Saturday, March 1, 2008
5-9 PM

This community collaborative event involving the Winchester Multicultural Network, Winchester Community Music School, the Griffin Museum of Photography , Winchester Public Library, and the Winchester Senior Association honors the heritage of Winchester families, old and new. In recognition of Winchester's growing diversity, we extend a warm welcome to our newest residents, embrace people who have immigrated and now live in Winchester as well as introduce old and new residents to our town's cultural institutions.

The "dine-around" begins with international music and hors d'oeuvres at the Music School, progressing to dinner and international story telling at the Jenks Center, and ending with dessert, coffee, and the Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom photography exhibit at the Griffin Museum.
Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at the Music School, the Jenks Center, Winchester Library, Griffin Museum, and Bookends.

This event is sponsored by the Winchester Rotary, EnKa Society with support from area businesses and individuals.

Tuesday, March 4th
McCall Middle School Library
Winchester
7:00 PM

The third in our series of meetings for international parents will explore questions that parents have about school policies and practices. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and connect with other parents with similar questions and concerns. Parents with children at all levels--pre-school, elementary, middle, and high school--are welcome. Carla McCoy, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Instructor will attend.

"Perspectives on Islam"

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Winchester Unitarian Society
478 Main Street
Winchester
7:30 p.m.

This panel discussion will include Jessica Masse, Interfaith Coordinator of the Islamic Society of Boston and Sahar Ahmed Awerbuch, Winchester resident and WMCN board member.

"Pakistan: a Glimpse into Its History and Culture"

Thursday, January 24, 2008
Jenks Senior Center
109 Skillings Road
Winchester
7:30 p.m.

Presentations by Hassan Abbas, author of Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror; Tareq Kahn, Afshan Kirmani, and Seeme Moreira. The public is invited to arrive at 7 p.m. to enjoy Pakistani music, artifacts, and a sampling of Pakistani sweets and tea; the panel discussion begins at 7:30.

"An Evening with Greg Mortenson"

Monday, February 25, 2008
McCall Middle School auditorium
458 Main Street
Winchester
7 p.m.

Greg Mortenson, author (with David Oliver Relin) of Three Cups of Tea, One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time" will be the featured speaker. The event is free, but a ticket is necessary to attend.

Tickets for Greg Mortenson's appearance in Winchester will only be available on Saturday, February 2nd starting at 10 a.m. at the Jenks Senior Center, 109 Skillings Road, Winchester.The limit will be two tickets per person. We encourage you to get there on time, as there has been so much excitement about his visit.

Thursday, January 10, 2008
Jenks Senior Center
109 Skillings Road
Winchester
7:30 p.m.

Bol Riiny, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" (young men orphaned and driven out of their homeland, later rescued and settled in the U.S.) lived in Winchester and attended Winchester High School. He will speak about his experiences since he arrived in this country. Now a senior in college, he has spoken at the United Nations as well at many local venues near his college.
This event is co-sponsored with the Winchester Seniors Association.

Monday, January 21, 2008
Metcalf Hall, Winchester Unitarian Church
3:00-5:00 PM

This year's event will feature storyteller and singer Valerie Stephens, art and writing from Winchester students, craft activities, and refreshments.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the EnKa Society.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Winchester Public Library
7:00 p.m.

Have you considered living or working abroad and wondered how your children would be affected? Come learn why a cross-cultural childhood matters. Tina Quick, Founder of International Families in Transition, will take you into the world of these global nomads and discover what makes them tick. Hear about the challenges, benefits and practical skills Third Culture Kids (TCK's) inherit from their intellectual mobility.

Tuesday, November 27
McCall Middle School Library
458 Main Street, Winchester
7 PM

Our discussion leader for the evening will be Gloria Dove, the high school instructor for students learning English. Parents are invited to bring their questions and concerns. The meeting is planned by the International Connections Committee of the Multicultural Network. The idea for this meeting originated when parents who came to hear Dr. Anne Copeland in September had questions that were particular to Winchester schools, according to Liz Sayre. Sayre recently met with all the instructors of English Language Learners (ELL, also known as ESL) who were enthusiastic about offering parents an opportunity to get together and discuss questions and concerns.
For more information call Liz Sayre at 781-729-9242 or email office@wmcn.org.

Monday, October 1
The Meeting Room of the Winchester Public Library
7:00-8:30 p.m.

Dr. Anne Copeland, founder of the Interchange Institute and editor of the Newcomers Almanac, will help international parents understand how American schools work. She’ll answer common questions such as "Why does my child's teacher write great on the top of papers that have mistakes?" and "Why does the school hold fund-raising events or ask for parents to help in the classroom?" Dr. Copeland will help parents understand the core values underlying these, and other, educational practices in the United States. Using examples, parents’ essays, international comparative data, and plenty of time for questions, she will explore how American teachers, like teachers everywhere, prepare students for success in their educational system and culture at large.

Saturday, June 23, 2007 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Woburn Center

Sunday, June 17, 2007 (rain or shine) 3:00-5:00 p.m.
First Congregational Church, 21 Church St., Winchester

Thursday, April 26, 2007 from 7-9:00 p.m.
Belmont Town Hall

Nancy McCardle, past research director of the Metro Boston Equity Initiative at the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, will discuss the findings in the report she and David Harris wrote: "More Than Money: The Spatial Mismatch Between Between Where Homeowners of Color in Metro Boston Can Afford to Live and Where They Actually Reside." An excerpt from the report: While African American and Latino homebuyers in metro Boston do, on the average, face greater affordability constraints than whites, affordability alone does a poor job in explaining residential segregation." Come and find out the details behind this report! This program is co-sponsored by the Multicultural Network with the Belmont Human Rights Commission, the Belmont Housing Trust, Belmont Against Racism and other organizations.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Social Studies Open Area, Winchester High School

Sunday, December 3, 2006 3:30 p.m.

The Multicultural Network, the Second Congregational Church, the First Congregational Church, Temple Shir Tikvah, and the Unitarian Church co-sponsored a panel discussion on the crisis in Darfur: “Making a Difference: Justice in Darfur.” The speakers included Karen Hirschfeld, Sudan Coordinator for Physicians for Human Rights; Panther Alier, one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan; Katie Fallon, a nurse who spent six months in Darfur setting up a mobile health unit; and Omer Ismael, a refugee from Darfur and a Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard.

The panelists spoke of the horrific situation there, ongoing since February of 2003. More than 400,000 people have died and over 2.5 million have been displaced. At the conclusion of the program, audience members were urged to take action, whether it is making calls, writing letters, working to raise awareness about this genocide, and/or donating money or time to the effort. You can make a difference! For information, background, and news, the following websites are helpful:

Thursday, October 19, 2006 6:30 p.m
The Arthur Griffin Center for Photographic Art,
67 Shore Road, Winchester

The Griffin Museum of Photography and the Multicultural Network invite you to a special evening — a visit to Mongolia through photographs, music, and film.

Nomadic Mongolia is the title of an exhibition of images of the Gobi desert, the Nomads, the Ancient Deer Stones and Nomadic families by Elaine Ling which will be on display at the museum from August 29-November 12, 2006.

The International Connections committee of the Multicultural Network has chosen The Weeping Camel for the next in its film series and has planned a wonderful evening. Come at 6:30 p.m. to view the stunning photographs while you enjoy refreshments, then listen to Mongolian music performed by Tibetan Penpa Tsering from 7:00-7:30 p.m. followed by the movie.

Tibetan born Penpa Tsering is an accomplished musician and singer who will perform on an authentic Mongolian instrument. He may treat us to some Mongolian songs as well.

The movie follows a family of herders in Mongolia’s Gobi region. A crisis occurs when the mother camel rejects her newborn calf after its difficult birth. Notice where music plays an important role! This captivating film offers a window into a way of life most of us can’t even imagine. The Griffin exhibit provides an opportunity to peek into another world through three different medium.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Location to be announced

What has been your experience living in Winchester? What do you like about living and/or working here? What concerns you? What has been challenging and what would you like to see changed?

The Winchester Multicultural Network, founded 15 years ago, promotes the recognition, understanding, and appreciation of diversity. We need your help to enhance our effectiveness in carrying out this mission. You can inform and impact our future planning and strengthen our ability to be effective allies to all People Of Color (people of African descent, Latino, and Asian) in our community.

If you live or work in Winchester, we hope you will be willing to participate in an upcoming focus group on Wednesday, October 18. In an effort to accommodate different schedules, we are offering a choice of two time frames that evening for the discussion: 4:00-5:30 p.m. or 6:30-8:00 p.m. with dinner provided from 5:30-6:30 p.m. We’ll provide child care in a nearby room, along with food for children. Please let us know which time period works best for you.

We are delighted to welcome Valerie Batts, Ph.D., Executive Director of VISIONS, Inc. who will facilitate. Valerie, an African-American woman, is the author of Modern Racism: New Melody for the Same Old Tune, and is the originator of the VISIONS training model and experiential workshops. Sarita Bhalotra, a VISIONS consultant, born in India, will co-facilitate with Valerie.

Valerie and Sarita will share your perspectives and experiences with us and we will bring this information to the leaders of our community.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Social Studies Open Area, Winchester High School,
80 Skillings Road, Winchester

Pre-school teachers, parents of young children, caregivers, and grandparents will want to attend this interactive evening designed to give us all tools for helping young children prepare for our diverse world. Heidi Given, who teaches as the Eliot- Pearson School at Tufts, will facilitate. Heidi is the Head teacher and an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University School of Education. Her scholarship and research has included diversity and equity in education and bias/anti-bias curriculum development. The Eliot Pearson Department of Child Development is well-known throughout the country in child development circles, and Heidi teaches in the laboratory school. According to the Eliot-Pearson website, “it has made diversity a central focus, in both its teaching and scholarship. This focus expressed the Department’s mission, which is to contribute to a more just, caring, and inclusive society.”

It is increasingly important to bring our children up to be comfortable with differences of all kinds. Sooner or later they will observe or interact with someone in a wheelchair, someone whose parents are of a different racial background than theirs, someone with two moms or dads — the possibilities are endless! Helping your child to be comfortable and accepting of differences is as important as making sure he/she has other skills such as reading or writing. It’s about getting along in the world!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 7:00 p.m.,
Jenks Senior Center,
109 Skillings Road, Winchester

As one of the sponsors of Winchester’s annual Community Read, the Network invites you to hear Roland Merullo, author of this year’s selection, In Revere in Those Days. Roland Merullo grew up in Revere, graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and Brown University. His other books include Revere Beach Elegy which won the 2003 Massachusetts Book award for non-fiction and Revere Beach Boulevard, a finalist for the PEN New England/L.L. Winship Award. Don’t miss a delightful evening with this engaging speaker!

The Winchester Public Library for international residents
Saturday, September 23, 2006 between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Sponsored by the International Connections Committee of the Multicultural Network

International residents are invited to find out what kinds of activities are available this fall and to sign up for interest groups including: English conversation, town-wide book discussion (In Those Days in Revere by Roland Merullo), a dining-around group, a movie and discussion group, and a question and answer session on American schools.

English conversation groups are offered on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings with priority given to Winchester residents. Come to the Open House to sign up. For questions or more information call Liz Sayre at 781-729-9242.

Sunday, November 4, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday morning, October 14, 2006 10:00 a.m.

The Middlesex Fells Reservation is a beautiful wooded area with lovely trails. Meet Christa Bennett at the first parking area on South Border Road from Winchester Center and enjoy an hour’s walk. Call Christa at 781-729-7047 for more information and to sign up.

Sunday afternoon, October 1, 2006, 1:00 p.m.

Meet in the Jenks Senior Center parking lot, 109 Skillings Rd. (across from the High School) and enjoy an hour-long walk around Winchester Center while you learn about the town, its history and architecture. Call Virginia Klisiewicz at 781-729-7344 for more information or to sign up.