5th Annual Somali Family Resource Conference
"Civic Engagement: Local to Global"

Friday, October 24, 2008
9:30am - 5:00pm
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Hosted by Somali Family Services

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Minnesota leads the
nation in the number of Somalis who are granted American citizenship.
Somali Family Services recognizes its responsibility to prepare these
new citizens to become not only engaged in American politics and
society, but also to become leaders.  In order to address the
significant role of the Somali community in Minnesota, the 2008 theme
is "Civic Engagement: Local to Global."  Somali civic engagement -
through education, connections with services and representatives, and
volunteerism - is a core objective of the Somali Family Services'
mission.  With this conference, we will ensure a more informed Somali
Diaspora living in Minnesota, and we believe this to be a timely
conference just weeks before the 2008 elections.

The 2008 Conference will include a keynote address from Khalif Farah
from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Somalia, who
will speak about the QUESTS (Qualified Somali Technical Support)
program.  The QUESTS program strives to build the capacity of Somali
organizations, agencies, and small businesses by supporting Somali
expatriates to return to Somalia to volunteer and transfer skills to
professionals in Somalia.

In the afternoon, participants will attend concurrent sessions on
voter education, voter registration in Minnesota, environmental
activism, and Somali youth activism.  Students from the Somali Student
Ambassador Program, a program sponsored by Somali Family Services and
the Minneapolis League of Women Voters, will be presenting and leading
a dialogue on the issue of youth leadership in the Somali community.

Teachers and students from k-12 public, private, and charter schools
will be encouraged to attend and participate in these sessions in
order to promote greater understanding of the Somali community in
Minnesota, as well as the country and culture of Somalia.

Conference attendance is free due to our commitment to offering an
event accessible to all.

Register online at www.ussfs.org.  Questions may be directed to
Abdurashid Ali, Executive Director, at abdurashid.ali [at] ussfs.org