News

Speak Out for Kids launches web-based forums

By Bill Moss, Published: January 27, 2014

Starting Saturday, local people without leaving their home or office can participate in an effort to improve children's lives.

In the first web-based project to engage the community on a local issue, the Children & Family Resource Center is asking local residents to log on to the Virtual Speak Out for Kids 2014 Conference starting Feb. 1. Speak Out for Kids is designed to make the public more aware of issues facing children. The online effort will let people offer feedback on solutions and connect with the people and agencies working to make the community a better place.
Sponsored by Pardee UNC Health Care and Pardee Foundation, the virtual conference is free and open to the public. Early registration opened Jan. 27 through 5PromisesHC.org.
Booths will be available to visit starting Saturday, Feb. 1. The United Way of Henderson County kicks off the month-long series of Virtual Speak Outs at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, with a discussion on poverty and its effects on children. To participate in a live online text chat with presenters Ruth Birge and David Jacklin, people should log on by 3:50 p.m. that day.
Among the voices participants can expect to hear from when they log on to the Virtual Speak Out conference are representatives from the Healing Place, Mainstay, the Department of Social Services, Guardian ad Litem services, Blue Ridge Community Health, Housing Assistance Corp., Henderson County public schools and Henderson County 4-H.
They will share their perspectives on the challenges that exist in delivering five simple promises: Be a Caring Adult; provide Safe Places, provide A Healthy Start, deliver an Effective Education; and provide Opportunities to Serve. The panelists will participate in a question and answer discussion after their presentation and then be available for live text chat when their session actually airs. A full conference schedule will available online at 5PromisesHC.org, updated as new sessions are added.
Just like a normal conference, participants will be able to select a session that is meaningful to them or "visit" a booth to learn more about a nonprofit and ways to plug in and help the community, the Children and Family Resource Center said in a news release. The big difference is that the conference is all conducted online.
"This virtual conference is a first for our community," Elisha Freeman, executive director for the Children & Family Resource Center, said in a news release. "It's a way for us to reach people when it's convenient for them, particularly high school students or working adults who can't carve out 5 hours to participate in a community meeting."
The conference is accessible on a laptop, mobile device, or tablet.
The center hopes to have up to 700 people participating in the next two months both online and in person. After the sessions air live, they will go to video on demand and remain available for viewing throughout March 2014. Once they go to video on demand status, they will allow for questions or comments with email follow up. The big community wrap-up for the campaign will occur on March 1, from 8:15 a.m.-noon at the Conference Hall on the campus of Blue Ridge Community College.
Participants are encouraged to register in advance via the 5PromisesHC.org website, but can also register at any point once the conference is open. A full schedule will be available Feb. 1. To find out more, or to host a viewing party of one of the conference session, visit 5PromisesHC.org.