• Date & Location
• Audience
• Registration & Fees

• Agenda/Offerings
• Lodging & Travel
• Questions?
• FAQ

Inspiring, Collaborative, Innovative… Stimulating!

NW Institute for Community Health Educators & Teachers 2009 (NICHE '09) is an opportunity to be fully engaged in a residential, skill-based training with other professionals who work as sexuality, family life, HIV/AIDS, and family planning educators. NICHE '09 will join together a dynamic team of experienced returning core staff with extensive knowledge and experience in youth development and comprehensive sexuality education.

Whether you are a new or seasoned professional, NICHE '09 will offer many opportunities for you to analyze and evaluate your teaching and training methods and skills, learn about new ideas and resources, network with other sexuality educators and much more.

See you at Rainbow Lodge!

Karen Dluhosh and Kirsten Harris-Talley

Center for Health Training

NICHE 2009 Co-Coordinators

Date & Location

 

Monday, July 27 - Friday, July 31, 2009

Rainbow Lodge - North Bend, WA

Rainbow Lodge is located on 40 forested acres, at the foot of Mt. Si in the Cascade foothills. We will have exclusive and full use of the grounds during NICHE. The grounds have a small pond, trails, and beautiful outdoor space to regroup and unwind between sessions. Free wireless internet is available only in designated areas.

45 minutes East of Seattle, WA

45 minutes from SeaTac Airport

Who Should Attend?

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• Community educators and outreach workers new to the field of sexuality and reproductive health.
• Youth development specialists who want to integrate sexuality issues into their work.
• Experienced sexuality educators who want to connect and be creative with other professionals in this exciting field of work.
• Sexuality education directors and managers who work with communities and community educators.
• Classroom teachers who want to develop skills in delivery of sexuality health programs and curricula.
• Nurses, social workers and experienced educators in sexuality, family life and health, STD & HIV prevention and family planning education.

Registration & Fees

 

Deadline: Friday, June 26, 2009

NICHE is supported by the Office of Family Planning, Region X and hosted by Center for Health Training in partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

The fee for this week-long, residential training is $700 for those who work in Title X organizations in Region X. With our OSPI partner we are also extending this $700 rate to classroom teachers who are teaching sexuality in school settings. For all other participants, the fee is $775. The fee includes registration, lodging, all meals, and all training materials. We expect NICHE 2009 to fill quickly, so reserve your space soon.

A $150 deposit toward the registration fee must be received by June 26, 2009. Payment can be made by credit card, personal check, or agency check. If mailing payment make payable to Center for Health Training and send to:

• Center for Health Training
• ATTN: NICHE 2009
• 1809 – 7th Avenue, Ste 400
• Seattle, WA 98101-1341

If you register and cannot attend, contact CHT immediately so that your space can be offered to someone on the waiting list. Refunds for cancellations, less a $30 processing fee, will be issued until July 3, 2009.

Reminder: Any outstanding registration fees are payable on or before the first day of NICHE.

What Does NICHE '09 Offer

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During this five-day residential institute, we will conduct plenary sessions on life-long sexuality, effective teaching methods, learning theory, youth development principles, learner diversity, and sexuality education ethics, as well as smaller “how to teach about…” and issue-focused concurrent sessions. If you are new to sexuality education, these plenary and concurrent sessions will give you a basic framework for sexuality education processes, techniques and content.

The Practice, Observation and Support (POS) groups are a unique and important feature of NICHE. You will be a part of a POS group (usually 5-6 individuals) in which you will do a short presentation for your peers. This small group setting will give you an opportunity to receive feedback on presentation and facilitation skills. It also offers you time to examine the relevancy of the training to your professional development.

In addition to the information that you receive throughout the training, you will get a valuable NICHE notebook and electronic media of supporting articles and resources to use when you return to your community.

Come to NICHE 2009 to…

1. Enhance your understanding of Sexuality and effective Sexuality Education in its broadest sense.
2. Examine the diverse Life Experiences learners bring and consider what they mean to your teaching.
3. Identify how your own Values, Attitudes, Beliefs and Feelings may influence your teaching.
4. Assess your own Learning and Teaching Styles and your own Skills.
5. Increase your ability to Assess Learners’ Needs and learn new strategies for Creating a Safe Learning Environment.
6. Learn how to plan your teaching based on sound Learning Theory and learn to use a variety of Teaching Methodologies to increase your ability to reach students with diverse Learning Styles.
7. Enhance your skills in Designing an Effective Lesson and improve your ability to Deliver a Great Sexuality Session.
8. Increase your ability to Answer Challenging Questions.
9. Learn and practice a model for giving and receiving concrete, useful Feedback.
10. Discover some excellent collegial, written and technological Resources.
11. Explore the changing Social, Professional and Political Context for sexuality education and share strategies for surviving and thriving as you plan for your own On-Going Professional Improvement.
12. Explore Professional Ethics in the world of sexuality education.

Advanced Opportunities

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If you are an experienced sexuality educator, we offer three unique opportunities to expand your facilitation skills and strengthen your leadership skills: 1) facilitate group-building activities for the large group, including icebreakers and energizers, 2) conduct one of the concurrent “how to teach about…” sessions on a topic you want to expand on or practice, or 3) be a Practice, Observation and Support (POS) group facilitator. As a POS group facilitator you will develop facilitation skills and have the support of the NICHE core staff in supporting 5-6 colleague participants throughout the week.

These training opportunities will provide you with peer feedback on your training qualities and skills while offering you an opportunity to expand your education and training repertoire in new content areas of sexuality. Please note on your registration if you would like to hear more about leading a group-building activity, facilitating a concurrent session, or being a POS group facilitator.

Continuing Education

 

Continuing Education applications for nurses, teachers, and community health educators have been submitted by CHT. More details to follow with confirmation materials

Lodging & Travel

 

Lodging & Meals:

NICHE will be held at Rainbow Lodge in North Bend, WA, 45 minutes east of Seattle. Rooms are double occupancy. Roommates will be assigned unless you indicate a preference on your registration form. A limited number of single rooms are available upon request with additional fee; contact CHT for details. This is a residential training with evening sessions and all participants are expected to stay on site for the entire week. All meals are served in a communal cafeteria, you are welcome to bring in snacks and special foods and store them in the kitchen area. Rainbow Lodge is wheelchair accessible.

Transportation:

You are responsible for your own travel arrangements. If flying in from out of town we recommend flying into SeaTac Airport and arranging shuttle or town car service to Rainbow Lodge. If you are traveling by air, please schedule your flight departure on Friday, July 31st for after 4:00 p.m.

Confirmation:

Confirmation materials will be sent to you via email two weeks prior to event. This will include maps, directions, and any relevant information you will need prior to arrival.

Early Arrival

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If you are traveling several hours, please plan to arrive the evening of Sunday July 26th after 6:30 pm to insure a good night’s sleep before the training begins! Breakfast on Monday will be provided for participants arriving on Sunday.

If you need assistance with transportation from SeaTac Airport to Rainbow Lodge on the evening of Sunday, July 26th please contact Dan Weiner at CHT, dan@jba-cht.com, 206.447.9538.

NICHE 2009 Core Staff

 

• Amy Claussen, Planned Parenthood of Central Washington, Yakima, WA
• Karen Dluhosh, Center for Health Training, Seattle, WA
• Kirsten Harris-Talley, Center for Health Training, Seattle, WA
• Renee Marshall, Center for Health Training, Oakland, CA
• Tim McLeod, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Seattle, WA
• Arthur Padilla, Multifaith Works, Seattle, WA
• Wayne Pawlowski, Consultant, Arlington, VA
• Beth Reis, Public Health – Seattle and King County, Seattle, WA

About NICHE & Center for Health Training

 

Center for Health Training (CHT) hosts NICHE and is a nonprofit organization that specializes in training, staff development, research and technical support to health care and human services agencies and community coalitions. Our Seattle office works throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. Other CHT offices are located in Oakland, CA and Austin, TX. Our mission: Improve organizations' abilities to deliver accessible, high quality, culturally proficient, and compassionate services to their clients.

The first NW Institute for Community Health Educators (NICHE) in 1987 established a week long, residential, skill based training in sexuality education principles and methods for classroom and community based educators. The “ICHE model” is designed as a way give the skills and knowledge needed to deliver comprehensive, culturally proficient, medically accurate sexuality education and create a community of colleagues in this education arena. Similar “ICHEs” operate throughout the country, including Western region (WRICHE), the Southwest (SWICHE), The Great Lakes region (GLICHE), and the North Atlantic region (NATISHE).

Questions

 

Contact Center for Health Training (CHT):

Dan Weiner, dan@jba-cht.com, 206.447.9538 p

Kirsten Harris-Talley, kirstenh@jba-cht.com, 206.447.9538 p

NICHE 2009 FAQ for Participants

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Begin/End Times:

Q:   If I am arriving early (on Sunday) what time do I need to be at the Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center?

A:   The check in time for participants arriving on Sunday, July 26, 2009 is 7:00 pm. The lodge will not be available to us until this time, so please do not arrive early. If you are serving as a POS Group Facilitator or Speaker Participant, you will need to arrive on Sunday. Light refreshments will be served Sunday night, so be sure to eat dinner prior to arriving at Rainbow Lodge.

Q:   What time is check-in on Monday morning, July 27, 2009?

A:   Monday morning check-in begins at 9:00 am. The first session will begin at 10:30 am.

Q:   What time will NICHE end on Friday?

A:   NICHE will adjourn at 12:00 PM on Friday, July 31, 2009. An optional lunch will be served at 12:15 and everyone must leave the lodge by 2 pm.

Travel:

Q:  Is Sea-Tac International Airport located in Seattle?

A:   No, the airport is a 30-45 min drive from downtown Seattle. Due to heavy traffic congestion around the airport, we highly recommend you travel from the Airport to Downtown Seattle and then to North Bend.

Q:  If I plan on driving, how do I get to Rainbow Lodge?

A:   Please refer to Rainbow Lodge Info & Map (PDF 152KB) for directions.

Q:  What are my travel options from Sea-Tac International Airport to the Rainbow Lodge?

A:   The Rainbow Lodge is located in North Bend, WA, which is an hour outside of downtown Seattle. Please note that Sea-Tac Airport is 20-30 minutes south of Downtown Seattle. From the airport to the lodge, it’s about an hour and a half commute, which will cost around $100.00 in taxi fare.

Q:  What are my options for travel between Sea-Tac Airport and downtown Seattle?

A:  Taxi fare from the Airport to downtown Seattle is around $30.00. There is an airport shuttle, Grayline of Seattle, which runs an airport express shuttle to downtown Seattle every thirty minutes.  The fare is $11.00 one-way, with convenient stops at seven downtown hotels, including the Westin.

• Downtown Airporter: Grayline Bus
• Shuttle Express: Van Share
• Metro Transit: Buses MT 194 & 174, Local Transit

Q:  What are my options for travel between downtown Seattle and North Bend?

A:  Here is a link to the towncar service we used at our previous NICHE training: www.citytowncar.com/rates.htm

Sample Rates:
Towncars (up to 4 passengers)
Downtown Seattle to North Bend: $55 – 60
SeaTac to North Bend: $85

Van (up to 6 passengers)
Downtown Seattle to North Bend: $120

These are flat rates charged for the vehicle & driver, not per passenger. The rate is the same for 1 passenger or 4 passengers. For more questions, check out their FAQs page: http://www.citytowncar.com/faqs.htm

Q:   What are my travel options from Rainbow Lodge back the Sea-Tac Airport on Friday, July 27, 2009?

A:   During the week of the retreat, participants needing transportation back to the airport will an opportunity to arrange a shuttle or carpool to the airport.

Q:   What will the commute time be between the Rainbow Lodge and Sea-Tac Airport on Friday?

A:   Allow for at least an hour and a half to a two hour commute.  Please schedule your Friday flight arrangements accordingly.  Sea-Tac suggests a two hour pre-flight arrival.

Accommodations:

Q:  What are the accommodations like at the Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center?

A:  Your shared room is equipped with a sink only.  Full bathrooms are located down the hall in each wing.  The lodge has no air conditioning so you may want to bring a fan to deal with the summer heat.  Wireless internet is available in select areas of the lodge only.

Rainbow Lodge is located on 40 forested acres, at the foot of Mt. Si in the Cascade foothills. We will have exclusive and full use of the grounds during NICHE. The grounds have a small pond, trails, and beautiful outdoor space to regroup and unwind between sessions.

NOTE: Remember, if you have not paid your registration fees in full they are due upon arrival to the Lodge.

Q:   What can I expect for food at the Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center?

A:   The Rainbow Lodge has a limited menu, but delectable and hearty buffet meals.

Q:   What if I have a special Diet?

A:   We will work hard to accommodate your dietary needs as indicated by your answers to the Needs Assessment survey. However, all meals are buffet and served in the cafeteria so not all food needs can be addressed.  Feel free to bring some extra refreshments and your own special foods (e.g., non-fat salad dressing, milk substitutes); the lodge has a refrigerator that can be used by guests and accessed 24 hours a day.

Q:   What should I bring to the Lodge?

A:   We recommend you bring the following items:

• Bring your own towels (bedding is provided)
• Wear casual clothing -- jeans, shorts, t-shirts, etc.
• Bring a sweater or jacket (evenings are cool)
• Bring a bathrobe for down-the-hall bathroom trips
• Bring comfortable shoes -- suitable for walking in the woods (yes, you'll have some down time!)
• You may want insect repellant, sunscreen and sunglasses
• Some rooms do not have alarm clocks; you may want to bring your own.
• The summer weather can be hot!!!  The lodge does not have air conditioners provided. You may want to bring a fan for your room.

 

 

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