Bee Heaven Farm & Redland Organics will also be there with their first batch of certified organic heirloom tomato & veggie starts, plus some farmer’s market style items with the first of the local harvests – all certified organic as well.

So bring the kids, grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors. Maybe this would be the time to start a neighborhood garden. All the information needed at your fingertips and what a fun way to show our children a better way to eat and be healthy.

Advance registration is $25, with a special $5 registration for parents/caretakers of children 17 and under (requires filling out an application before July 8, space is limited). I moderated a panel at the first conference and found it to be a fantastic setting for inspiring ideas – with a diverse range of people participating. In fact, I wished I could stay longer, but had to get back to my son.

But they’ve thought of the childcare issue this time. The Changemaker Conference is offering free eco-activities all day for kids 5-17 (agenda), and FREE childcare for the littler ones. Awesome.

Read more details & Register now!

See the entire press release below.

How Local Residents Can Create Better Parks, Beaches, Blocks and Other Public Spaces: “Placemaking” is Focus of Imagine Miami Changemaker Conference II

Miami, FL – The second in a three-year series, the Imagine Miami Changemaker Conference II on July 18, 2009 focuses on the power of place. Miami-Dade residents will learn how to create and sustain the public spaces that build community – from community gardens to family-friendly parks and city blocks.

Presented by the Human Services Coalition (HSC), the event will be held in downtown Miami at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus, in the Chapman Conference Center, from 9:30 am – 5:30 pm. To pre-register (deadline July 10), residents can go to http://www.imaginemiami.org or call (305) 576-5001.

“By bringing together more than 200 aspiring, emerging and seasoned community leaders from diverse backgrounds, including participants in HSC’s civic programs,” says Imagine Miami director Corinna Moebius, “we’ll be cross-fertilizing good ideas and practices and inspiring people with real-life examples of how residents are transforming local places. We’ll also help people connect with each other and with specific opportunities.”

On July 18, participants will learn to use innovative place-related tools and approaches for advocacy, resident engagement and community development, including community mapping and GIS, asset mapping and placemaking tools developed by Project for Public Spaces. Hands-on workshops will be led by Cynthia Nikitin of Project for Public Spaces (PPS) (pps.org), Dwayne Marsh of PolicyLink (policylink.org), Delia Caderno of Partnership for Community Transformation and Jacquelyn Sartan of UM. In a placemaking workshop, residents will break into groups and use the PPS Place Evaluation tool to evaluate specific sites in downtown Miami.

About the Changemaker Conference Series
HSC launched its three-year series of Changemaker Conferences (two a year) in response to the success of its 2008 Imagine Miami Summit on Arts, Culture & Civic Engagement, which South Florida residents described as uplifting, connecting, energizing and transformative. The series is part of HSC’s broader strategy to cultivate networks of trust (social capital) and increase residents’ capacity to be catalysts for participatory, community change. They are also an important vehicle for connecting the emerging leaders participating in HSC’s civic programs, including Public Allies Miami-Dade, Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), Advocacy Corps Training (ACT), Neighborhood Leadership Program, Creative Impact and Imagine Miami. Through the civic programs of HSC, single parents, minority youth, immigrants, low-income residents and others have become leaders in their community.

The conferences build upon each other, and each increases awareness and knowledge of particular techniques, success stories and opportunities. The first conference (April 4, 2009) focused on asset-based approaches (focusing on community strengths); storytelling for social impact; and community dialogue techniques. By 2011, we expect at least 1,000 local residents to become champions for civic engagement and community involvement in South Florida.

A committee of hard-working and dedicated volunteers, interns and contributing HSC staff has been meeting weekly to help Imagine Miami director Corinna Moebius plan the conference. Core volunteers include Sam Van Leer of Urban Paradise Guild, Linda McGlathery of the Garden Project, Roger Horne of Belafonte TACOLCY youth center, Harold Silva of Miami Dade College and Luz Agudelo, an HSC Public Ally who works with Little Havana residents. Interns include Alexandra Torres and Julia Atkinson.

In-kind support is provided by Miami Dade College and uVu (www.uvuvideo.org, the community video project of local public TV station WPBT).

About the Human Services Coalition (HSC) and Imagine Miami
Founded in 1995, the Human Services Coalition (HSC) identifies and launches innovative strategies to help people and communities thrive. HSC works through a network of partner organizations, linking people with financial education, healthcare information, public benefits and educational and economic opportunities. HSC’s programs promote economic self-sufficiency, participation in civic life and respect across many divides.
HSC inspires people to get involved and prepares them to step up to leadership roles that lead to long-term community transformation. As we learn to live and work together, we find common purpose and build a more just and inclusive society.

The Imagine Miami (IM) initiative was founded by HSC President and CEO Daniella Levine, and has grown into a “civic network” of local changemakers. IM connects people through the Changemaker conferences and other workshops, its online civic network (http://imaginemiami.ning.com ), and special guides to local resources (see www.imaginemiami.org ).

Conference attendees can win $500 for their local place-based project like a community garden. Local groups have until July 1 to submit a one-page proposal to create/improve a local public space. During the conference, attendees will vote for one of ten semi-finalist proposals. The three finalists will have five minutes each to pitch their project during the conference, with additional time to answer questions from a panel of judges and conference attendees. Judges include Charles Auslander of The Children’s Trust, Kris Smith of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, Cynthia Nikitin and Corinna Moebius.

Funded by The Children’s Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the conference is designed to be family friendly. Eco-educational activities for kids will take place all day, led by Kiki Mutis (Director of the Community Science Workshop at Citizens for a Better South Florida) and environmental educator Sofie Geckler. Near the close of the conference, kids will share their own ideas for better neighborhoods with the rest of the attendees. Parents can bring children 5 and up for no extra cost, and up to 80 parents are eligible for a discounted $5 registration fee if they apply by July 3rd. The regular conference price is $25.

Other conference highlights include a keynote presentation by Cynthia Nikitin of PPS, a World Café dialogue on creating family-friendly neighborhoods, hands-on demonstrations of online mapping tools (e.g., CommunityWalk.com and the Children’s Trust’s KidsMap), exhibits of local place-related projects, a video Story Booth (courtesy of WPBT’s uvuvideo.org), and a culminating drumming activity led by local artist/activist Lela Lombardo.

Following the conference, participants can continue their connection and collaboration with local changemakers via our “Community Cafes”: neighborhood-based dialogues led by local residents trained in community dialogue techniques. They can also connect via our online civic network (imaginemiami.ning.com), and continue building skills, awareness and connections via HSC’s advocacy and leadership programs and workshops.

Want to learn more about climate activism and what you can do to help fight global warming? Bill McKibben, best-selling author, lifelong activist, and founder of Step it Up will be joined by Mike Tidwell of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, one of the most effective regional climate groups in the country, for a FREE climate activism training.

Thursday, November 29, 2007. 5pm-9pm

Miami-Dade College, Wolfson Campus – Building 3000 – Room 3210

300 NE 2nd Ave Downtown Miami (campus map)

RSVP: Space is limited – please RSVP with your contact information by November 21st.

The study is evaluating water supply and many other factors vital to the health of Miami-Dade residents and it’s importance reaches far beyond just South Dade. If you cared about and were involved in helping to stop the recent attempts to move the Urban Development Boundary in the past year, know that you are needed October 13.

Too few people like yourself are being engaged on this study and developers and those seeking to profit at the expense of quality of life have been given enough air time- it is time for your concerns to be heard! Don’t think you have to be an expert- common sense and concern for Miami-Dade’s future is all you need to make a difference! Call 305-485-5949 for details.

Learn more about the Watershed Study.

View the event flyer (pdf).

Attend the meeting this Friday in Homestead, October 13 @ 9:30 am. South Dade Agricultural Center (map).

The Redland Ramble
A day in the country, from brunch to supper, with something for everyone in between!
Saturday, September 9th
Join the Ramble anytime, from 9:30 in the morning on!
RSVP conviviumpro [at] aol [dot] com when you’ve reviewed the suggested tour, so that we can let our hosts know how many to expect!

Williams Grove  9:30 am
Your first stop, close to US 1  on SW 248 Street. Start here for coffee, tea and mango smoothies for the kids. Williams Grove is a farm and a study collection curated by the tropical fruit experts of Fairchild Tropical Gardens, and the fruit market is a delicious learning experience. September’s Fruit of The Month, several cultivars of avocado, will be available for sale at $2.00 each.  Open 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. 14885 SW 248 St, Homestead FL 33187 Directions

Fruit & Spice Park 10:30 am
Follow SW 248 Street to this 35-acre park and take a tram tour featuring over 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs & nuts, with commercially important plant specimens from around the world. Sample fruit in season at the tasting counter and shop for unique tropical food-related products.  Tour $5.00  (plus gift shop sales)  From Fruit & Spice Park, head to Bee Heaven Farm for brunch; directions below.

Brunch

Bee Heaven Farm 12:00 noon Directions: from Fruit & Spice Park: Go south on Redland Rd (187 ave) 1 mile, turn west (right) on Bauer Drive (264th St), & follow the signs to Bee Heaven Farm.
Join the Ramble at a certified organic, genuine family farm for a tour, an introduction to Community Supported Agriculture, and a satisfying brunch at noon. The chef has created a menu that will delight even the youngest palate: Hand-made corn tortillas with farm fresh eggs and local herbs accompanied by guacamole from Bee Heaven’s own orchard. Served with sublime  homemade guava shells and local farm cheese, and a down-home side of traditional American black-eyed peas. Beverages include iced herb teas and ades with fresh allspice berries. Brunch $16.00 (plus farm stand sales of raw farm honey, herbs, culinary garden plants and avocados from Redland’s organic farms)  More about Redland Organic Farms… 

Schnebly Winery Tour & Tasting  2:30 pm
Tour $7.00.   Tasting  $3.00 (plus wine & gift shop sales)  Directions and more about Schnebley Winery… 

Slow Food Country Pot-Luck Supper 4:00 pm
Following the tour & tasting at Schnebly Winery, Slow Food Miami members will meet in the breezy covered picnic area beside Schnebly’s waterfall. Bring your favorite dish & join us for a Country Pot-Luck Supper to celebrate delegates from our farm community to the Terra Madre World Food Congress, meeting in Italy in October.  More about Terra Madre … and about Slow Food Miami…

Reservations are appreciated by our hosts at all the stops.
Please e-mail the following information to  conviviumpro [at] aol [dot] com.

Your name ________________________________
Number in your party ____
I/we will participate in the following activities:
   ___ Williams Grove 9:30 am
   ___  Fruit & Spice Park 10:30 am
   ___  Brunch at Bee Heaven Farm 12:00 noon
   ___  Schnebly Winery Tasting &/or Tour  2:30 pm
   ___  Slow Food Country Supper 4:00 pm
(For a map of the general area that identifies a few of these sites, visit our friends at Redland Riot.)

Let us know your plans by email at conviviumpro [at] aol [dot] com

Saturday, March 11, 2006, 9am – 3pm

Tree Tops Park, Davie

Park Admission $1/person, kids under 5 free

Bring your own bucket and receive free mulch! Also free native trees and rain gauges.