We hope you will be able to join us at our Northeastern Regional Mid-Year Gathering in Amherst!

IMPORTANT: Please RSVP via this Google Form. Responding only via the event invite will not give us all the information we need!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25
Title: Culturally Responsive Teaching: Deepening Our Practices and Reflecting on Implicit Bias
Presenter: Rachel Willis, Elevating Equity 
Description: This session will allow service members to deepen their understanding and practice of culturally responsive teaching. Service members will learn how various types of implicit bias may impact their relationships within their school or service communities, and will discuss ways of mitigating implicit bias in their classrooms. This hands on lesson will incorporate the modeling of a culturally responsive FoodCorps lesson and will highlight how to plan for classroom management using these approaches.

Title:  Your Liberation is Bound Up with Mine: Practicing Allyship and Solidarity in Service to Community
Presenter:  Kavitha Rao & Mohamad Chakaki, Center for Whole Communities
Description: 
The social and ecological fragmentation that exists in America today is directly played out in our organizations, our communities, and our movements for change. Yet, there is an enduring wholeness that exists alongside the challenges we face, revealing pathways across these divides. Center for Whole Communities is committed to creating conditions where all people can honor difference and build authentic relationships - based on foundations of allyship, solidarity, and trust - with each other and their communities. This interactive and experiential session will allow space to: 
Engage in the leadership practices that will ground and inspire us as we navigate and seek to creatively transform the tensions inherent to being in service to community. 
Individually and collectively reflect on your service goals and, working with both vulnerability and courage, renew your intentions and purpose. 
Introduce and practice tools and techniques to support your goal setting and planning efforts that are rooted in systems thinking and a sense of justice and fairness. 

We will have an alumni mixer and celebratory dinner in the evening.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26TH
We will have a series of career development sessions on this day including a career exploration workshop with Jim Laden and a career panel with alumni and local professionals.