Building A Vision: Vision Regeneration - A Storybook

BUILDING A VIS...

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As a part of our Storytelling Initiative, DSVP has produced a "storybook" about the youth and mission of Vision Regeneration, Inc. A DSVP investment of three years, Vision's mission is unique in South Dallas focusing on changing the culture among the youth they serve to one of positive reciprocity. DSVP has worked with founder and executive director, Omar Jahwar, to move his vision from a grass-roots initiative to a national model for youth engagement and cultural transformation.

The book was created for Vision Regeneration, by Dallas Social Venture Partners . Featuring photography by local artist Sarah Jane Semrad and creative direction by Benjamin Hancock; it is a breathtaking example of how local social artists combined with community organizers can amplify the message of a mission. Each book purchased will gift back $100 to Vision Regeneration.

If you are interested in your own, you can order it directly from the manufacturer at a rate that includes the price of the book, plus a $100 contribution to Vision Regeneration.
We encourage you to support them in this way!

Is there a connection to school discipline tactics and prison?

Recently, DSVP's Philanthropy Education Committee hosted a discussion about the report "Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline, Dropout to Incarceration: The Impact of School Discipline and Zero Tolerance" released by Texas Appleseed. The committee brought together leaders from Texas Appleseed along with North Texas educators and civic leaders to react to the research and discuss their best practices for discipline in the school. Our respondents provided thoughtful and passionate points of view based on their own experience in the schools.
Listen to the discussion!

In the report, major findings include:

• In Texas, Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs have five times the dropout rate of mainstream schools.
• Two-thirds of the students sent to DAEPs in Texas are referred at the discretion of school districts, and are not mandatory removals under state law.
• In Texas, 211 school districts disproportionately referred African American students to DAEPs for one or more years between 2001 and 2006.
• Although special education students represented 11 percent of the overall Texas public school population in 2005-2006, they accounted for 22 percent of total annual DAEP referrals, 26 percent of out-of-school suspensions, and 21 percent of ISS referrals per year.
• Fourteen Texas school districts accounted for about 85 percent of referrals of 500 pre-K and kindergarten children and about 2,700 1st graders to DAEPs between 2001 and 2006. DAEPs are restricted by Texas law for children under age six unless they are found carrying a gun to school.

Framer: Texas Appleseed's Rebecca Lightsey, Executive Director
Texas Appleseed is a nonprofit partnership of pro bono attorneys and other professionals who are focused on systemic solutions to major social problems.

Presenters: Steve Colmus, Principal, Kipp Truth Academy
Kamalia Cotton, Principal, H.S. Thompson Learning Center
Rachel George, Executive Director, Transformation Management Office, DISD
Travis Wortham, Superintendent, Cottrell Transition Center, TYC Dallas

Social Enterprise for Nonprofits

What is Social Enterprise and how is it relative to nonprofit revenue streams? So many people are talking about this concept, but what are some examples of successful practices?

Listen and learn the basics about Social Enterprise from local expert, Ray A. McLeod, Vice President of Client Services and Communications at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas. Ray had been part of a leadership team who helped engage the Center in a partnership with a national effort initiated by Community Wealth Ventures, Inc. The effort has helped build regional capacity for nonprofits for social enterprise work.

Listen Now!

Resources on Social Enterprise

Social Enterprise Alliance - Where Mission Meets the Marketplace

Community Wealth Ventures, Inc.

Harvard Business School - Social Enterprise Initiative

"Social Enterprise 2.0: Working Towards a Sustainable Model"
by Jim Schorr, Stanford Social Innovation Review

Inspired by Micro-Financing

DSVP hosted and Inspirational Evening with Lucy Billingsley to learn about the inspiration behind her decision to get deeply involved in this work through the establishment of The Chiapas Project. Our moderator, Dodee Frost Crockett, a Barron’s list “Top 100 Women Financial Advisers” and DSVP 2005 Chairwoman of the Board, engaged our guest in a informative and rich dialogue about this fascinating movement that is alleviating poverty around the globe.

Photo: Dodee Frost Crockett, Lucy Billingsley, Karen Akin - Current Board Chair

We invite you to listen to the podcast of this Inspiring Conversation.

LISTEN NOW (or download).

Intro:

In 2003, Lucy Billingsley, a real estate legend in Dallas, Texas, heard Alex Counts, the CEO of the Grameen Foundation USA, speak about the power of micro-credit around the world. True to form, Lucy began to study the concept of microfinance and realized it was a viable and proven business solution to poverty. She recruited 30 women to travel to Chiapas, Mexico’s poorest state, to see it at work. When they returned, they formed the Chiapas Project. They personally pledged and raised $780,000 to fund the expansion of that microfinance institution. Lucy now serves on the board of the Grameen Foundation USA.

Integrating web 2.0 technology in DSVP

At DSVP, we are exploring social media to amplify our message, organize our work, and help share our knowlege building efforts. We are trying a variety of platforms to see what resonates with our Partnership. This is a beginning, so please let us know if we are missing an opportunity to get connected and promote our work together!

Social Networks:

• “My-Sites” on the SVPI Intranet – this will be an excellent way for our Partners to gain a national view of the SVP movement and share and learn best practices and resources from other SVP’s. We are planning to host a webinar targeting DSVP partners in the early winter to walk through the different features on the Portal.
  
• Linked-in – http://www.linkedin.com/ This is a natural place to promote Partners at the local level to connect professionally. We will begin exploring how to best promote events to extend to our Partners’ professional network.
  
• Face-Book- Face Book is used more personal network and often connects friends and family members. However, it is a great tool for promoting events and even products. There is an “SVP Group” that partners can join, http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19444359000
  
• Twitter – Have you heard of Twitter.com yet? This is actually a lot like water cooler talk - in an industry or within a social network. You sign up on and start “following” people. Others will “follow” you (if you have something interesting to say). For example, I "follow" others to receive links to research, articles, resources on philanthropy, social innovation/change, etc. Others "follow" me (SCALDWELL) to read my micro-blog on the work of DSVP and my other (volunteer) community work. Life streaming does creep in, especially when one of my kids says something cute. If you want to see what I’m talking about, you can find me on their site http://www.twitter.com/ as: SCALDWELL

Rich Media:

• BLOG- As you may know, DSVP launched our Blog last week and can be found at http://dogoodbetter.blogspot.com/. This is a tool that we plan to use much like a newsletter, but more interactive. We think it is an ideal tool to help go deeper in our conversations about the work and educational opportunities.
  
• VLOG – Video Blogging – you can see an example of this on our BLOG. It is a video invite to the Early Childhood Affinity Group. You can also find it on the “DSVPORG” Channel on http://www.youtube.com/ Partners can subscribe to either our “youtube channel” or our Blog to receive updates.
  
• Micro-Blogging – currently, I’m micro-blogging via http://www.twitter.com/ as: SCALDWELL
  PodCasts – These are Audio files of interviews and presentations that can be listened too from the web or downloaded onto an MP3 player. Our new website will provide a home for these files and will be a source of inspiration and education to new and seasoned partners.
  
• Widgets – we will have several new widgets on our new website that allow people to subscribe to our blogs, bookmark our site (on http://del.icio.us; digg.com; etc.).
  
• PayPal- we are establishing a PayPal account so we can begin selling our Little Green Books over the web to other SVP Partners.
  

Early Childhood Learning and Development - Affinity Group

DSVP will explore the concept of an Affiinty Group that will focus on Early Childhood Learning and Development. This first meeting is intended for DSVP Partners and Investees only.
Friday, September 19th, 11:30am-12:30pm.
Limited Seating, RSVP required!!
214-855-5520 x300.

View Video Invite!

Resources:

LISTEN! PODCAST on:
Investing in Early Childhood Education: How you can make a difference
Keynote Presentation: 2008 Early Education Summit
Featuring David L. Kirp, Professor at Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California at Berkley and author of:
The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics .
Moderated by Krys Boyd, KERA.

Follow this Link to Listen now!
http://www.dfwvideo.com/webdisk/DSVPchildcaregroup.mp3

“Parenting and Childhood Development” - Research Brief by Kronkosky Charitable Foundation

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis - Early Childhood Development Resource Listings

What's Up

This blog has been created to advance educational opportunities for DSVP partners and the North Texas community on children's issues and innovations in philanthropy.