Opening - Ambassadors of Folk: Connecticut Master Traditional Artists

On Thursday June 10, 2010, The Institute for Community Research will host an opening reception for Ambassadors of Folk: Connecticut Master Traditional Artists, an exhibition showcasing the artistry of Connecticut folk and traditional artists who have achieved recognition on a national or international scale. The free event will take place from 5 to 8 PM and will include introductions of participating artists and a musical performance. The exhibit will run from June 10 to October 31 in ICR’s Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery, 146 Wyllys St., Hartford. The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5 PM, and by appointment.

Ambassadors of Folk brings to wider attention the mastery of Connecticut artists who are highly respected exemplars of ethnic traditions within their communities. Eight visual artists and two performers will be featured, representing a wide variety of artistic genres and ethnicities and linked by their high degree of technical skill and sophistication. The artists’ accomplishments represent entire lives spent serving their communities through cultural production. Artists include Aldona Saimininkas, East Hartford; Romulo Chanduvi, East Hartford; Jampa Tsondue, Old Saybrook; Eldrid Arntzen, Watertown; Paul Luniw, Terryville; Valentine and Aili Galasyn, Canterbury; Shengzhu Chen, Torrington; Marek Czarnecki, Meriden; Negrura Peruana, East Hartford; and Daniel Boucher, Bristol.
Press Release
Exhibit Flyer

ICR Executive Director Becomes Standing Member of NIH Review Group

ICR Executive Director Margaret Weeks has been appointed to the NIH Center for Scientific Review, Community-Level Health Promotion (CLHP) Study Section for a 2-year term beginning July 1. As a CLHP member, Weeks will review grant applications submitted to the NIH that focus on preventing health risk behaviors and/or adherence to disease treatments; make recommendations to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board; and survey the status of community-level health intervention research.

Folk Arts Marketplace Features Handwoven Shetland Wool Rugs & Other Textiles

Visitors are invited to attend a folk artists' marketplace showcasing artists from Somalia, Bosnia, Burma, Laos, Sri Lanka, and many other communities now living in Connecticut. In addition to featuring a variety of textiles, the event will debut exquisitely crafted rugs made from local Shetland wool by a master Bosnian weaver. Traditional foods made by the marketplace artists, who participate in ICR's Sewing Circle Project, will be available for a small fee. The event will be held at ICR on Saturday, May, 15 from 11 am to 3 pm. For more information, contact Lynne Williamson.

Press Release

Youth PhotoVoice Exhibit on Display in Cromwell

An exhibit of photographs, reflections and narratives from ICR’s Youth PhotoVoice project on 'Reducing Racial, Ethnic and Economic Health Disparities' will be on display at a symposium sponsored by the Health Equity Alliance on Thursday, May 13. The symposium will be held from 11 am to 4 pm at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell, 100 Berlin Road in Cromwell, CT. The Health Equity Alliance is an initiative of the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health. The exhibit contains work created by youth from Hartford and from the Youth Health Service Corps of Northwestern Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Contact Marlene Berg for more information.

Connecticut Indian Elder Honored for Prestigious Award and Lifetime Work

The Institute for Community Research is hosting a reception for Trudie Lamb Richmond, an American Indian educator and storyteller, who has received the Community Spirit Award from the First Peoples Fund. The reception, which will be held at ICR on Tuesday, April 27 from 5 to 8 pm, will feature a talk by Trudie, and remarks from Native cultural leaders and colleagues. The Community Spirit Award recognizes exceptional Native artists and cultural leaders from across the U.S. Trudie is from the Schaghticoke Indian Reservation in northwestern Connecticut. For more information, contact Lynne Williamson.

Press Release

Youth PhotoVoice Exhibit Opens in April

An exhibit of photographs, reflections and narratives will provide two case examples of how PhotoVoice, a participatory action research methodology, has been used by youth to explore and document important issues. The exhibit, which brings teens' voices and perspectives to the issues of personal and group abuse, and health disparities, will be on display in ICR's Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery, 146 Wyllys St., Hartford, from April 12 to May 7. An opening reception and discussion will be held on Thursday, April 22 from 4 pm to 6 pm. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, during special weekend events, and by appointment. Contact Marlene Berg for more information.

PhotoVoice Example (pdf)

In the News (wnpr podcast)

ICR Receives Funding for Narrative Project with Girls

Puerto Rican Girls Speak! is a project that documents narratives about success and well being from Puerto Rican girls, ages 14 to 18, and their families, peers, and community networks in the South End of Hartford. The project is funded by the Puerto Rican Research and Policy Initiative, and sponsored by the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños (CUNY). For more information, contact project director Hilda Lloréns.

Project Flyer

ICR Showcases Contemporary Quilts

Throughout January and February, an amazing variety of quilts are being displayed in ICR’s gallery and in other venues throughout central Connecticut. The exhibitions are part of Community Threads, a region-wide quilting project that celebrates the work of local quilters alongside the famous Gee’s Bend quilts from Alabama. ICR has joined Hartford Stage, Community Health Services, and several museums and community partners to explore the culture of quilting and textile arts. The quilts are being shown
while the Hartford Stage production of Gee's Bend is running.

More-Community Threads  |  Gee's Bend

Youth PhotoVoice Exhibit on Display During February

An exhibit of photographs, reflections and narratives from ICR’s Youth PhotoVoice project on 'Reducing Racial, Ethnic and Economic Health Disparities' will be on display in the lobby of the CT Department of Health and the CT Department of Mental Health, 410 Capital Avenue in Hartford during the month of February. The exhibit, which was made possible with support from The CT Health Foundation and the CT Dept. of Mental Health, contains work created by youth from Hartford and from the Youth Health Service Corps of Northwestern Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Contact Marlene Berg for more information.

PhotoVoice Example (pdf)

ICR Open House Features Textiles and Artist Demonstrations
Visitors are welcome to try their hands at various textile arts at ICR's Open House on Saturday, February 6 from 11 am to 1 pm (snow date Sunday, February 7). The event will feature demonstrations and instruction by Sewing Circle Project artists. Materials will be provided at no cost. The Open House will take place in ICR's gallery at 2 Hartford Square West, 146 Wyllys Street in Hartford. The Sewing Circle Project brings together immigrant, refugee, and folk artists who create and sell textiles in traditional styles. The project is a collaboration of The Institute for Community Research, Catholic Charities Refugee and Migration Services, and the Hartford Public Library. For more information, contact Lynne Williamson.
Press Release  |  Sewing Circle Project

Fact Sheet on HIV Prevention Needs of Crack Cocaine Users Now Available

ICR's Executive Director Margaret Weeks, Ph.D., and Pamela DeCarlo from the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of California, San Francisco, have a completed a fact sheet on the HIV prevention needs of crack cocaine users. The fact sheet highlights several harm reduction models including the Institute's Risk Avoidance Partnership, a project that trained active drug injectors and crack users to deliver an HIV, hepatitis, and STD prevention intervention to hard-to-reach drug users both inside and outside of their networks in Hartford, Connecticut.

Fact Sheet  |  RAP Project

Hartford Community to Commemorate World AIDS Day
Hartford City Councilman Luis Cotto will be the keynote speaker at this year's Hartford World AIDS Day event on Tuesday, December 1 at the Connections Drop-in Center at ICR, 146 Wyllys St., Hartford. The event, which starts at 11 am, will also feature speakers Kevin Lembo, Connecticut's Health Advocate, and two community members living with HIV/AIDS. 'Love in the Time of HIV,' a documentary focusing on the impact of AIDS on several HIV positive people and their families and friends, will be shown at 1:00 pm. Shawn Lane, Director of Public Policy at CT AIDS Resource Coalition, will host a post-screening discussion with audience members. Event participants and community members are also invited to display mementos, notes and remembrances on an AIDS altar that has been installed in ICR's Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery. The Hartford World AIDS Day event is sponsored by ICR, AIDS Project Hartford, CT AIDS Resource Coalition, the City of Hartford, and Latino Community Services.

ICR Youth Researchers Conduct Training at New York's Museum of Modern Art
Two ICR youth research activists and Marlene Berg, ICR's Associate Director for Training, will conduct an interactive workshop with youth from the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) Teen Voices Project on Monday, November 16. Berg, along with Zulynette Morales, a senior at UCONN, and Jennifer Supersad, a senior at Bulkeley High School, will train the group in participatory action research. The training will cover research methods such as PhotoVoice, steps for formulating issues and determining research domains, and examples from ICR's summer youth research initiatives. The MoMA Teen Voices Project, under the direction of Marit Dewhurst, Associate Educator of Teen Programs, engages youth as critical educators for their peers and other museum visitors.

ICR Directors Appointed to Board of New Clinical and Translational Science Institute
ICR Executive Director Margaret Weeks, Ph.D., and ICR Founding Director and Senior Scientist Jean Schensul, Ph.D., are on the Scientific Advisory Board for the newly formed Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS). The Scientific Advisory Board will provide research guidance and oversight for the activities of CICATS, a partnership between the University of Connecticut campuses and regional hospitals, community research institutes, and community healthcare organizations. Officially launched in September 2009, the mission of CICATS is to educate and nurture new scientists and increase clinical and translational research being conducted at affiliated centers throughout the region, and to work collaboratively to combat the leading causes of morbidity, mortality, disability, and health disparities. Dr. Weeks was one of five researchers who presented at the CICATS launch on September 29. She highlighted case examples from ICR's long history of building research partnerships to address pressing health issues in Hartford's communities. Dr. Weeks' CICATS Presentation | CICATS

ICR Senior Scientist Co-Directs Community Engagement Core of New Connecticut Institute
Dr. Jean Schensul, ICR Founding Director and Senior Scientist, has been appointed Co-Core Director of the Community Engagement Core of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS). The Community Engagement Core, one of ten integrated cores at CICATS, seeks to accelerate the dissemination and implementation of research into practice by supporting innovative research, new researchers and new methods. CICATS will support research projects that address public health and health disparities of primary importance to the region, including musculoskeletal health, cancer, heart disease, obesity, aging, occupational health, and addictive disorders. In addition to the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, where the CICATS is physically located, and the UConn campuses in Storrs and West Hartford, affiliated organizations and hospitals include ICR, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford Hospital, Community Health Center Association of CT, Hispanic Health Council, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hospital of Central Connecticut, and Hospital for Special Care.

Community Engagement Core

ICR Hosts Open House and Unique Decorative Arts Marketplace

Hmong embroiderers, Burmese Karen weavers, a Liberian tailor, a Lithuanian book illustrator, and a Somali basket weaver and other artists will demonstrate their crafts and sell their work at ICR's open house and folk artists’ marketplace on Saturday, November 14 from 11 am to 4 pm. ICR will also host a reception and pay special tribute to Dr. Jean J. Schensul, ICR's Founding Director and Senior Scientist, who is the recipient of the 2010 Bronislaw Malinowski Award from the Society for Applied Anthropology. The reception will be held from 3 pm to 5 pm with special remarks at 3:30 pm. The marketplace and reception are free.

Arts Marketplace Press Release

Youth Networking Event Spotlights Connecticut Youth Leaders
Youth Research Activists Jennifer Supersad and Jessica Flores, and ICR Youth Action Research Institute staff Brenda Liz Munoz and Marlene Berg, along with youth from Waterbury, helped plan a youth networking event, "Difference Made By Youth Leaders," which was held on Thursday, November 5 at the DeKoven House in Middletown, CT. The event drew youth leaders from many Connecticut cities including Waterbury, New Haven, Norwalk, and New London. The event was supported by the Perrin Family Foundation which seeks to provide equal opportunities for children and young adults to lead safe, productive, and creative lives.

ICR Participates in Teen Dating Violence Awareness Event

Yanka Carillo, Youth Research Activist and student at Manchester High School, and Marlene Berg, ICR's Associate Director for Training, will be speaking about ICR's Teen Dating Violence Project at the CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) kick-off event for Domestic Violence Month. The event takes place on October 2 at 10 am at Capital Preparatory Magnet School which is located at Capital Community College, 950 Main Street in Hartford. Yanka is one of 10 youth researchers from Hartford area schools who designed teen violence prevention posters and cards as part of a Teen Healthy Relationships and Dating Violence Initiative. The posters have been adapted by CCADV as part of their October Domestic Violence Awareness campaign.

Funded by Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA), the Initiative works with high school youth to increase awareness of youth interpersonal violence and empowers them to reframe and replace normative violence messaging with youth-driven dialogue and communication on healthy teen relationships. The Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Office of the Child Advocate, the CT
Youth Forum and ICR. The teen violence prevention posters will be available at the kick-off event and distributed to high schools throughout the state. For more information, call 860-278-2044 x226 or email Marlene Berg.

Youth PhotoVoice Project Seeks to Reduce Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities

The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) has awarded The Institute for Community Research a grant to support its Connecticut Youth Research Activist’s PhotoVoice Project on Health Disparities. Youth from schools and community groups in Hartford (Bulkeley High School and ICR), Waterbury/Middlebury (Northwest AHEC)  the Southeastern portion of the state (F.R.E.S.H. New London and the Boys and Girls Club) are using PhotoVoice, a participatory-action research methodology, to explore and document issues of health care disparities through photography, writing, reflection and social action. Representing groups who are disproportionately affected by chronic health and mental health problems, the youth are bringing their perspective and voice to the health care disparities dialogue and developing action strategies to enhance their own, their peers', and their community’s well being. The project is also exposing youth to career options and opportunities in the public health field. Project results will be presented in an exhibit of photos and narratives at the 6th New England Regional Minority Health Conference in Rhode Island from October 14 - 16, 2009. Additionally, a panel of the youth research activists will hold a workshop on health disparities, health careers and PhotoVoice at the conference on Friday, October 16 from 1 - 2:30 pm. The PhotoVoice Project was developed by ICR in collaboration with the Youth and Career Development Planning Subcommittee of the New England Regional Minority Health Committee.

ICR Researchers to Present Work with Older Adults

ICR researchers will hold a workshop, "Addressing Disparities and Promoting Advocacy: Two Decades of Community-Based Research Among Older Urban Adults," on October 16 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm at the 6th New England Regional Minority Health Conference in Providence, RI. Kim E. Radda, Jean J. Schensul, Elsie Vazquez-Long and Emil Coman will discuss community-based collaborative research (CBCR) as an effective approach to exploring health issues among communities of urban- dwelling, low-income, and primarily minority, older adults. Utilizing case studies that address disparities and health concerns in the areas of HIV/AIDS, depression and influenza, the workshop will provide an introduction to ICR and CBCR, as well as an overview to conducting research among older urban adults; and describe building partnerships, delivering interventions, and developing and implementing appropriate measurements. The panelists also will discuss how problems are identified, highlight unique and innovative aspects of the studies, challenges and lessons learned, and cover how current work informs future research among older adult populations.
More Information

Open House Celebrates Refugee Sewing Circle Project at ICR

Artists from Somalia, Bosnia, Burma, Liberia, Burundi, and Iraq will showcase and sell their traditional textiles at an Open House on Saturday, November 14, 2009, from 1 to 4 pm at The Institute for Community Research (ICR), 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100 (146 Wyllys Street) in Hartford, CT. Artist demonstrations will take place throughout the day. This event, part of Hartford Open Studios Weekend, is free and open to the public.

Multilevel Dynamic System Intervention Science in the News
ICR Founding Director and Senior Scientist Jean J. Schensul, Ph.D., and Edison Trickett, Ph.D., (Professor of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago) edited the June issue of the American Journal of Community Psychology on Multilevel Dynamic System Intervention Science (MDSIS). According to Schensul and Trickett, "Multilevel interventions are based on the assumption that sociocultural systems are dynamic, and that in order to bring about structural, norms, and individual level change, it is important to intervene at multiple levels concurrently." Schensul, Trickett and Penny Hawe, Ph.D. (University of Calgary), contributed theoretical papers to the journal. A number of ICR and other researchers also submitted papers on multilevel interventions and evaluation. Additionally, this month's e-newsletter from the School Mental Health Project/Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA focuses on Multilevel Dynamic System Intervention Science as an emerging issue and references the American Journal of Community Psychology.

Publications | Online Journal

ICR Seeks Tenants to Share Space in Hartford Office

ICR's office space is flexible, inviting and well located in the heart of Hartford, CT. Located at 2 Hartford Square West, 146 Wyllys Street, ICR enjoys proximity to multiple bus lines, the new Convention Center, Hartford Hospital, The Charter Oak Cultural Center, and Main Street amenities such as the Hartford Public Library, the Federal Court House, and the Wadsworth Atheneum. The Hartford Square West complex sits at the intersection of Charter Oak Avenue and Columbus Boulevard, with easy access to I-84 and I-91. Available space includes up to 10,000 square feet that can be arranged to suit occupants. Small or large groups/organizations can be accommodated. ICR can offer flexible lease terms on a short or long term basis.The price per square foot is negotiable and includes electricity, heating and cooling, janitorial services and parking. Additional amenities and resources could include furniture, meeting rooms, storage space, kitchens and equipment such as copiers and printers. All inquiries should be directed to Emily Marble, Director of Administration.

ICR Participates in UCONN Career Fair
ICR will participate in UCONN's Career & Networking Fair at the Greater Hartford Campus at 85 Lawler Road, West Hartford on Tuesday, September 22. The career fair will be held in Zachs Community Room from 2 to 6 pm. ICR staff will introduce students, faculty and associates to ICR's research and internship programs as well as discuss career opportunities in applied, participatory action and community-based collaborative research. ICR was invited to take part in the fair by UCONN's Urban and Community Studies Program. For more information, call 860-278-2044 ext. 285 or email Kim Radda.

ICR Receives Caritas Award for its Contributions to Latino Communities

ICR was the recipient of a 2009 Caritas Award from Saint Joseph College. The Institute was honored for its contributions to the development of the research curriculum for the Saint Joseph Graduate Certificate in Latino Community Practice. ICR's Associate Director of Training Marlene Berg designed and taught the research sequence. Brenda Liz Munoz, coordinator of ICR's Youth Action Research Institute, provided supplemental instruction in Spanish. The award was presented at the sixth annual Caritas Conference: In Praise of Latino Community Practice: Bilingual Health Professions at Saint Joseph College on June 12, 2009.

Unique Exhibit Uses Traditional Arts To Educate Audiences about AIDS

ICR will host an opening reception for Siyazama: Traditional Arts, Education, and AIDS in South Africa, an extraordinary exhibit featuring beadwork, story quilts, dolls and other folk arts created by those suffering with AIDS as a way to educate others about prevention and treatment. The opening will take place on Friday, April 17 from 5 to 8 pm with a gallery talk by curator Marit Dewhurst and remarks by AIDS Project Hartford and CT AIDS Resource Coalition leaders. The event is free, open to the public, and ADA accessible. The exhibit is located in ICR's Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery, 146 Wyllys St., Hartford, through June 26. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, during special weekend events, and by appointment. This will be the only showing of Siyazama in New England.

Press Release  |  Related Events  |  Exhibit Background  |  Selected Exhibit Images

ICR Receives Federal Grant to Promote Female Condom Through Multi-Level Community Intervention
The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded The Institute for Community Research a 4-year grant to enhance HIV prevention by increasing community-wide availability, accessibility and support for use of the female condom. The female condom, a polyurethane sheath worn during sex, has been shown to be the most effective woman-initiated barrier method to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) as well as pregnancy. The study will support the creation and training of community alliances to develop, implement and evaluate a multi-level community intervention to promote the female condom. The project will be conducted in Hartford.

Press Release  |  Project Details  |  Female Condom in the News

ICR Founding Director Recognized as Community Leader
The Permanent Commission on the Status of Hartford Women (PCSHW) recently honored ICR Founding Director Jean J. Schensul, Ph.D, and seven other Hartford women for their community leadership and commitment to the welfare and well being of women and families in the city. At PCSHW’s third annual ceremony at City Hall, honorees received proclamations from the city and state, and a plaque recognizing their roles in inspiring women who live or work in Hartford. In addition to Schensul, honorees included Dollie McLean, Elizabeth Horton Sheff, the Rev. Patrice Smith-Gaston, Linda Bayer, Hyacinth Yennie, Suzette Strickland, and Elba Cruz Schulman.
One of ICR’s earliest programs involving women was the Urban Women's Development Project, a long-term collaboration with PCSHW, the State Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and other organizations in the city representing Hartford's ethnic and cultural diversity. The project trained Hartford women in action research methods to bring about personal development, occupational mobility and improvements in their lives. Additional ICR efforts promoting the support and growth of Hartford’s women and girls include Urban Women Against Substance Abuse, Project Protect, and other practical research on women controlled HIV and other sexually transmitted disease protection methods.

Workshop Focuses on Innovative Community-Based Prevention and Education Programs Locally and Internationally

ICR will host a public health forum, ‘Innovative Community-Based Intervention and Education Methods and Models,’ on Friday, June 5, 2009 from 10 am to 4 pm. The interactive forum will feature presentations by an interdisciplinary group of artists, researchers, activists, and health professionals working in Africa, India, and Connecticut. First-hand examples of the challenges and successes that come from developing new ways of partnering with communities to address HIV/AIDS and other pressing health issues will be provided. The forum will take place at ICR at 146 Wyllys St., Hartford (2 Hartford Square West). The cost is $10 for lunch; pre-registration is

required by calling 860-278-2044 x251 or emailing Lynne Williamson. The forum is ICR’s third public event held in conjunction with the exhibit Siyazama: Traditional Arts, Education, and AIDS in South Africa, which is on view at ICR’s Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery through June 26.
Press Release

Film Screening at ICR Focuses on AIDS in South Africa

ICR will screen 'Thing With No Name,' a feature-length documentary by filmmaker Sarah Friedland about two South African women with AIDS and their fight for survival in a community where the rate of infection in women is twice that of men, and where funerals are daily occurrences. The film will be followed by a discussion between the filmmaker and audience, moderated by Shawn Lang of the CT AIDS Resource Coalition. The film and discussion will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2009 from 6 to 8pm at ICR, 146 Wyllys St., Hartford. The film is being shown as part of the public programming for the exhibit, Siyazama: Traditional Arts, Education, and AIDS in South Africa. The event is co-sponsored by AIDS Project Hartford, the CT AIDS Resource Coalition, the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale, and the Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention at the University of Connecticut. The screening is free. Registration is required; call 860-278-2044 x251 or email Lynne Williamson.

Press Release

ICR Founding Director to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

ICR Founding Director and Sr. Research Scientist Jean J. Schensul, Ph.D, is the recipient of the 2010 Bronislaw Malinowski Award from the Society for Applied Anthropology. The Malinowski Award is a lifetime achievement award presented annually by the Society to an outstanding social scientist dedicated to the goal of resolving human problems through the application of the social sciences. Over the past 35 years, Dr. Schensul has been engaged in the development of community research organizations committed to addressing  issues of health disparities and cultural marginalization. She has published extensively on collaborative research, applied research methods and the democratization of research for social change. The Malinowski Award was established by the Society in 1973. Previous award recipients have included Gunnar Myrdal, Edward Spicer, Margaret Clark, Alexander Leighton, Carlos Velez-Ibanez, Bea Medicine, and Orlando Fals Borda. The award will be presented to Dr. Schensul at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Society in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, in March of 2010.

Press Release

Risk Avoidance Partnership Project Findings Now Available On PubMed Central

Research findings from ICR's Risk Avoidance Partnership (RAP): Training Active Drug Users as Peer Health Advocates are now available on PubMed Central, an online public access site for NIH-funded research publications. The RAP project trained drug users as peer health advocates to disseminate HIV, hepatitis, TB, and STD prevention information, materials and demonstrations into drug-using networks and high-risk drug use sites.

RAP Findings

MDMA Project Seeks Ethnographic Recruiter/ Interviewer

The Institute for Community Research has a 12-month full-time opening for an Ethnographic Recruiter/Interviewer at the BA or Masters level to participate in a three-year NIDA funded study of youth social activity situations, drug use including Ecstasy and intimate relationships and practices. The position involves field recruitment and in-depth interviews with MDMA and other drug using young women and men between the ages of 18 and 30 on their relationships, sexual activity and substance use. 

More information

ICR Takes a Stand Against Racism

ICR is hosting a ‘Stand Against Racism’ event on Friday, April 3 from 2 to 5 pm. 'Stand Against Racism' is an initiative aimed at raising awareness of racism and identifying and eliminating the barriers that divide people. ICR's event will feature exhibits, posters, slide shows and videos illustrating how research intersects with issues of race and can be used to promote social justice and equity. The event will include a mural on racism that reflects findings from research that Hartford teens conducted with their peers and adults; a documentary, 'Docin’ Da Beat,' created and produced by youth, that explores predictors of racism; panels related to how drugs affect young people's lives and communities; and posters and a slide show on race and research ethics. Visitors will be encouraged to reflect on issues raised by the exhibits. The 'Stand Against Racism' was initiated in 2008 by the YWCA’s Racial Justice Institute of Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey. The YWCA of the Hartford Region is coordinating this year's events in the Greater Hartford area. ICR's event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 860-278-2044. Click here to learn more about the 'Stand Against Racism' program of the YWCA's Racial Justice Institute.

ICR & Partners Sponsor International Conference on Alcohol and HIV in India

The International Institute for Population Sciences (Mumbai, India), The Institute for Community Research and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are sponsoring the First International Conference on Alcohol and HIV in India. This conference will take place August 3 - 4 in Mumbai, India. The conference will be preceded by a two-day training workshop on August 1 - 2. The conference aims to examine the role that alcohol plays in contributing to sexuality and sexual risk related to sexually transmitted diseases and HIV by highlighting the work of current Indian and U.S.-Indian partnership research on these topics.

Conference Invite  |  Conference website |  Conference Program

ICR Awarded Grant to Upgrade Technology Systems
The Institute has received a Strategic Technology Grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The 1-year grant will support the purchase of newer technology equipment and systems that will improve the Institute’s research capacity, and aid in more efficient and effective dissemination of its research findings, tested model programs and interventions, and promotion of conferences, workshops, exhibits and other events.

ICR Researchers Present at 2nd Annual NIH Conference

Several ICR researchers presented at the NIH Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation: Building Research Capacity to Bridge the Gap from Science to Service, which was held on January 28-29, 2009 in Bethesda, Maryland. ICR Executive Director Margaret Weeks, Ph.D., chaired a panel on Implementation Science Issues Raised by Multilevel Interventions, which included panelists Jean J. Schensul, Ph.D., Marlene Berg, M.U.P., and discussant Jianghong Li, M.D., M.S. The panel presented three case examples of multilevel interventions that have shown significant efficacy in community intervention trials: Vaccinate for Influenza Prevention (V.I.P): A Multilevel Intervention with Seniors to Vaccinate Against Flu; Youth Action Research for Prevention: A Multilevel PAR-based Intervention; and Drug User Peer Health Advocates as Multilevel Change Agents.

Youth Researchers Present on Healthy Relationships/Teen Dating Violence Project

Marlene Berg, Associate Director for Training at ICR, and two youth action researchers will present findings from their project using research to engage youth in promoting healthy relationships and preventing dating violence on Thursday, February 19, 2009, from 12:15 to 1:45 pm at the UCONN School of Social Work's Institute for Violence Prevention and Reduction. The presentation will be held in the Zachs Community Room as part of a brown bag lunch series.

Flyer

CHAP's Refugee Artists Sewing Circle Exhibits Textile Arts to Exhibit Textile Arts

An exhibit reception and artist demonstrations for ' Weaving a New Life: The Refugee Artists Sewing Circle,' will be held on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, from 5 to 7 pm at the Clare Gallery at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, 285 Church Street , Hartford, CT. The multi-media exhibition features textile arts created by recent refugees and more longstanding immigrants to the Greater Hartford area. The Sewing Circle Project began in 2007, initiated by The Institute for Community Research’s Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP) based in Hartford. During the reception, CHAP Director Lynne Williamson will speak on the history of the project, the diverse artwork and traditions of the artists, and the project’s importance to the Hartford community. The exhibition is free and open to the public and extends from January 22 to February 22, 2009.

Press Release | Exhibit Flyer

ICR Founding Director Coedits Special Issue of Community Psychiatry Journal

ICR Founding Director and Senior Scientist Jean J. Schensul, Ph.D., and Edison Trickett, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, Chicago), are editing a special issue of the American Journal of Community Psychiatry on Multilevel Community-Based Culturally Situated Interventions, to be published in June 2009. Schensul, Trickett and Penny Hawe, Ph.D. (University of Calgary), are contributing theoretical papers. Highlighted case studies will include Multilevel Perspectives on Community Intervention: An Example from an Indo-US HIV Prevention Project in Mumbai, India; Building Xperience: A Multilevel Drug Prevention Intervention for Urban Youth; Changing Drug Users' Risk Environments: Peer Health Advocates as Multi-level Community Change Agents; and Multi-Level Intervention to Prevent Influenza Infection in Older Minority Adults.

Publications List

Mural on Racism Exhibited in Hartford

'Race: The Lived Experience' - A Mural Exhibit by ICR's Hartford Youth Researchers will be on display during February at the entrance to the building housing the Department of Public Health and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, 410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut.

CHAP Director Awarded Grant to Support Refugee Arts Sewing Circle

ICR's Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP) director Lynne Williamson has been awarded the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund to support the Refugee Arts Sewing Circle, a project to help refugee and immigrant women establish home-based craft businesses. The project, which has also received funding from the the Aurora Women & Girls Foundation, Inc., will provide small business training workshops, along with start-up supplies and promotional materials to approximately 25 women in the Greater Hartford area. Held at the Hartford Public Library, monthly workshops will cover topics such as licensing procedures and business regulations, locating supplies and materials, creating business plans, banking and basic finance, marketing and commissions. Since 2007, Williamson has facilitated a monthly sewing circle at the Institute where women of all nationalities work on their textile arts, share stories and trade materials.

Hartford Community Creates Exhibit to Commemorate World AIDS Day

The Institute for Community Research and AIDS Project Hartford commemorated World AIDS Day 2008 with the opening reception for 'Connected Threads,' an interactive community arts installation located in ICR’s Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery, 146 Wyllys St., Hartford. The exhibition featured quilt squares, memory dolls, and wall hangings created by community members, and an AIDS altar displaying donated photos, written messages and mementos. The exhibit runs through December 19, 2008.

Press Release

ICR Hosts Annual Folk and Traditional Arts Marketplace

Hmong embroiderers, Burmese weavers, a Liberian tailor, a Lithuanian book illustrator, and a Somali basket weaver are just a few of the artists who will demonstrate their arts and sell their work at a traditional artists' marketplace on Saturday, November 8, 2008, from 11 am to 5 pm at The Institute for Community Research (ICR), 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100 in Hartford, CT. The event, which is free and open to the public, will also include rug weavers, crochet artists, and jewelry makers, representing recent immigrant and refugee groups from across Southern New England. Organized by ICR's CT Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP), the marketplace is part of Hartford Open Studios Weekend, a creative showcase for local artists held annually in Hartford.

Press Release | Event Flyer

New Exhibit Celebrates Day of the Dead Traditions

An opening reception for 'Ancestors: Day of the Dead Celebration,' a multi-media exhibit featuring ten New England artists will be held on Friday, October 24 from 5 to 8 pm at The Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery at The Institute for Community Research. The gallery is located at 2 Hartford Square West, Ste. 100 (146 Wyllys Street), in Hartford, CT. The exhibit, which is curated by Guatemalan artist Balam Soto, runs through November 21, 2008. Gallery hours are 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays, during special weekend events, or by appointment. The exhibit and opening reception are free and open to the public.

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Traditional Arts Program Seeks New Master Artists & Apprentices

The Southern New England Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program is seeking master traditional artists in Connecticut, Rhode Island, or Massachusetts who want to teach their art form to an apprentice from their community in one of the other states. Now in its 11th year, the program is designed to foster the sharing of traditional (folk) artistic skills and cultural knowledge through the apprenticeship learning model of regular, intensive, one-on-one teaching by a master artist to a student/apprentice. Completed applications are due October 13, 2008. ICR's Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program manages this program for traditional artists in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The program is a collaboration among the three statewide folk arts programs in Southern New England, located at the Institute for Community Research in Hartford, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts in Providence, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council in Boston. Primary funding for the Program comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, along with the Program partners. For more information, call Lynne Williamson at 860-278-2044, ext. 251 or email her at Lynne.Williamson@icrweb.org.

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ICR Studies Women's Reproductive Health Risk in Mumbai, India
ICR is part of a team of researchers from the United States and India awarded a five year grant to reduce women's risk of HIV by focusing on culturally specific OB/GYN problems, and intervening at the individual, group, couple and community levels. ICR's contributions to the RISHTA Women's Project include conceptual guidance and research design, ethnographic data monitoring, staff training and data analysis. The grant, awarded to the University of Connecticut Health Center (Stephen Schensul, Ph.D., PI) includes, in addition to ICR (J. Schensul, Ph.D. co-PI), the International Center for Research on Women (Ravi Verma, Ph.D. PI); Tulane University (Bonnie Nastasi, co-PI); The TATA Institute for Social Sciences (Shubhada Maitra); T.N. Medical College, Mumbai (Radha Aras, M.D.); and CORO, Mumbai (Sujata Khandekar). The grant is funded by NIMH.

MDMA Project Looking for Interns and Volunteers

ICR received a three year grant to study the complex interactions between MDMA, a mood and sensuality enhancing drug, and sexuality and unprotected sex in urban, college and suburban populations. The first year of the study concentrated on cultural scripts relating MDMA and sexuality. The second year of the study which has just started, is focusing on people’s stories of their experiences with MDMA and sex. The study will be recruiting people who have used ecstasy in the past several months, and are sexually active, from the greater Hartford, Willimantic, Springfield, Waterbury and New Haven areas and from local area community, four year and graduate campuses. For more information or to become a paid volunteer for the study, please contact Elsie Vazquez at 860-278-2044, 284, Stephen Pavey at 278-2044, ext. 291, or Chavon Hamilton at 278-2044 ext.The study currently has several part time transcription, recording and outreach positions. For information on these positions, please contact Emily Marble at Emily.marble@icrweb.org; or 278-2044, ext. 231 after August 24.Link to MySpace

Project Details

Updated Ethnographer's Toolkit Available Soon
The second edition of the Ethnographer's Toolkit, a complete guide to community- based ethnographic research for academic, community and health and educational researchers, will be available starting in 2009. In addition to applied ethnography and ethnographic research ethics, the second edition will include new research methods such as photovoice and team ethnography and new approaches to research ethics, collaboration and data analysis and use. Books 1, 3 and 5 will be available in early 2009; books 2 (on research design and theoretical development), 4 (an edited volume on advanced data collection methods), 6 (on ethics of ethnographic research) and 7 (on applications of ethnographic research) will be available in 2009-2010.  For more information, contact authors/editors Jean.schensul@icrweb.org; and Margaret.lecompte@colorado.edu.

ICR and Partners Awarded Conference Grant 

ICR, the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and the International Center for Research on Women, India, have been awarded a conference grant to address accelerating rates of alcohol consumption and promotion in India. Alcohol acts as a disinhibitor, and as an agent that focuses attention on sexuality. Increases in consumption among men are generally associated with increases in sexual activity, partners, and at times, unprotected sex. The grant from the National Institute for Alcohol and Addiction (NIAAA) will support two conferences in India, one in 2009 and the second in 2010. The first conference, to be held in Goa in the first week of August in 2009, will disseminate information collected by Indian, and India-US partnerships that links alcohol consumption to beliefs and attitudes about sex, and unprotected sex. The second conference, to be held in Delhi environs, will focus on India-based interventions designed to reduce risk associated with alcohol use and unprotected sex in adults of all ages. Keynote speakers in the first conference include alcohol and HIV researchers Jean J. Schensul, S.K. Singh, Ravi Verma. Niranjan Suggarti, Tom Greenfield, Madhabika Nayak, Ellen Cromley, and Jayanta Basu. Researchers in the U.S. and India are invited to submit proposals for poster sessions and presentations. Registration fees and residence/hotel expenses will be at cost to accommodate U.S. and Indian researchers who are supported on grants or other funds. Some scholarships for Indian pre and post doctoral students will be available. Other partners in this conference include India's National Institute for Medical Statistics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the International Center for Research on Women and the Center International Community Health Studies (CICHS),  University of Connecticut. For more information on the conference in Goa, please contact Jean.Schensul@icrweb.org or Sksingh1992@yahoo.co.in; and for information on the conference in Delhi region, please contact Jean.Schensul@icrweb.org or rverma@icrw.org.

Open House Celebrates Refugee Sewing Circle Project at ICR

Bosnian weavers and needleworkers, Somali basketmakers, Assyrian lacemakers, and a Liberian tailor will showcase their beautiful traditional textile crafts at an Open House on Saturday August 23, 2008, from 1 to 4 pm at The Institute for Community Research (ICR), 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100 (146 Wyllys Street) in Hartford, CT. The event celebrates a year-long project that brings together members of recent immigrant and refugee groups to produce and share their traditional art forms.  Participants in the project will welcome the public with food, music, and information from their cultures, and they will have art works for sale. The event is free.

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ICR Researchers Present Findings at Society for Prevention Research Conference

Researchers Jean Schensul and Jianghong Li presented posters at the 2008 Conference of the Society for Prevention Research in San Francisco, CA. in May.  Dr. Schensul and colleagues Diamond, Vazquez, Pavey, Coman and Hamilton presented a poster on the history of Ecstasy and its use in Connecticut in the opening session of the conference. The poster event was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Li and colleagues presented a poster comparing injection drug use risk between U.S. and Chinese drug users.

Research Partners from India Visit ICR

This summer Drs. Kamla Gupta and S.K. Singh, India Investigators on the NIAAA funded study of alcohol use and HIV risk in slum communities in Mumbai, and senior faculty from the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, met with ICR staff in Hartford, CT. The group completed a report on the ICR/IIPS joint study on Alcohol and HIV (ASHRA) and worked on papers for a special journal issue focusing on alcohol and HIV risk in India. The special issue will be edited by Drs. Gupta, Singh, Schensul of ICR and Kendall Bryant of NIAAA, and will be highlighted at a conference on the topic in 2010.  Dr. Gupta is the India national coordinator of the National Family Health Survey, a nation-wide survey of the reproductive health status of Indian women and families which for the first time has assessed HIV prevalence in India, and contributed to the revision of HIV estimates in India. Dr. Singh is a statistician involved in evaluation of HIV interventions in India and a coordinator of NFHS. Dr. Singh coordinated the ASHRA study team at IIPS.

Youth Researchers Presented Their Findings on Personal and Group Abuse in the Lives of Hartford Teens

This summer fifteen year-old Magdalyn Roldan and twenty-nine other Hartford youth researchers explored the causes and affects of teen personal and group abuse with hopes to educate other teens and the community at large. The youth researchers, who worked for ICR's Summer Youth Research Institute, presented their findings to the community on Friday August 8, 2008. The event was the culmination of the youth-driven participatory action research project and took place at the Institute.

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Connecticut Youth Help Evaluate ICR's Xperience Project

This summer, young people from around Connecticut are participating in focus groups to evaluate Xperience, a 3-year CDC-funded research project that supports Connecticut youth between ages 14 and 20 in their decision not to use drugs. Based in the Greater Hartford area, Xperience has been working with area youth to create alternative drug-free entertainment events and to produce professionally recorded and mastered CDs that feature young local artists who promote drug-free lifestyles through performing and visual arts. As part of the evaluation, young people listen to the Xperience Vol. 2 CD; complete an anonymous survey about the CD and their thoughts, attitudes and experiences with alcohol and drugs; and participate in a focus group discussion about the CD – the music, lyrics and drug prevention messages. The survey and focus group findings will help project staff evaluate the risk avoidance/abstinence messages that have been developed by youth in the Xperience project and to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness as a drug prevention intervention.

Youth Artists Perform in Drug-Free Community Concert

The "Xperience: Vol. III" CD Release Show was a great success, drawing more than 165 people on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at the Charter Oak Cultural Center. The show featured rappers, singers, and poets, as well as the work of young visual artists. Show participants had been preparing for this event as well as the release of their new CD since January. Their original works of art, conveying drug prevention messages, were well received by the community who attended the concert in support of drug-free entertainment for youth in the Hartford area. Audience members received a free copy of the "Xperience: Vol. III" CD at the end of the show.

Bus Tour Celebrates Cape Verdean Traditions in Connecticut

An educational and cultural bus tour will explore the traditions and architecture of Cape Verdeans in southeastern Connecticut. Guided by Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP) Director Lynne Williamson, tour participants will travel to Norwich to view stone walls created by generations of Cape Verdean masons. The group will also visit the reconstructed chapel of St. Anthony in the meditation area of St. Mary's Church, and have the opportunity to attend St. Anthony's Feast Day Mass with the Cape Verdean Choir from Roxbury, Massachusetts followed by a festival dinner featuring Cape Verdean food and music. The tour bus will depart from Manchester Community College's Parking Lot C on Saturday, June 14, 2008, at noon, and will return to MCC by 8:30 pm. The fee for the tour, which includes transportation, food, and entertainment, is $75. Advanced registration is required; please call Manchester Community College Continuing Education at 860-512-3232 or 860-512-2800 to register.

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