On behalf of the
African-American Empowerment Network...
Welcome to our home site!
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Empower North Omaha! 

Unite and Rebuild
Let's Work Together

Saturday, July 11, 2009
Omaha North High School - Viking Center

9:00 am   Breakfast and Networking
9:30 am  Interactive Community Meeting

Open to the Community
Update on North Omaha and Help Set Priorities

Hosted by The Empowerment Network, District II Coalition of Elected Officials, North Omaha Neighborhood Groups and Residents, North Omaha Pastors and Ministers Coalition and City-wide Churches, North Omaha Funding Coalition, and others.


9:00 am    Breakfast and Networking

9:30 am    Interactive Community Meeting - Help prioritize solutions and get involved

Focus:

Update on the State of North Omaha - Progress, Issues, and Opportunities

Working Together to Set Priorities and Get Things Done!

Church and Community Engagement

Violence Intervention and Prevention

Education and Youth Development

Employment and Business Development

Health and Healthy Families

Arts, History, Culture, and Media

Advocacy and Justice

Getting Involved - There's Room for Everyone!

402-502-5153 for more information.

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African-American Empowerment Network
Don't Just Talk About It, Be About It!
a united group of African-American leaders and neighborhood residents focused on the empowerment of African-Americans, North Omaha, and the entire Greater Omaha Area
 

Empowerment Covenant
Do Your Part...Live the Covenant!
developed by African-Americans in the Greater Omaha Area...the covenant can be implemented by individuals, families, neighborhoods, schools, organizations, businesses, elected officials...in every area of the city...in every area of life
 

Empower North Omaha!
Rise Up and Rebuild the Village
a targeted initiative of the African-American Empowerment Network focused on improving the quality of life in North Omaha... for those that live, work, go to church, shop, play, and others who are genuinely interested in the future of North Omaha.

Empower Omaha!
Working Together to Transform Omaha
a city-wide initiative of the African-American Empowerment Network that brings
together the entire community

Empower Omaha! is a dedicated group of people of all races, socio-economics, denominations...from all over the city...working together to make positive change...
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2009 Focus:

Do Your Part...Live the Covenant!

We Can Change Omaha
It's Time to Rebuild the Village
Family by Family
Block by Block
School by School
Church by Church
Business by Business
Each person doing their Part
Working Together
Let's Transform Omaha
Do Your Part!
Live the Covenant!
Learn the Covenant! (Below)

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GREAT SUMMER JOBS PROGRAM 2009
an initiative of the Empowerment Network Covenant...
 

The Great Summer Jobs Program 2009 was officially launched on June 1, 2009.  The program is in its second year and represents a partnership between the Empowerment Network, Omaha Public Schools, Impact One Community Connection, Omaha Economic Development Corporation, The Minority Community Development Fund, Eastern Nebraska Community Action Program, Center for Holistic Development, 100 Black Men, New Community Development Corporation, Metro Community College, and over 40 different businesses and community organizations.  Over 150 youth and young adults are participating in a range of educational, training, and work experience opportunities.  During the morning, participants are engaged in educational and training sessions including summer school, GED, college prep, and entrepreneurship.  Afternoons include intensive training on life skills, employability, history and culture, managing money, customer service, vocational careers, housing rehabilitation, urban farming, marketing and communications, media development, and community research.  The final piece of the puzzle is on the job work experience in over 20 different fields including banking, health, culinary, and green jobs. 

Thank you to our partners.  Thank you to everyone involved.  If you would like to support this effort, please call 402-502-5153 or e-mail us at vqferris@empoweromaha.com

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Thank you for supporting our first

HARMONY WEEK!
Safe Summer Kick-off 2009
From Violence to PEACE in the City…No More! Violence
an initiative of the Empowerment Network Violence Prevention Covenant...

Our first Harmony Week was held during the third week of May 2009.  Over 500 residents, leaders, pastors, and church members participated in events to help kick-off a safe summer.  Signs were posted with sayings including, “No More! Violence,” “No More! Shooting,” “Jobs, Not Jails,” “Honk for Peace,” “Invest in People, Not Prisons,” and “Let’s Work Together.”  The events drew a diverse audience as people of all ages, races, incomes, denominations, from all over Omaha came together to commemorate the lives that have been lost to violence, pray for a safe summer, and enjoy one another’s company in an old-fashioned block party atmosphere.  It was very refreshing…food, music, basketball, Frisbee, balloon jumpers for the kids, and a time of fellowship.  Harmony Week was just one part of a comprehensive community-based effort to help continue reducing gun violence in the city.  With churches, organizations, businesses, and individuals working together, the city has experienced a 50% reduction in homicides during the first 6 months of 2009 when compared with 2008.  One life lost to gun violence is one too many.  It’s become quite obvious that we can only reduce violence when everyone does their part. 

Harmony Week activities included:

Saturday, May 16                            Help Your Neighbor Day  (Serve someone in your neighborhood)

                                                            Participate in a Neighborhood Clean-up     
                                                            Network Partnership with Highlander Neighborhood Association
                                                            Meet at 29^th and Charles at 8:00 am

Sunday, May 17       3:00 pm         Music, Food, and Activities at Fontenelle Park – 42^nd and Ames
                                    4:00 pm         Safe Summer Prayer Rally and Service at Fontenelle Park

Monday, May 18       6:00 pm        Family Night At Home
                                                           No TV Night - Spend time talking about being safe during the  
                                                           summer.

Tuesday, May 19      6:00 pm         Neighborhood Night
                                                            Host an event in your home and discuss ways to improve the    
                                                            neighborhood.

Wednesday, May 20  8:00 pm      Harmony Week Prayer Vigil
                                                           Host a Prayer Vigil at your church (After Wednesday Worship Service)    
                                                           or in your neighborhood .

Thursday, May 21                          Listen and Serve:  Reach out & Connect Youth w/ Seniors Day!
                                                           Create an opportunity for youth to listen to and serve seniors
                                                            in the neighborhood and/or in senior housing.

Friday, May 22   After 3:00 pm    Neighborhood Block Parties
                                                            Host an event at your church or neighborhood.  Provide positive  
                                                            activities for children and youth on the last day of school. 

Empower Omaha! and its partners worked individuals, families, organizations, faith institutions, businesses, and others to host our first ever Harmony Week! 
Over 500 participated in Harmony Week events. 

Let’s continue working together all over the city to
kick-off a safe summer!

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Monday, April 27, 2009 marked the
2 Year Anniversary of the public launch
of Empower Omaha! and
the Empowerment Covenant!

Thank you to hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals that have participated in the Covenant and helped start the implementation of strategic initiatives and plans.

Watch for major new announcements from the Empowerment Network!

We're just getting started.   The momentum is building.

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A partial list of accomplishments since April 2007!

We thank God for His blessings and favor!

The Network has worked together and partnered to help continue the transformation that is occurring in our community and city.  Members of the Network have been busy at work over the past two years.  Here’s just a sampling of the type of work that has been completed:

• Helped bring together over 500 organizations and 1,000's of participants;
• Presented the State of African-Americans in person to over 1,000 individuals and hosted three State of African-Americans and North Omaha Summits to update the community on status and progress;
• Distributed over 3,000 copies of the Empower Omaha! Covenant;
• Met with city leaders, elected officials, business executives, faith leaders, and community organizations to discuss plans to improve the quality of life in Omaha;
• Supported African-American businesses, organizations and cultural events;
• Created an Empowerment Network web-site and e-mail blast to provide community organizations a new way of connecting with leaders and community members;
• Helped organizations and individuals develop new relationships and partnerships through networking events, meetings, and forums;
• Provided the opportunity for African-American and North Omaha restaurants to generate thousands of dollars in revenue by catering Network and community events;
• Supported African-American cultural arts, history, and entertainment organizations;
• Help community organizations to increase memberships and participants;
• Led prayer walks and community outreach efforts in high-violence hot spots and targeted neighborhoods;
• Partnered with churches and neighborhoods to host neighborhood block parties and outreach, reaching hundreds of residents;
• Partnered with churches to launch adopt-a-school and adopt-a-block strategies;
• Partnered with healthy family organizations to launch Marriage is Cool initiative reaching hundreds of High School students;
• Partnered with healthy family organizations to create and expand mentoring initiatives;
• Partnered with housing organizations to promote home ownership and prevent foreclosures;
• Hosted meetings, conferences, and major events, engaging hundreds of participants focused on economics, health, education, violence prevention, and voting;
• Helped to enhance, develop and promote existing and new communications and media vehicles, including newspaper, magazine, internet, e-mail, etc.
• Coordinated an important economic and community development networking trip to Kansas City to support cultural arts and entertainment growth;
• Provide training opportunities for churches, non-profits, businesses, and other organizations;
• Worked together to produce an African-American physicians directory and African-American behavioral health directory;
• Partnered with Building Bright Futures to host the first interactive community outreach meeting and launch significant community initiatives to improve academic success;
• Supported efforts to help hundreds of High School students receive college credits and make the successful transition to post secondary opportunities;
• Partnered with the North Omaha Voters projects to help increase voter turnout and participation in the state first caucus;
• Hosted the 2^nd Annual Rebuilding the Village Conference, including 3 national speakers;
• Partnered to host the National Stop the Violence Conference;
• Hosted the Violence Prevention Summit and Conference with over 150 participants;
• Launched the Great Summer Program providing life skills, work experience, internships, and educational training to over 150 youth and young adults
• Expanded the Great Summer Program 2009 to include summer school, GED programs, College Prep, entrepreneurship, home rehabilitation training, weatherization projects, internships, employment, computer training, media projects, and other long-term projects...serving over 150 high at-risk youth and young adults.
• Partnered with African-American Unity Fund to host workshops for small, grassroots organizations and provide $150,000 to small non-profits for community work;
• Raised funds to help with Neighborhood Redevelopment efforts;
• Raised funds to assist with Violence Intervention efforts;
• Assisted organizations with grant writing and capacity building;
• Partnered to help register over 12,000 new voters;
• Helped generated record voter turnout in targeted areas of Omaha;
• Hosted the 1st North Omaha Green Economy Workshop, focused on jobs, job creation, housing, neighborhood development, business development, and manufacturing opportunities, providing the opportunity for large and small organizations to learn about emerging trends;
• Partnered with other organizations to host the 1st Omaha Economic Summit with elected and appointed officials, leading business executives, educators and administrators, non-profit executives, philanthropists, and others to focus on reducing employment, increasing high school graduation rate, moving from jobs to careers, and developing new African-American and North Omaha business;
• Received local, regional, and national attention from media outlets concerning the state of African-Americans, North Omaha and development of plans to improve the quality of life in a collaborative way;
• And, partnered with participating organizations to support other major events and efforts.

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MAJOR EVENTS & ACTIVITIES - 2008

Empowerment Network Summit - December 2008

Pew Partnership Research Released - December 2008 (Partner)

Building Bright Futures Initiatives Launched - Sept./Nov. 2008 (Partner)

Intervention Team Launched - September 2008 (Partner)

Step Out and Serve - August 2008 (Partner)

Weed & Seed Clean-up - July 2008 (Partner)

Project 10,000 Voter Registration - July to October (Partner)

Great Summer Jobs Program - June - August 2008 (Partner)

Violence Prevention Summit - June 2008

Stop the Violence Conference - May 2008  (Partner)

Rebuilding the Village Conference - April 2008

Neighborhood Clean-up - Highlander - April 2008 (Partner)

Housing Alliance Formed - April 2008

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TIME FOR CHANGE

Saturday, December 13, 2008

2nd Annual State of African-Americans & North Omaha:

Focus:  Violence Prevention, Jobs, Careers, Business and Education
 

Over 100 community leaders and residents participated in the 2nd Annual Summit.


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Stop the Violence Conference
Crime Prevention Summit
Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10, 2008

Black Men United, National Hip Hop Political Convention, ACLU, Douglas County, Malcolm X Foundation, African-American Association (UNO), Circle of Brotherhood, and Empowerment Network hosted the First Stop the Violence Conference and 2nd Annual Crime Prevention Summit.  The event attracted over 100 leaders, community advocates and youth for two days of planning and networking.  Five national speakers were on hand to share information, success stories, and strategies for reducing youth violence.  Local experts also presented best practice strategies and successful ideas.

Elected officials, police officers, faith leaders, non-profit organizations, crime prevention specialists, parents, students, and others worked together to generate ideas to reduce violence.  Strategies are in development and the Empowerment Network Crime Prevention Covenant will be updated to reflect recommendations from the national consultants and speakers.  It's time to work the plan!

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Neighborhood Clean-up
April 26, 2008

The Empowerment Network partnered with the Highlander, Prospect Place, and Prospect Hill Neighborhood Associations during their annual clean-up day.  Partners from throughout the city worked alongside neighbors to fill up several city dump trucks.  We helped to remove trash, brush, furniture, and other items from the neighborhood.  Thanks to all of the volunteers.  Other efforts are being planned for later this year.

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Rebuilding the Village Conference
April 4, 2008

On Friday, April 4, 2008, the Empowerment Network and Empower Omaha! presented the 2^nd Annual Rebuilding the Village Conference.  Three nationally known speakers were on hand to deliver five power-packed sessions featuring real-life examples of how neighborhoods have been transformed through partnerships, networks, and various community-based efforts.  George Fraser, President/CEO of FraserNet, Denise E. Gilmore, President/CEO of the Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation (Kansas City), and Kenneth Dobson, an international Community and Economic Development Consultant, proved to be an incredible line-up. 

A diverse audience of over 160 leaders and community advocates, representing over 70 different organizations, participated.  All areas of the Empowerment Covenant were present, including disciplines of education, business, faith, crime prevention, cultural arts, political empowerment, economics, housing, youth development, health, healthy families, neighborhood development, and media. 

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April 2008 - 1 Year Anniversary of Empower Omaha! Kick-off

Despite the challenges and issues that continue to persist in our community, this is an exciting time to be alive.  Many promising solutions and initiatives are coming together in an unprecedented way in Omaha.  Faith communities are coming together and moving outside the walls of the sanctuary.  Promising education and youth development initiatives are heating up.  Legislative action is helping to move us closer to a community that will treat all students equally.  Economic development plans and strategies are moving past the flip chart, slide show and story board phase.  It’s a time of transition and transformation.  Let’s keep it rolling.  Let’s move forward with a sense of urgency. 

Omaha, this is our time.  This is our time to move past what has separated us.  This is our time to not be limited by what has held us back for far too long.  This is our time to walk out in faith and embrace the possibilities that God has for us.  We must think different.  Act different.  Most of all, we must work together!

April 27, 2008 marks the 1 year anniversary of the public launch of Empower Omaha!  Empower Omaha! is an initiative created and developed by the African-American Empowerment Network following 9 months of community meetings, forums, summits, surveys, research, and testing.  The Network consisting of leaders and neighbors from all areas of the community was established with a three-fold strategy:  Empower African-Americans, Empower North Omaha, and Empower the Greater Omaha area.  At the very first official meeting, we made a commitment that we would be positive, proactive, and build partnerships.  We have had some solid successes and great learning experiences over the past year.  Overall, we have stayed on track and are beginning to see strategies come to life.  It’s always challenging to convert plans from paper to action.  It’s encouraging to report that things are coming together.

The mission of the Network is to Connect, Communicate, Coordinate, Collaborate, Create, and Celebrate our way to a total transformation of our neighborhoods, community, city, state, and region.  We will build on the great work that so many individuals, organizations, ministries, and businesses are doing every day.  We will do it through strategic planning and collaboration.  We will do it by coming together, praying together, working together, and celebrating together.  We will do it one person, one home, and one block at a time. 

In the past year since the launch, over 1,000 leaders and community representatives have contributed to the development of the Empower Omaha! Covenant.  Progress has been made on many fronts.  New partnerships have been formed.  There’s a lot of work still ahead of us, but we are building momentum and with God on our side, we will see the tangible fruit of our labor.

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INTRODUCTION to the EMPOWERMENT NETWORK

African-Americans have made great progress in many areas.  Through many challenges, African-Americans have pressed on and persevered.  There are over 64,000 African-Americans in the Omaha metro area.  We spend an estimated $700 million dollars each year.  We have elected officials at the local, county and state level. We have administrators, principals and teachers in our schools.  We have  strong churches, large and small. We have professionals, business owners and skilled workers.  We have health care professionals, social organizations, churches and others who are working every day to minister to and help those who are impacted, yet, in some areas we are going in the wrong direction.  We have resources, organizations, ideas, visions, and much more.  We have many success stories.  Yet,  we still lag when it comes to education, employment, housing, wealth, health, voting and other core areas.  (READ MORE...)
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EMPOWERMENT NETWORK COVENANT KICKOFF...

It's time to come together and work together!

On Friday, April 27, 2007, The Empowerment Network launched the first phase of the Empowerment Covenants and Challenge.  Seven months of planning, testing, research, forums, summits and meetings have led to the creation of a comprehensive covenant (agreement) that can be used as a road map towards positive community solutions. 
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DO YOUR PART...LIVE THE COVENANT!

Visit the Covenant page on this site to learn more about what you can do to make this covenant a reality.  Every individual, every family and every leader can do something to help improve our community.  (COVENANT...)
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TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

Need some specific examples of how you can "Live the Covenant?"  Go to the Take Action Now page on this site and learn more about things you can do right now to Do Your Part!  (TAKE THE CHALLENGE...)
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WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE NETWORK?

By working together, we can make a measurable difference.  Go to the Contact Us page and send an e-mail if you would like to learn more about the Network or if you would like to get involved!  We will need volunteers to develop and implement solutions. 
(CONTACT PAGE...)
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