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Photo courtesy John Winters Thanks to The Boren Foundation, and Jack and Karen Kay Leonard for making this website possible. |
Why Should Community Educators Attend the 2002 Lead-Safe Indiana Conference on November 6 & 7, 2002?
Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. But helping people understand how to protect themselves from lead poisoning is not so easy. In many ways, the public has grown tired of hearing about lead poisoning. Many think we defeated the problem years ago when lead was eliminated from gasoline and paint. Others think the problem is bad parents letting children eat paint chips. Still others think that a child is not lead poisoned if there are no symptoms.
However, lead poisoning causes subtle changes in brain function that take years to show up. Who can tell whether a child is not as smart as he should be. Or is more violent that she should be. While we have made tremendous reductions in lead poisoning due to product phase-outs, the legacy of lead-based paint is still with us, especially as it deteriorates after being on the wall for more than 50 years.
For these reasons, as a community educator, you have a special challenge with lead poisoning. While you face many challenges - including not enough time to attend conferences, we think you would benefit from this conference. About 15,000 Hoosier children are lead poisoned each year. We need to education to prevent these poisonings.
Thanks to our sponsors, we even have some scholarship funds available to cover your registration fees. Unfortunately, we do not have funds available for travel and lodging.
We would like to make the following suggestions as you consider the agenda:
Get the scoop on the facts and statistics behind lead poisoning in Indiana on Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:45. You need to know the facts behind the stats.
Find out about innovative education approaches that have worked in Indiana.
Learn how to conduct outreach that recognizes the needs and characteristics of the various cultures you may encounter on Wednesday from 2:40 to 3:40. As an alternative, participate in the discussion forum to find ways to get contractors to use lead-safe work practices. You may also want to learn about Indiana's new requirements that prohibit contractors from using dangerous work practices and require them to clean up their messes in pre-1960 housing since these requirements will reach many people.
Voice your ideas to get paint retailers to stop giving out dangerous and illegal advice. The sessions begin at 3:50 and end at 4:50.
If you work with Spanish speaker workers, plan to attend the HUD-Approved Lead-Safe Work Practices training on Thursday morning from 8:00 to 12:00. The session will be offered in English but the materials will be in Spanish and English and the instructor will be bilingual.
Find out what the leading doctors in Indiana think about lead poisoning on Thursday from 9:00 to 10:30! There perspectives can help you be a more effective educator.
Do you need to find the best brochure, the best photo to help deliver your message. Find out how to get the latest information from the Internet on lead poisoning on Thursday from 10:45 to noon.
Nominate your favorite lead advocate in your organization who has done outstanding work in dealing with lead-based paint for a Lead-Safe Indiana Award. Hopefully your nominee will receive an award on Thursday afternoon.
If you need any more information, contact Tom Neltner at mccabe@ikecoalition.org.
Please join us. Click here to register. To apply for a scholarship.
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