[Dialogue] Upcoming Events at ICA-USA

[Terry Bergdall]

Greetings,

ICA-USA is busily preparing for three upcoming events in the next six months:

1. International Initiatives Meeting, March 26-28, 2010
2. Global Archives Project, Sojourners, the entire month of May 2010
3. Oikos / ICA Living Archives Conference, July 12-15, 2010

Please find below a brief update about all of these. We hope that everyone will consider joining us in at least one (and, of course, everyone is welcome to attend more). It is my intent to send regular updates about each event as work progresses. I will be posting these on the 3 "wedge blade" listserves (Dialogue, OE, and Springboard) and the ToP Trainers listserv. I apologize if/when multiple copies of my message appear in your inbox.


INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES TASK FORCE MEETING, March 26-28, 2001

Approximately 30 people have already shown interest in attending this meeting. Its purpose is to consider ideas about ways that ICA-USA might assist in connecting human and financial resources from the United States with national ICAs, and other projects, in developing nations. We will formulate a practical vision about ICA-USA's re-engagement in this area, reflect upon challenges, and work through scenarios of possible action. Sue Laxdal will be joined by another (hopefully from different continent) to facilitate the process. Rob Work, recently retired from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) -- now teaching international development in New York and Malaysia -- will make a presentation on Saturday morning about the current realities and urgency of global development. The entire event will be in memory of Don Elliot and his passion for international work. Jim Wiegel will lead us in reflection Friday evening on Don's legacy and the implications it has for us today. The meeting will commence with dinner at 6:00 pm on Friday night and end with lunch at 1:00 on Sunday. Registration costs $100 for room and board at 4750 N. Sheridan in Chicago. You can find a link to the registration process on our website at www.ica-usa.org. Dick Alton and I are serving as co-hosts for this event. If you have questions. or wish to register offline, you can contact either of us at <richard.alton at gmail.com> or <tbergdall at ica-usa.org>.

SOJOURNERS WITH THE GLOBAL ARCHIVES PROJECT, May 2010

During the month of May, ICA-USA is seeking Sojourners to work on the Global Archives Project. Arrangements are underway to have the many file cabinets and materials currently stored in the basement of 4750 moved to the sixth floor in April. The task in May will be to sort through these materials in a systematic way and to transfer them to new storage acid-free files and cartons which will be stored on appropriate archivist shelving. It is our hope to have a minimum of six people working at any one time throughout the entire month. We also hope that most of these Sojourners will commit at least one full week to the task (and some, we also hope, may stay longer). We are also planning a rich, but relatively light, community life consisting of discussion, study, and celebration throughout each week. Room and board for Sojourners during their stay is $30 a day. Much like a marathon fund-raising race, we are encouraging Sojourners to seek supporters to either cover these costs or to contribute to the designated fund for the Global Archives Project. If you have questions, or would like to register, please contact Marge Philbrook at <msphilbrook at gmail.com>.

OIKOS / ICA LIVING ARCHIVES CONFERENCE, July 12-14, 2010

Plans are underway for a co-sponsored event by Oikos and ICA-USA to be held on the campus of Oklahoma City University, Monday-Wednesday, 12-14 July 2010. Oikos is an honors program at several universities which has the aim of preparing students to address the challenges of PEACE, POVERTY, and PLANET EARTH. The purpose of the conference is to draw upon the legacy of ICA experience, and forge new innovations, in response to the moral responsibilities and spiritual implications of today's challenges. Details about costs and the final agenda of the conference are still in progress, but please pencil in the dates. Please contact me to let me know if you are interested in attending and/or being a part of the preparation process. The conference will be organized by the three themes above, so let me know which is of particular interest to you. Below is a link to a video clip by Mark Davies, Dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma City University (OCU), providing background comments about his interest in the Living Archives of the Ecumenical Institute of Chicago and the Institute of Cultural Affairs. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6lnudx4e3w

Please keep an eye open for follow-up information about all three of these events. Each in their own way represents an important step for the resurgence of ICA-USA and its engagement in the world.

Take care,

Terry Bergdall
CEO, ICA-USA