MINN is entirely run by volunteers. Your feedback to this survey will help in MINN’s upcoming Strategic Planning Session, where volunteers will work to customize programming that is responsive to international practitioners’ needs.

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View Restaurant & Bar
(Near Calhoun Beach Club)
2730 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55416
612-920-5000

Thursday, July 17, 2008
5:30-7:30 PM

MINN’s quarterly social get-togethers are a great time to network with other people interested or employed in the international humanitarian and aid fields. If you want to socialize in a casual environment, you do not want to miss this event. If you have previously attended a MINN Happy Hour, we encourage you to join us again!

All are welcome! Please circulate this invitation to your colleagues and friends.

THE VIEW RESTAURANT & BAR OFFERS PATRONS FREE CONVENIENT UNDERGROUND PARKING AT THE THOMAS AVENUE RAMP

DIRECTIONS

From the South:
1) Take Interstate I-35W Northbound.
2) Take the 31st Street exit (Exit 15) to Lake Street (continue straight through first stoplights)
3) Turn Left at East Lake Street
4) Continue down Lake Street for approximately three miles to 2730 West Lake Street.
5) Turn Right at Thomas Ave. to park within the Calhoun Beach Club underground parking

From the West /North:
1) Take I-394 or I-94/694 to Highway 100
2) Take Highway 100 Southbound
3) Continue on Highway 100 Southbound and take Cty. Rd. 25 exit
4) Stay right on Highway 7 Eastbound
5) Continue on Highway 7 Eastbound to West Lake Street
6) Turn Left at Thomas Ave. to park within the Calhoun Beach Club underground parking

From the East:
1) Take I-94 Westbound towards St. Paul
2) Take the Lyndale Ave exit (Exit 231B)
3) Stay left at Hennepin Ave. S.
4) Continue straight on Hennepin Ave. S.
5) Turn Right on Lagoon Ave
6) Continue straight on Lagoon Ave to West Lake Street.
7) Turn Right at Thomas Ave. to park within the Calhoun Beach Club underground parking

This event is brought to you by the Midwest International NGO Network (MINN). MINN’s mission is to provide an open environment for international practitioners to network and exchange professional experiences and best practices.

Event: Promoting Healthy Families in Uganda

Date: Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Time: 12-1pm

Location: MN Church Center (122 West Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis 55404).

Paige Anderson Bowen, MPH, MIHV’s Uganda Country Director, will present on MIHV’s community-based malaria and family planning programs.

* Bring your lunch or visit the on-site Franklin Terrace Café.

* Parking is available in the MN Church Center lot (off of Pillsbury Ave) or on the nearby streets. Please arrive early, as parking may fill up quickly.

Come join us for refreshments and discussion!

The event is free, but please RSVP to Amy Miller at: (612) 230-3363 or amiller@mihv.org

Category: Public Relations and Marketing

Organization Summary: Global Volunteers is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian international human and economic development organization. Founded in 1984, Global Volunteers sends teams of short-term volunteers to work on long-term development projects in local communities on six continents. Based in St. Paul, MN – USA, Global Volunteers is in consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC and partners with more than 200 local organizations worldwide. Focusing on community-driven development, Global Volunteers mission is to wage peace and promote justice through mutual international understanding.

Job Title: Volunteer Coordinator

Location: St. Paul area

Salary: $35,000 - Benefits: full medical and dental coverage, generous PTO, 403(b) available.

Type: F/T

Deadline: Open until filled

Primary Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of position: This position exists to assist people who contact Global Volunteers by providing them oral and written information about Global Volunteers’ service programs and Philosophy of Service. The principle function is to facilitate a decision making process whereby prospective volunteers are able to make an informed commitment to participate on a Global Volunteers service program, both financially and physically. This is a challenging and very rewarding position whose specific responsibility is to recruit volunteers to participate on short-term service programs.

Reports to: Director of International Operations

Responsibilities:
• Establish relationships with prospective volunteers who contact Global Volunteers.
• Inform prospective volunteers via telephone, email and mail about Global Volunteers and provide them informational materials.
• Qualify prospective volunteers; learn about their needs, interests, skills, and abilities.
• Obtain the commitment to volunteer.
• Achieve and exceed minimum recruiting goals.
• Maintain computer database by recording prospective volunteers’ pertinent information received via mail, telephone, or email communications.
• Contribute to development of marketing materials, assess volunteer data, determine market trends, etc.
Compensation: Salary starts at $35,000 plus benefits with an opportunity for $38,500 after 12 months and $45,000 after 24 months.
Experience and Qualification Requirements:
• Four-year liberal arts, business, or marketing degree
• Minimum of five years work experience after college
• Sales or recruiting experience
• International living and/or work experience
• Strong computer literacy skills – database management and/or contact manager experience helpful, e.g., GoldMine, ACT, MS Access, etc.
• Highly refined oral and written communication skills
• Strong listening skills
• Self-motivated with a desire to excel
• Team player – positive attitude, flexible, collaborative, optimistic, cooperative
• Detail and quality oriented
• A firm understanding of and commitment to Global Volunteers philosophy of service and mission

HOW TO APPLY:
Please email résumé and cover letter to jscribner@globalvolunteers.org.

For more information about Global Volunteers, see our website – www.globalvolunteers.org. Global Volunteers is an equal opportunity employer.

International NGO leaders sharing the newest initiatives that their organizations are undertaking, the challenges they are encountering…and the ways that they are achieving success.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
5:30-7:30 PM (program starts at 6:00 PM)

American Refugee Committee
(located in Loring Park Office Building) .
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN

Join us as we hear from:
Matt Muraski, Global Operations Director, Feed My Starving Children
R. Dennis Olson, Senior Policy Analyst, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
LuAnn Werner, Office Manager, Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry

All are welcome. Please circulate this invitation to your colleagues.
If you plan to attend please RSVP with Bianca Morales Egan at bmoralesegan@CVT.ORG .

Parking: Street parking and meters are available. Also, parking is available east and across the street from the Loring Park Office Building. The lot is accessible from Oak Grove Street—look for the balloons marking the parking lot entrance.

When the United States invaded Afghanistan in October of 2001, Afghan hopes were high that democracy would bring enormous progress for Afghan women in the arena of health and education. But one of their most fundamental rights— adequate health care—has not been met. In Motherland Afghanistan, Afghan American filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi journeys to the heart of this medical tragedy by following her father’s return to Afghanistan to battle one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Set against the backdrop of a land in turmoil and transition, this inspiring film reveals the stories behind a women’s health crisis essentially and provides a rare glimpse into the heart of humanity through the quiet deeds of those who attempt to heal.

Cosponsors: American Refugee Committee, Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health, and Americans for UNFPA, the U.S. support organization for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. UNFPA provides women’s health care and promotes the rights of women around the world.

WHEN: Friday, April 4, 2008
Reception starts at 6:00 PM
Motherland Afghanistan film shows at 7:00 PM
Panel discussion with filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi ~ 8:30 PM

WHERE: Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs,
301 19th Avenue S,
Minneapolis, MN 55455

COST: MIC Members/Students/Cosponsors $10;
Non-members $25.

Due to limited seating, advance registration is required - www.micglobe.org or by phone at 612.625.4421.
___________________________________________________

Link to Motherland Afghanistan info and trailers, PBS Independent Lens website

Link to New York Times Review of Motherland Afghanistan

Link to Americans for UNFPA

The Strategic Connector Nonprofit Leadership Institute is uniquely designed for individuals working in nonprofit organizations ready to take the next step to increasing their leadership skills, policy influence and community connections.

Applications are available online and will be accepted through Friday April 25. There are also several scholarship opportunities available.

If you are an outstanding individual who is highly motivated with a deep commitment to strengthening nonprofit organizations, please consider applying for this unique nonprofit leadership opportunity. Not for you? Please consider encouraging other nonprofit leaders, in your organization or in another organization, to apply.

MCN will offer two Free Informational Sessions for those interested in learning more about the Strategic Connector Nonprofit Leadership Institute. These sessions are free, but you must RSVP to bao@mncn.org.
* Monday, March 24, 4-5 p.m., Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2314 University Ave W, St. Paul

* Thursday, April 3, 2-3 p.m., Webinar - login from any computer with internet access and phone nearby!

If you are interested in learning more about MCN’s Strategic Connector Leadership Institute, the application and selection process or scholarship availability, please contact bao@mncn.org or 651-642-1904 ext. 245.

Keynote speaker Robin Morgan will present “Global Feminisms – The Politics of the 21st Century.” Ms. Morgan is an award-winning poet, novelist, political theorist, feminist activist, journalist, editor, and best-selling author of books such as Sisterhood Is Powerful and Sisterhood Is Global. In addition to a keynote speaker, there will be a plenary panel, “Women and Indigenous Communities: The Struggle for Human Rights.” Panelists are Senator Mee Moua, Teresa Ortiz, and Laura Waterman Wittstock. Senator Amy Klobuchar is also expected to make an afternoon appearance.

Workshops throughout the day will include topics such as girls’ empowerment, women in armed conflict, immigrant women’s health, women and religion, sexual violence against indigenous women, and women and the global water crisis. Luella Greene’s photo exhibition, “Voices and Images of Women,” will be on display. Maria Isa will close the day with a performance.

Inspired by the 1995 U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, this event is designed to celebrate the diversity of Minnesota women, to increase understanding and tolerance in our community, to encourage activism, and to highlight advancements and challenges in women’s rights and equality. Presented by The Advocates for Human Rights and the Human Rights Program at the University of Minnesota, this event is the Midwest’s largest celebration of International Women’s Day. The celebration will include speakers, panels, workshops, vendors including artists and craftspersons, performances, film, and information from over 65 co-sponsoring organizations.

This dialogue will be a discussion among Twin Cities community members about how to effectively engage in ethical and sustainable microcredit work. This discussion will be centered on three projects seeking to develop alternative microfinance models. First, Kasia Paprocki and Jason Cons will share the Goldin Institute’s findings and recommendations from our extended research work on understanding microcredit from the perspectives of recipients. We will focus directly on our recent research in rural areas in Banglaldesh. Second, Joe Selvaggio will discuss his innovative MicroGrants program, which provides grants of $1000 to poor people with potential to help them acquire the necessary assets to make new starts or begin new entrepreneurial ventures. Third, Chingwell Mutombu will discuss her work with the First Step Initiative, which has initiated a microcredit program in DR Congo that emphasizes the creation of market linkages to ensure markets for recipients’ entrepreneurial ventures. After these brief presentations we will engage in a round-table discussion with attendees about the need and strategies for providing ethical and sustainable microcredit programming and engage in a debate about how both donor communities and programs can cooperatively create such programs.

Please RSVP to kasia@goldininstitute.org or call 312.951.1691; or contact us to learn more about this event or the Goldin Institute’s Improving Microcredit Project.

Presenters

Jason Cons M.S. - Goldin Institute Director of Research and Project Design

Jason is a doctoral candidate in Development Sociology at Cornell University. In 2006-7, he was a Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellow while conducting fieldwork in India and Bangladesh on the India-Bangladesh Border. He worked closely with Goldin Institute partners in Bangladesh to design and execute the Improving Microcredit Project and is currently engaged in analysis of the findings and planning and developing subsequent phases of this work.

Kasia Paprocki - Goldin Institute Research Associate

As part of Kasia’s studies at Hampshire College, she designed an alternative microcredit model and spent six months in 2006 in Dhaka, Bangladesh working to implement this program. In 2007, she returned to Bangladesh to direct the Improving Microcredit Project. She continues to work on analysis, outputs, and developing parallel projects around the world. In the year 2000, the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota awarded Kasia the Twin Cities’ International Citizen’s Award for her work against child labor.

Joe Selvaggio - Founder and Executive Director of MicroGrants

Joe founded MicroGrants in 2006. He is also founder of Project for Pride in Living, a nonprofit organization promoting self-sufficiency through housing, training and resources as well as the founder and executive director of the One Percent Club, an organization promoting philanthropy among the wealthy. Joe has a distinguished 40-year career as a bridge between the affluent and low-income people. Joe’s mission with MicroGrants is to connect the affluent with the low-income by offering a service to those who want to give and connecting them to a recipient who can utilize a microgrant efficiently and productively.

Chingwell Mutombu - Founder and Executive Director of First Step Initiative

Chingwell is driven by her commitment to and vision for social justice. Throughout her professional career, she has worked on issues affecting disenfranchised communities both nationally and internationally. Her diverse background includes the founding of a consulting business which she currently runs, and her work as an advocate for human rights. Currently, she chairs the Multicultural Endowment Fund at the Saint Paul Foundation. A former Philanthropy Fellow at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Chingwell is a graduate of Luther College and holds two Master’s degrees from Seton Hall University in Public Administration and International Relations.

View Restaurant & Bar
(Near Calhoun Beach Club)
2730 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55416
612-920-5000

Thursday, July 17, 2008
5:30-7:30 PM

MINN’s quarterly social get-togethers are a great time to network with other people interested or employed in the international humanitarian and aid fields. If you want to socialize in a casual environment, you do not want to miss this event. If you have previously attended a MINN Happy Hour, we encourage you to join us again!

All are welcome! Please circulate this invitation to your colleagues and friends.

THE VIEW RESTAURANT & BAR OFFERS PATRONS FREE CONVENIENT UNDERGROUND PARKING AT THE THOMAS AVENUE RAMP

DIRECTIONS

From the South:
1) Take Interstate I-35W Northbound.
2) Take the 31st Street exit (Exit 15) to Lake Street (continue straight through first stoplights)
3) Turn Left at East Lake Street
4) Continue down Lake Street for approximately three miles to 2730 West Lake Street.
5) Turn Right at Thomas Ave. to park within the Calhoun Beach Club underground parking

From the West /North:
1) Take I-394 or I-94/694 to Highway 100
2) Take Highway 100 Southbound
3) Continue on Highway 100 Southbound and take Cty. Rd. 25 exit
4) Stay right on Highway 7 Eastbound
5) Continue on Highway 7 Eastbound to West Lake Street
6) Turn Left at Thomas Ave. to park within the Calhoun Beach Club underground parking

From the East:
1) Take I-94 Westbound towards St. Paul
2) Take the Lyndale Ave exit (Exit 231B)
3) Stay left at Hennepin Ave. S.
4) Continue straight on Hennepin Ave. S.
5) Turn Right on Lagoon Ave
6) Continue straight on Lagoon Ave to West Lake Street.
7) Turn Right at Thomas Ave. to park within the Calhoun Beach Club underground parking

This event is brought to you by the Midwest International NGO Network (MINN). MINN’s mission is to provide an open environment for international practitioners to network and exchange professional experiences and best practices.