SCOPE Update
12/9/05
Dear SCOPE Friends,
Here's what's making headlines this week...
EXPERTS SHARE THOUGHTS ABOUT COMMUNITY
Professor John McKnight, a well-known expert on how communities improve and Tyler Norris, a consultant on the topic of health and community, shared their thoughts and responded to questions and ideas from a group of 25 community members on Monday, December 5th. The conversation revolved around the idea that most successful communities have built on the assets already in place rather than focusing on the identified deficits. Similarly the determinants of one's health are largely based upon individual choices rather than waiting for institutions to solve problems. Dr. McKnight will be coming back to our community several times over the next year
STRENGTHENING THE DIVERSITY/INCLUSION COMMUNITY: UPDATE MEETING NEXT WEEK
Over the last several months community partners including The Coalition Against Hate and SCOPE volunteers have been working on how to build relationships among individuals and associations wishing to build and sustain a community that embraces differences among us. A group is being planned that would allow such organizations (like the NAACP and Hispanic Latino Coalition) to learn about one another, gain tools for their community work and initiate collaborative projects. The next meeting for an update and next steps will be on December 15th at 11:30 a.m. with lunch provided at the Center for Arts & Humanity. This is a good opportunity to plug in and bring your voice to the table. Please let us know if you would like to attend by calling 365-8751.
THE ROLE OF NEIGHBORS, NEIGHBORHOODS AND POSITIVE AGING
SCOPE volunteers are having conversations about the roles that neighbors and neighborhood associations can play in creating a positive environment for aging. Please join us for our next conversation on Thursday, January 11th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Fruitville Library, 100 Coburn Rd, Sarasota .For more information and to RSVP please contact Suzanne Gregory or Joe Naroditsky at 365-8751.
ON THAT NOTE: MANASOTA REGIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS SUMMIT
HOLD the date of February 25th for the second annual Manasota Regional Neighborhoods Summit at Sudakoff Center at USF, Sarasota. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the program is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This summit will provide an opportunity for area neighborhood residents and leaders to attend workshops to help them meet the needs of their neighborhoods. The Rev. Damon Lynch, is the keynote speaker and workshop presenter. Rev. Lynch is a faculty member of the Asset Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. He has conducted workshops and seminars to many organizations throughout the United States on the Asset-Based approach to problem solving and development.
ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN A MENTAL HEALTH PLAN FOR SARASOTA COUNTY
The first meeting of a strategic planning group for mental health and substance abuse services was held this past Tuesday night. This meeting, organized by the sub-committee of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Stakeholders Consortium, is the implementation of one of the major recommendations in the 2003 SCOPE Mental Health study. SCOPE is working with this group to inspire community residents to provide input. These meetings will continue with various groups throughout the county during January with hopes that this plan will be compiled in the spring of 2006.
SCOPE AT THE COMMUNITY INDICATORS CONSORTIUM CONFERENCE
Catherine Clouse, SCOPE staff member, recently returned from the 4th annual Community Indicators Consortium conference, a group of organizations and local governments that track statistics about communities. Along with a group from South Africa, SCOPE presented on engaging the public in indicator projects. The conference yielded rich conversations both in organized presentations and in casual gatherings. Catherine returned with a wealth of knowledge and contacts that will help SCOPE keep its indicator work fresh and creative. For a look at some of SCOPE's indicator reports, click here.
HOST THE SCOPEXHIBIT
At the last CIC Conference, SCOPE presented on its collaboration with Ringling School of Art and Design yielding the compelling illustrations of Community Report Card indicators. These were subsequently used in the traveling art exhibit, SCOPEXHIBIT and we invite you to host it! This is a great way for your company or organization to join SCOPE in raising public awareness of the issues facing Sarasota County in the form of insightful sketches. Some of the issues illustrated are affordable housing, mental health and school dropout. Please contact SCOPE at 365-8751 if you're interested.
CALL FOR TESTIMONIALS
Have you positively benefited by being a part of SCOPE, if so we'd love to hear from you! We are seeking volunteers to tell us about their experience with SCOPE thereby putting a human face on our work. Please contact Lynn Hobeck Bates at 365-8751 for more information.
EVENTS AROUND TOWN RELATED TO SCOPE'S WORK
SCOPE TAKING PART IN ROSEMARY RISING STREET FESTIVAL
Looking for an original way to spend Friday evening? Join us in Rosemary District's first-ever street festival featuring over 100 artists, musicians, organizations, and businesses. SCOPE is proud to be one of the many participating organizations. You'll be entertained by local musicians, artists, and performers while peeking inside some of the county's most historic landmarks. Please stop in to see us from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. tonight.
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT OPENING: ART AND DIVERSITY
SCOPE's Race and Cultural Relations initiative wishes to share an example of how art is used to express diversity-related issues. According to the photographer Lauren Grant, the show "Dixie" is meant to be a social forum where different communities can come together to discuss how our participation in the every-day institutions of our society reinforce self-maintaining negative stereotypes and propagate segregated communities. The exhibit is at New College's Caples Isermann Gallery, located directly south of the Ringling Museum of Art. The opening reception is today Friday, December 9th from 8p.m .- 10:30p.m., and is open to the public free of charge. Refreshments will be served.
NAMI & PLAYERS PRESENT "THE DIVINE MIND" ON DECEMBER 12
The Players Theatre and Sarasota County's Voice on Mental Illness (NAMI/ SC) have partnered to present "The Divine Mind" at The Players Theatre, 838 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota on December 12, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. We invite you to embrace your "divine mind" through this eclectic, yet harmonious variety show celebrating dance, comedy, poetry, and song by local talent. The evening features Sarasota's Danielle White, and winner of the 2003 American Junior Idol and the granddaughter of NAMI member, as well as Marylee Bussard's original folksy tunes on guitar, a short play "Sister" by SCOPE's Mental Health Study filmmaker, Mary Magill, and a live, before-your-eyes painting by artist Jeremy Schramm, to be sold during a silent auction at intermission. David Kerns of SNN6 will MC the production. Reserved seating, $25. For tickets, call 365-2494, weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets will also be available at the door one hour before show time.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Many thanks to the following for their gracious support of our efforts: Ms. Patricia C. Haupt; Rebecca & Robert Lane, Ms. Joan Lowery, Ms. Ellen Weiss, and the Sarasota Family YMCA, Inc..
SCOPE
1226 N. Tamiami Trail
Suite 202
Sarasota, FL 34239Phone: 941-365-8751
Fax: 941-365-8592
Web site: http://www.scopexcel.org
E-mail: scope@scopexcel.org
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