP.

Bilingual LGBT educational event on 10/21 in Watsonville

On Sunday October 21st there will be a special bilingual educational event for the LGBT community at the YWCA, 340 East Beach Street in Watsonville.
On Your Own Terms:
Health Care and End-of-Life Decisions and How to Make Sure Yours are Respected

En Sus Propios Terminos: Decisiones de Atencion Medica en el final de la vida y como hacerlas respetar

Co-sponsored by the YWCA and Hospice Caring Project, this presentation will feature updates on California’s Domestic Partnership Law as well as information and forms for choosing a health care agent and completing an advance directive to state your health care wishes if you become unable to speak for yourself.

Please post and forward this information. For more information, please call ()(831) 433078.

Thank you.

October 15, 2007

Cultural Competency presentation on 10/19 in Watsonville

Please join us this Friday morning for a presentation on Cultural Competency for Health Care Providers Serving Latino Families: Identify cultural issues influencing patient and family health care experiences and learn culturally sensitive assessment and communication skills to improve outcomes, by Silvia Austerlic, Latino Community Liaison at Hospice Caring Project. This presentation is part of a professional speaker series to commemorate Binational Health Week, enhance your knowledge, and to improve service delivery to the Latino community.
When: Friday 10/19/07, 9:30am-11am
Where: Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust. 85 Nielson Street, Watsonville
Contact: Julie, 430-3078
Please forward this information to others who might be interested.
Silvia Austerlic
Latino Community Liaison
Enlace Comunitario Latino
Hospice Caring Project
(831) 430-3069

October 11, 2007

NONPROFITS CAN GET A GREEN BUSINESS CERTICATIONS – LEARN HOW


Dear WCCC Friends:

I am forwarding to you the In formation for the “How to Get a Green Business Certification” Luncheon Presentation that El Pajaro CDC is Co-sponsoring with the LBA (Latino Business Association.) I would really appreciate for you or your staff to attend. The speaker will provide very useful information about how to get a Green Business Certification. Now they have green businesses certifications for all kinds of businesses and this includes NON-PROFITS.

This program is being funded by the PGE grant that we got for promoting Green and Sustainable Businesses in the Pajaro Valley Area. Please forward this to any of you contacts that may be interested.


Networking Luncheon

Thursday, October 18

Get the answers about how many businesses can get a
Green Business Certification

· Does it make good business sense?
· How do you get it?
· What are the benefits?
· What businesses are
being certified?
· Can non-profits get certified?

Speaker:
Josephine Fleming of Monterey Bay Green Business program

Time: 11:30 – 1:00 PM
a.m. Price: $20 per person
Location: Green Valley Grill 40 Penny Lane,
Watsonville
Call to reserve your seat: 724-3900

October 8, 2007

The Watsonville Law Center cordially invites you to attend the

5th Annual Fields of Justice Celebration
Keynote Speaker:
California Supreme Court Justice
Carlos Moreno

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
5:00pm Reception
6:00pm Keynote Speaker & Awards


Please RSVP by October 22, 2007
(831) 722-2845

Event Sponsored by: Fenton & Keller and the Katz-Lapides Family

If you require special accommodations or have questions,

call our office at (831) 722-2845

Directions to Watsonville Women’s Club:
From Highway 1 take W Riverside Drive/ CA-129 Exit.
Turn Left onto Main Street.
Turn Right onto E. Beach Street.
Turn Left onto Union Street which becomes Brennan Road.
Watsonville Women’s Club is at 12 Brennan Road.

Job Opening

PUBLIC AWARENESS COORDINATOR

Santa Cruz County Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC), a nonprofit organization, announces an opening for a part time employee to coordinate public awareness activities related to child abuse prevention and response.

Requirements for the job include being bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English, having good computer skills, caring about the well-being of children, and having experience doing outreach, public awareness, or similar work. We will not be interviewing any candidates who do not meet these basic requirements.

Interested persons should read the following job description, then submit a cover letter and résumé to Beth Love, Executive Director.

Preferred submission method is via email to: beth_capc@baymoon.com. Please attach your documents in one of the following file formats: Microsoft Word, Appleworks, or PDF. Web based resumes also accepted.

Alternatively, mail materials to: 2825 Porter Street, Suite B, Soquel, CA 95073.

Your application package is the first, and perhaps only, contact you will have with us, so prepare it accordingly. If you have questions about the position, please feel free to call (831) 464-1737.

Santa Cruz County Child Abuse Prevention Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The organization does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, sex, race, color, physical or mental disability, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any classification protected by Local, State, or Federal laws in any of its employment policies, procedures, or practices.
——-

Job Description: Public Awareness Coordinator

Position Overview: The Public Awareness Coordinator is responsible for two primary areas of organizational functioning: coordinating all public awareness activities including the annual child abuse awareness and prevention campaign, and coordinating the agency training program. The Public Awareness Coordinator works under the direction of the agency Executive Director. The following list of duties is very detailed and inclusive of most possible job functions. Duties will be prioritized in collaboration with the Executive Director, to insure workload is commensurate with paid hours.

Duties: As the Public Awareness Coordinator for the organization, this person fulfills duties including but not limited to the following:
Planning/Research
• With support from and under the direction of the Executive Director, develops a plan to fulfill the public awareness function of CAPCs as required by Chapter 12.5, Section 18980 et al, of the California Welfare and Institutions code.
• Insures that the plan includes an annual child abuse prevention campaign that fulfils contractual requirements of the County Human Resources Agency Contract No. 53406-01, as outlined in the Scope of Work for Strategy 1B attached to the contract.
• Researches best and promising practices for child abuse prevention campaigns.
• Researches available in-kind materials and support for public awareness activities.
• Works with Executive Director and collaborators to draft MOUs.
• Collaborates with project partners in the development of the campaign plan.

Implementation of Child Abuse Awareness Campaign
• Oversees implementation of all aspects of the campaign.
• Communicates with project collaborators. Takes the lead role in all collaborative activities and/or designates and oversees leader.
• Develops a list of potential additional partners for the campaign (community agencies, businesses, media partners, etc.).
• Develops materials for partnership recruitment. Recruits additional partners.
• Develops and/or oversees development of campaign materials and messages. Oversees distribution of materials.
• Ensures maximum possible media coverage for campaign.
• Works with collaborators and partners to implement kickoff event.
• Works with collaborators and partners to implement community event series.
• Ensures that CAPC’s community event is executed in an effective manner.
• Oversees development and distribution of community resource list.
• Recruits, orients, trains, places, and supervises public awareness volunteers.

Fund Development/Finance
• Works with Executive Director and project collaborators to develop a plan for raising matching funds for campaign as outlined in project budget.
• In collaboration with partners, insures that plan is implemented and funds are raised.
• Solicits grants, sponsorships, donations, etc. as outlined in fundraising plan. Insures that sponsors and donors are acknowledged and grant reporting requirements are met.
• Insures that campaign expenditures are in alignment with budgetary directives and are covered by available resources.

Training Activities
• Participates in in-service training to gain competency in providing trainings for mandated reporters of child abuse.
• Works with Executive Director to design mandated reporter trainings for identified professionals and others.
• Designs and implements a plan to inform professionals about existing on-line mandated reporter trainings.
• Works with Executive Director to develop primary prevention trainings and a plan for outreach about the availability of the trainings.
• Conducts outreach regarding trainings and implements trainings.
• Recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers to assist in training program.

Other General Communications/Public Awareness Activities
• Attends state, regional, and local meetings, trainings, and conferences as necessary and/or helpful. These meetings may include but are not limited to County Board of Supervisors, Office of Child Abuse Prevention, Greater Bay Area CAPC Coalition, Prevent Child Abuse California, Child Abuse Training and Technical Assistance Center, etc.
• Works with county agencies and community based programs to facilitate information dissemination on a regular and consistent basis.
• Provides referrals and information to community members.
• Works with Executive Director to develop mechanisms for distributing information to all stakeholders about child abuse and neglect, steps people can take to help, community resources, and the activities and purpose of CAPC.

Administrative Duties: In addition to coordinating public awareness and training activities, the small size of our staff requires everyone to contribute to various administrative duties including but not limited to the following:
• Answers telephones, returns voice mail messages, provides general information to callers, receives and relays messages, makes referrals as appropriate.
• Greets and assists visitors, assures that all visitors are welcomed.
• Enters data and provides ongoing quality control.
• Files and retrieves documents.
• Monitors office supplies; requisitions supplies, maintenance, and other services.
• Makes copies, collates, and staples materials as needed.
• Operates and maintains fax machine.
• Works with the Executive Director to develop and implement volunteer recruitment, orientation, training, and retention plans.
• Offers support in the development and implementation of a strategic plan for moving the organization from the current state to the vision.

Knowledge, Experience, and Skills: The ideal candidate for this position will have the following knowledge, experience, and skills:
• Familiarization with organizational mission
• Effective written and oral communication skills
• Sensitivity towards, respect for, and understanding of cultural differences
• Experience working with diverse individuals and groups with varying backgrounds, skills, and expectations
• Experience working as both a team member and team leader
• Knowledge of the issue of child abuse and neglect
• Awareness of community organizations working on this issue and of current prevention practices
• Flexibility, ability to manage multiple tasks, good time management, resourcefulness
• Ability to share information in a way that is concise, articulate, and thorough
• Strong computer skills, preferably with experience in word processing, spreadsheets, data entry, email, and web searches.
• Experience and/or skills in the following areas or be willing to learn: general office work, outreach and/or public relations, collaboration, public speaking, and project management
• Ability to prioritize
• Bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish required.

Special Requirements: Willingness to work irregular hours, attend occasional night meetings, and travel

Hours: Twenty hours/week to start with possibility of increase later, and the hours may be flexed. In order to support an employee who prefers to work full time, CAPC has made an agreement with a partner organization seeking a similarly qualified applicant. The partner organization has agreed to interview CAPC’s hire for another 20 hour/week position with similar or higher pay.

Salary and Benefits:
$15-16/hour, DOE. Medical, dental, vision, and alternative health. Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.