UPCOMING CLASSES
| Relevant to Local Community Service & Learning Opportunities |
| UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS and ITS IMPACTS on CHILDREN & FAMILIES Wed, Feb 27 6:30-8:30pm SAU#9 / Conway School District Professional Development Center @ Kennett Middle School 176 Main Street, Conway, NH 03818 Registration Link. Participants in this session will: Understand the general state of homelessness in NH. Understand how to identify a homeless child and/or family. Understand the relationship between homelessness and trauma in children. Understand the physical and emotional impacts of homelessness, particularly on children. Understand the reactions and symptoms of trauma and homelessness in children. Understand best practices in serving children who experience homelessness. Training Methods: Training will incorporate a variety of teaching techniques including didactic presentation, small group discussions / brainstorms, videos, and opportunity for questions, dialogue and discussion. NH LISTENS Advanced Facilitator Training Fri, Mar 15 10am-4pm Conway Library, Conway, NH Registration Link. $50 fee. Fee waived for students and those with financial need. Many of us are trained to remain “neutral” as facilitators. However, that doesn’t mean we are passive. This workshop enhances confidence to remain neutral, productively address issues, encourage and move conversation in a constructive manner. RELIGION, CONFLICT & PEACE Harvard Online EdX course. Starts Mon, Mar 4, Self-Paced Continues 8 weeks • Expect: 4-8 hours of study per week Registration Link to register for the Harvard Online EdX course. Rev Gail Doktor, who studied under Prof Diane Moore at Harvard Divinity School, will participate in this course and we will offer a study & discussion group at Jackson Community Library for anyone else who registers and participates in the EdX class. Professional Development credit available. Taught by Professor Diane Moore, Senior Lecturer and the Director of the Religious Literacy Project Harvard University Course Description: In this course, we will explore a series of contemporary conflicts in different regions of the world with a special focus on identifying and analyzing the diverse and complex roles that religions play in both promoting and mitigating violence in each context. Students will learn a method for recognizing and analyzing how religious ideologies are embedded in all arenas of human agency and not isolated from political, economic, and cultural life as is often assumed. In addition to examining the conflicts themselves, we will also explore the religious dimensions of the impacts those conflicts have on civic life in areas such as public health, education, and commerce by addressing a series of questions. * What roles do religions play in fostering violence and what roles do they play in promoting peace? * How do religious institutions and ideologies function to support and/or thwart public health initiatives? * What are the ideological justifications for functional economic policies and how do they reflect and/or challenge diverse religious values? * What roles do religions play in advancing or suppressing educational opportunities and for whom? * Are media representations of the religious dimensions of conflict accurate? * Possible countries of focus include Brazil, Egypt, France, Israel/Palestine, Myanmar, Nigeria, Qatar, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Turkey, and the United States. Final projects will be individually shaped based on interest and (where relevant) professional focus. * The course is open to all and especially relevant for aspiring or professional educators, journalists, public health workers, foreign service officers and government officials who wish to better understand how religions function in contemporary world affairs. What you’ll learn Tools for how to interpret the roles religions play in contemporary conflicts; How religions are internally diverse; How religions evolve and change; How religions are embedded in all human cultures |