It being spring now, naturally there are more events emerging like bright little crocuses out of the civic landscape. Here are a few events and upcoming items of interest, in attempted chronological order.
Exploring World Citizenship Conference
Saturday, March 24, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, American International College, along with the United Nations Association, is hosting a way "to engage in a movement of understanding and a mission of peace," the Second Annual Young Professionals for International Cooperation Conference for the New England Region, with possibly 100 students and professionals attending.
Participants will delve into issues such as human rights, global health, peace and security, international law, and the Millennium Development Goals. The conference’s aim is to give each participant the means to become a world citizen and strengthen the work of the United Nations. Keynote speaker: Ambassador Mark Hambley of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts, which incidentally had a nice write-up by Jaclyn Stevenson in the current issue of Business West. Registration information is available online.
Saturday, March 24, at noon, the Forest Park branch library offers an advance screening of PBS documentary Faith Without Fear by Irshad Manji (author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in her Faith). The film is about a Muslim’s journey to reconcile her faith in Allah with her love of freedom. The PBS series "America at a Crossroads," which includes this film and examines post-9/11 American life, is due to air in April. Heather Lavigne of WGBY will facilitate a discussion after the screening.
Springfield landlord training
Tuesday, March 27, at 6:00 pm, the Maple High-Six Corners Neighborhood Council, the Rental Housing Association of Greater Springfield, and Hampden Bank invite rental property owners as well as prospective landlords to participate in a free landlord training at 74 Walnut Street in Springfield. Refreshments and door prizes included, the event will touch on the basics of property investment, landlord responsibilities, how to get good tenants, how to stay out of court, properties of all sizes, and a question-and-answer session with rental experts. For more information, contact Alicia Zoeller, neighborhood council president, at maplehighsixcorners@yahoo.com or (413) 736-4493.
Advance film screening: Operation Homecoming
Wednesday, March 28, at 7:00 pm, the central library offers an advance screening of PBS documentary Operation Homecoming, which explores first-hand accounts of American soldiers who have participated in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in their own words. The film is part of an effort to gather soldiers’ and their families’ writings. Heather Lavigne of WGBY will again facilitate a discussion after the screening.
Non-profit grant-researching open house
Thursday, March 29, 9:30 am to noon, the Springfield central library invites representatives of regional non-profit organizations to an open house, in the community room, to learn about its new "cooperating collection" of the Foundation Center (formerly the Western Mass. Funding Resource Center). An introduction to the collection will be offered, along with refreshments. A tutorial for accessing the online database will take place on Thursday, April 19, 10:00 to 11:30 am in the computer lab. For more information, contact Donna Goldthwaite, Collection Supervisor, at (413) 263-6828.
Springfield young professionals social gathering
Thursday, March 29, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, at the Keg Room in Springfield, the nascent Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield will host an initial event to engage the regional under-40 crowd. The goal is social and cultural pollination, business and career development and networking, and the fostering of volunteerism with non-profit organizations, as well as generally enhanced community involvement. Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan will be there as well as representatives of the Chambers of Commerce. The Keg Room’s owner, Christian Barthelette, allegedly the youngest bar owner in town, is obviously likely to attend, along with Paul Kozub, owner of V-One Vodka, who is offering a tasting. A DJ will be there to provide beats and mixes starting at 7:30 pm until closing. There is no cover charge. To learn more visit the MySpace for the group, or email springfieldyps@yahoo.com and ask for the Evite. Or you can just show up.
Artist fellowship grants award ceremony
Wednesday, March 28, at 5:00 pm, at Monteina’s Creative Comfort Cuisine Restaurant, 137 State Street in Springfield, the ten-member, mayor-appointed Springfield Cultural Council invites the public to an award ceremony honoring the three 2007 recipients of the annual Springfield Cultural Council Artist Fellowship Grants, which assist Springfield artists in developing and exploring their work outside the structure of a specific project or presentation.
The artists are Barbara Stroup, a fiber artist, Justin Marshall Cohen, a songwriter and musician, and Shariff Butler, a spoken word artist. At the event, samples of the grantees work will be shown and there will be a short performance by Shariff Butler to give the audience a feel for his work. Each will receive a check for $2,000. Artist Fellowship and Project Grants are given out once a year based on guidelines published by the Springfield Cultural Council. For more information contact scc@springfieldculturalcouncil.org or (413) 543-6930.
One Book, One Springfield
Monday, April 2, at 6:00 pm, at the central library, the One Book, One Springfield program kicks off, this year featuring Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. Linda Grodofsky, program coordinator, said, "The themes in the book—appreciating our elders, engaging in the mentoring process, attempting to preserve memories and historical events, and adopting a lifestyle that helps us live a healthy and meaningful life—contribute to a healthy and vibrant community." Events throughout the three-week program will include book discussions, film screenings, a genealogy lecture, and scrapbooking and oral history workshops. Kids as young as eight may enjoy these, although the program is geared toward adults. A culminating celebration is slated for Saturday, April 21, noon at the central library.
New(s) England Revolution
Saturday, April 7, in Lowell, the Media Giraffe Project invites the public to a daylong kickoff event (PDF) for the New England News Forum—a collaboration among journalists, educators and the public to inspire active citizenship through discussion and spotlighting of media issues.
Pride in Springfield month
Coming right up in April. Stay tuned. Citywide cleanup day is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
