Workshops

Hidden in Plain View: Understanding the Sexual Expliotation of Children in the United States
A presentation that will address the myths and realities of commercial sexual exploitation of children, the impact and the attitudes toward this epidemic and how popular culture influences and reinforces these views. Learn how the normalization of sexual exploitation is conditioning our society to believe prostitution is socially acceptable. This will be a far-reaching presentation that will cover the broad spectrum of issues from family prostitution, to how rap music is poisoning our youth. Hear about social psychological analysis of strategies used by pimps to manipulate women and young girls to participate in prostitution. This truly eye opening presentation that will leave you thinking how our society has reached this point, and why nobody is speaking out about this phenomenon.

"I have a dream ..." Imagining a just future
In this first session, participants will share their vision of a just future.

"I'll fight ..." Exploring the inspiration of our heritage
In this second session, we will reflect on the rich heritage of social justice in The Salvation Army

"Without discrimination ..." Social injustice - power, poverty & pluralism
In this third session, we will examine the implication of our mission statement, "... to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

"Others ..." Ethics and advocacy
This final session will explore advocacy in the context of social justice and The Salvation Army.

Choices for Local Action: Setting HIV/AIDS Goals for The US Salvation Army Southern Territory
This seminar will be facilitated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of HIV/AIDS Policy's AIDS.gov Program. The seminar will include presentations from a Senior DHHS Official, a TSA HIV Program in Haiti, and a TSA HIV Program in Miami. The seminar will also include small-group discussions to accomplish the following objectives:

1. To provide TSA Southern Territory officers and staff with a deeper understanding of the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and in the Southern Territory.
2. To provide TSA officers and staff with helpful tools to address the potential misperceptions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic within TSA and among those it serves.
3. To provide a venue for The Salvation Army to become involved in HIV/AIDS services in the Southern Territory.

Community Capacity Building - Integrated Mission
Community capacity building (integrated mission) is a process of engaging and empowering a community or neighborhood to identify mutual concerns that impact the quality of life of community residents. At the heart of CCB is the belief that community change always comes from within, and that residents in communities are the best experts on how to achieve that change.

CCB components:

• Community residents work together to develop a vision that enhances their quality of life.
• Residents learn from each other and share their gifts and assets, mobilizing community participation.
• Inclusive community dialogue helps identify areas of concern, such as addiction, poverty housing, or HIV/AIDS in a community.
• The Salvation Army facilitates the community change process by identifying individual, family and community resources, wisdom and knowledge.

This seminar will provide participants the opportunity to explore approaches to incorporate community capacity building strategies into social service ministries at the local level. 

With locations in 70 plus communities across the country, AARP Foundation's WorkSearch is a web-based system that offers mature workers the tools they need to assess their job interests and skills, address training gaps, and connect to available jobs with local employers who value their experience. The web-based system is supported by the National Business Services Alliance (NBSA) whose servers have 24/7 state of the art maintenance, protection and firewalls.

The AARP Foundation WorkSearch and The Salvation Army are collaborating to increase accessible quality employment and training opportunities for The Salvation Army's clients among social services centers nationwide.

This workshop will illustrate the WorkSearch model and process using successful case studies for implementation across additional centers.

How Training and Re-employment Services Provide Social Mobility and Community Transformation for Social Services Clients
A key component to social mobility and community transformation among challenged audiences is training and re-employment. The National Business Services Alliance (NBSA), a collaboration that includes leading educational institutions (Rutgers, U of Houston, LSU, NIU, Sacramento State, and others), has been working with The Salvation Army over the past 2 years supporting various clients with these services in a unique return-to-work solution. Personalized, university-endorsed Online Career Planning and Job Readiness Training programs match individuals to jobs and assess skills as well as provide the advisor-led training, skill certification and placement assistance necessary to get back into the workforce as quickly as possible. Successful projects include(d):

• A custom Job Readiness Training program that supported over 7,400 displaced hurricane survivors as part of Katrina Aid Today (KAT)
• A Career Transitions program that is currently supporting 425 ARC beneficiaries among 5 pilot centers supporting immediate return-to-work post ARC
• A Community Transformation project with the San Antonio Metropolitan Area Command supporting thousands of social services clients with specific Online Career Planning and Job Readiness Training services

In this workshop we will share case studies and illustrate how to implement training and re-employment services into additional centers. We will also introduce a unique training and re-employment model, called WorkSearch, for the over 40 population supported by the AARP Foundation.

From Homelessness to Home Ownership

The F.A.I.T.H. Program in Sarasota, Florida (Transitional Living Program for Homeless Families with Children) is a life changing, one year program. It has become very successful in producing self sufficient families and qualifying many residents for Habitat for Humanity homes. Learn from this workshop how to move a homeless family to homeownership in one year. The workshop will describe this model to you.

1) Replicate this model program moving people from homelessness to homeownership.
2) Learn how to develop and include benchmarks and performance objectives
3) Realize the importance of collaborations, eliminating barriers and using incentives
4) Empower people to create success for themselves
5) Develop community support through marketing and fundraising

Radii: Learn About the New Social Services Software for the Southern Territory
This session will consist of a workshop and question and answer session on the Territory-wide implementation of the mandated Radii Advanced Client Management System for Social Services, EDS, ARCs. The presenters are from Radii Technologies, and have an intricate knowledge of the program and its application in Salvation Army settings.

What Works with Offenders
This workshop will deal with the issues ex-offenders face in steering clear of the criminal justice system. This will include a discussion of the major risk factors associated with criminal conduct and what some successful programs are doing to help offenders from returning to the system.

Shelter with on-site Services: Addressing the Complex Issues of Homeless Clients
This workshop features multifaceted programs offered at The Center of Hope Emergency Shelter to address causes of homeless. The workshop will briefly highlight on-site programs (Job training program, mother's morning out child care services, on-site Boys and Girls Club, collaborative on-site Drug Treatment Program and Health Clinic). The focus of the workshop is the multi-complex issues of homeless clients and how day and evening services on-site provided by The Salvation Army, and multiple and private partners is reducing the rate of recidivism and resulting in life long change for homeless women and families within the community of Mecklenburg County.

Research data collected by The University of South Carolina from The Center of Hope will be shared to support he theory that homeless is more than a housing issue. A brief presentation of the transition of The Center of Hope from a night shelter to a shelter plus service model will be presented. Final points will include a cost benefit analysis of provision of programs through collaborative community partners and strategies to leverage case management cost and housing opportunities.

1. The communication between the corps and divisional headquarters (EDS & Social Services) pre-disaster, including training and planning.
2. The coordination with the corps, divisional headquarters (EDS & Social Services) and territorial headquarters during an incident response, including disaster case management and resources.
3. Disaster case management is an element of the social services program.

Fighting Tobacco Use from Both Ends: Prevention and Cessation Strategies for Your Clients
Addressing disparities in tobacco use and tobacco-related illness has become an increasingly high priority for public health. In particular, the homeless, mentally ill, and substance abusing populations use tobacco at a significantly higher rate than the general population and are much less likely to quit. This workshop will provide your site with information and tools which can help your clients and staff by addressing the following questions:

• How can I help the people I work with reach their recovery goals?
• How can I effectively support the overall health and wellness of the people I serve and work with?
• What can I do to support the people I work with as they make important life transitions?

This workshop will address tested approaches to help you make smoking cessation part of the answer. The workshop will not only address helping current smokers quit, but we will also discuss a current program of The Salvation Army to address tobacco prevention among youth. These tools can be incorporated into a variety of settings and youth serving programs.

Communicating the Army's Mission Message in the 21st Century
This workshop will review the methods used to communicate the mission of The Salvation Army, and in particular the role of the Territorial Communications Bureau as a resource for the Southern Territory.

Introduction to National Social Services Standards and Program Evaluation
Program Evaluation Workshop Part 1 (1.5 hours)
This session is the first in a two part series to orient participants to The Salvation Army's National Social Service Standards. Part 1 will include an overview of the Social Service Standards as well as how program evaluation is implemented in the Central and Western Territories. Each participant will receive an evaluation self-study notebook, materials for on-site evaluation visit preparation, helpful information on forming/orienting programs and review teams as well as other resource materials.

Program Evaluation Workshop Part 2 (1.5 hours)
The second part of the Program Evaluation workshop will build on the information given in Part 1. Participants will be led through an exercise to develop a plan for preparing for program evaluation in their cities/sites. There will be time for Q & A.

The target audience for both sessions is divisional social service directors; other key divisional personnel; program administrators; and supervisory staff. Limit of 35 participants.

Developing Programs that Integrate Faith & Practice
Is there a difference between Christians doing social work and Christian Social Workers? Perhaps it is semantics, but this presentation will challenge the participants to think through this question and look at ways in which faith and practice may be integrated in almost any social service program. As believers we have the Great Commission by which we must live and we have the call of Isaiah 61 to bind up the broken hearted and proclaim freedom for the captives. Albeit, this can be challenging when the social worker who is a believer is providing services through a program that receives secular funding.

This workshop will focus on the way in which an administrator can turn a program around so that it truly reaches out with the love of Jesus. It will focus on ways in which to craft programmatic changes that create a milieu, or corporate culture, of integration.

Workshop participants will begin with The Salvation Army mission statement; then discuss ideas for developing a program-specific mission statement, vision and values. They will also be assisted in developing a Strategic Plan for their program, along with establishing staffing patterns and strategies that contribute to the overall plan.