Black Male Development Symposium

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Call for Proposals

On behalf of the Philadelphia Black Male Development Symposium (BMDS), we invite you to join us by submitting a proposal for the 6th Annual Black Male Development Symposium. The BMDS is seeking dynamic workshop presenters and speakers who want to share their experiences and best practices for our 2010 Symposium. We invite you to submit proposals that address issues raised in any of the five Pathways below.


If you intend to submit a proposal, please be sure to read the information below. We are eager to receive your proposals and look forward to having you shape and expand the Symposium’s vision. SUBMIT PROPOSAL ONLINE  | Download Call for Proposals Packet |

****SORRY - CALL FOR PROPOSALS HAVE CLOSE...PLEASE CONSIDER SUBMITTING NEXT YEAR****  

You will find the following information below:

  • Conference Pathways
  • Select a Session Format
  • How to Submit a Proposal
  • Resources for Attendees of Your Session
  • Final Reminders
  • Dates to Remember
CONFERENCE PATHWAYS

Pathway One: Reclaiming the Black Male Image focuses on the historical relevance of Black images throughout various genres of media and how we can help Black males overcome the psychological assaults that exploit who they are and hinder their development.

Pathway Two: Educate to Elevate focuses on the widening “achievement gap” for Black males as the education reform movement advocates for institutional change in order to create more inclusive and positive learning environments. What models of teaching, learning and professional development are needed to prepare a new generation of leaders to meet the institutional challenges of educating a culturally, ethnically, religiously and economically diverse student population?

Pathway Three: Family and Relationships focuses on the power and responsibility of relationships. How do Black males learn the significance of celebrating themselves along with family, community, brotherhood, motherhood, sisterhood and womanhood?

Pathway Four: Health, Wellness and Spirituality focuses on assisting Black males in “tapping” into the various spiritual strategies that can empower them mentally, physically and spiritually.

PathwayFive: Strategies and Techniques in Service Delivery to African American Males focuses on providing practical strategies and techniques for schools, agencies, community groups, parents and programs interested in improving the quality of life for Black males in the areas of Education, Health, Economics and Criminal Justice.

SELECTING A SESSION FORMAT
In creating proposals, please note that sessions can vary in format. We offer three distinct formats to share knowledge and experience and facilitate participant learning:

1) individual sessions, 2) panel sessions, 3) interactive/experiential/performance- based sessions.

Please indicate the type of format that will offer the most promising experience for participants to engage your work while exploring ways to apply it. We will make every effort to accommodate your preferred session format. We encourage applicants to represent intergenerational perspectives and/or integrate a variety of voices as appropriate, such as students, community partners, family, and educators.

Individual Sessions: (75/90 minutes; one facilitator) Individual sessions are more presentational in format. We ask that you monitor the timing carefully so at least one quarter of the session is allotted for audience questions and comments. It is important to provide participants an opportunity to engage each other about the topic at hand, so please think of creative strategies for engaging people to participate. When you submit your proposal, please provide the outcomes participants should expect from your session and examples of how you will facilitate discussion, analysis, and reflection. Wherever possible and appropriate, please include teaching tools and other concrete resources that might make it easier for others to adapt new ideas to their own circumstances.

Panel Sessions: (75/90 minutes; two, three or more facilitators) Panel sessions are more presentational in format. We ask that you monitor the timing carefully so at least one quarter of the session is allotted for audience questions and comments. It is important to provide participants an opportunity to engage each other about the topic at hand, so please think of creative strategies for engaging people to participate. When you submit your proposal, please provide the outcomes participants should expect from your session and examples of how you will facilitate discussion, analysis, and reflection. Wherever possible and appropriate, please include teaching tools and other concrete resources that might make it easier for others to adapt new ideas to their own circumstances.

Interactive/Experiential/or Performance-Based Sessions: (75/90 minutes; one, two, three or more facilitators) Certain kinds of topics and particular kinds of learning are more appropriately presented in more interactive and experiential ways. The interactive/experiential sessions are expected to be more participatory in design where the structure of the session solicits and depends on audience interaction. While these sessions can begin with a brief framing of an issue or include data, theories, or examples, the pedagogy of the session is focused on active involvement of those who come to the session. We are also including in this category of formats those who might want to submit a performance-based session—dance, theater or music. We ask that in the performance-based sessions that there also be an opportunity for the audience to reflect together on what they have seen or to pose questions. When you submit your proposal, please provide the outcomes participants should expect from your session and examples of how you will facilitate the interactive dimensions of the session to engage the diverse expertise and experiences of the participants.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

Electronic Submission: Please SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL ONLINE by filling in each field for the submission form as directed.   | Download Call for Proposals Packet

If you cannot submit the proposal electronically or encounter technical difficulties, please contact Dr. Doreen Loury at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 215-572-4087.

Deadline: Please submit your proposal by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, March 12, 2010. Notification: You should receive an automatic message indicating receipt of your proposal when submitted. If you do not receive this message, please send an e-mail to Dr. Doreen Loury at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Acceptance: You will be notified by Thursday, April 1, 2010, of the status of your proposal.

RESOURCES FOR ATTENDEES OF YOUR SESSION
Conference participants like to have resource materials to help them implement or share new ideas. Please plan to bring 75 to 100 handouts for each session. We strongly encourage facilitators to provide resources in advance of the conference online; this increases the potential for active participation in your session.

ONLINE RESOURCES FOR YOUR SESSION
If your proposal pertains to a project, program, course, or other feature for which there is (or will be) descriptive materials on the Web, please provide the URL address with your proposal. BMDS’s Web site will include these links when we post the program to our Web site.

FINAL REMINDERS
Please complete all fields, including information pertaining to all additional facilitators. Include links to supplemental materials, if available.

Also, please remember that by submitting a proposal, you agree to:

  • Inform your co-facilitators about the proposal’s status.
  • Authorize the Black Male Development Symposium to record your participation on video tape, audio tape, film, photographs or any other medium.
  • Authorize the use of your name, likeness, voice and biographical material in connection with these recordings.

 

BMDS PUBLICATION POLICY
All papers submitted to and accepted by the Black Male Development Symposium (BMDS) are copyrighted by and are the property of BMDS. Selected symposium papers will become part of the BMDS Journal publication edited by Dr. Loury and Yumy Odom. As soon as possible after the symposium, BMDS will contact all authors whose papers are being considered for publication in the BMDS Journal. As a condition of publication, BMDS grants you permission to reprint your presentation in other publications, provided you acknowledge that the material ap- peared in the BMDS Journal previously, giving the full name of the publication, the editor(s) and ©2010 BMDS. An abstract, not to exceed one fifth of the original paper presented at a conference, may be published without further permission from BMDS provided appropriate source credit is given to the Symposium at which the paper was presented. No monetary or other compensation is offered. You will receive a complimentary copy of the publication, and you will be entitled to purchase additional copies at a discount of 40% off the list price.

DATES TO REMEMBER