By: Mary Wolff, Cultural and Linguistic Competence Coordinator

Learning about culture can be fun and FAST TRAC provides a FREE Book Club to residents, families and professionals living or working in Clermont County.  Reading stories or memoirs about other people, places and issues and discussing books with others give participants an enjoyable and challenging way to learn about culture.  Our next selection is “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” by Mitch Albom.  Contact Mary Wolff at 732-5415 ormwolff.ft@ccmhrb.org for more information.

If books are not your style, consider a movie.  FAST TRAC recently offered a chance to watch The Help via DVD and held a discussion about the movie’s themes of race and its affects on people.  Future training activities planned include viewing the program hosted by John Quinones on ABC, “What Would You Do” or the PBS program “Finding Your Roots,” with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.  These television programs offer an opportunity to discuss values, ethics, culture and language issues that further allow individuals to grow in their knowledge of similarities and differences that make up this great country.

Finally, there will be a great opportunity to enjoy music this summer when the City of Cincinnati is host to the World Choir Games, a wonderful opportunity to see world cultures joining together in the universal language of singing/music.  Check out the FAST TRAC website (www.clermontfasttrac.org) for information regarding activities for CLC and trainings, outings, movies, and book clubs.

By: Mary Wolff, CLC Coordinator

Summertime is the perfect time to be a cultural explorer.  All around your community are festivals with food, music and dancing that honors a particular culture.  German, Irish, Hispanic, Greek, and Appalachian are just a few of many festivals you and your family can enjoy. 

Vacations for some families may be in new locations throughout Ohio, the United States or overseas.  Take the time to notice the sites and history of the areas you visit – it gives you the chance to live differently and learn about others. 

Our Cultural Conversations Book Club selection for this month is “The Five People You Meet In Heaven,” by Mitch Albom.  If you wish to participate in our Book Club please call Mary Wolff at 732-5415.

By: Mary Wolfe, Cultural & Linguistic Competence Coordinator

FAST TRAC staff recently attended Georgetown University’s Training Institutes.  At the Institutes, we learned about a program that works within the faith-based community, called Open Table.  The Open Table model provides faith communities with a proven process to transform individuals and families in poverty.  The mission is to train congregations and their members, through the Open Table model, to partner their vocational and life experiences with people in poverty to develop and implement plans that create sustainability and wholeness.  For more information www.theopentable.org

Additionally, Georgetown University’s Center for Children’s Mental Health released some new guidelines for working with youth and families around LGBT issues and created a resource list.  Please click on the following link to see the newest information: http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/documents/Final%20LGBTQ%20Checklist.pdf