The African Diaspora Heritage Trail (ADHT) is an international cultural tourism initiative that promotes socially conscious travel to sites identified as relevant and important to the global narrative of people and culture of African descent. It is designed to educate visitors and safeguard the core values and creativity of African cultures and history.

The 2011 conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada will focus on three themes:

PRESERVE: How to identify and maintain various tangible and intangible artifacts that represent African culture: dances, folklore, fine art, literature, oral traditions and history, etc.

PROMOTE: How to create economic initiatives and tourism strategies that capitalize on cultural and historical assets while returning the benefits directly to communities and persons of African descent.

PROTECT: How persons and communities of African descent can maintain their distinct heritage and culture, and the role governments and institutions should play in this endeavour.

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Why Cities? Why Poverty?

Series: Vibrant Communities Seminar Series

Speakers: Paul Born, Brock Carlton

Location: via conference call (FREE)

Date: Thursday, January 27, 2011, 11:55am, Eastern

About the Seminar:

The first call in the Canada's Cities Reducing Poverty series will feature Brock Carlton, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities (FCM). Mr. Carlton will discuss Mending Canada's Frayed Social Safety Net: The role of municipal governments - a recent report exploring poverty, income inequality and the concept of social infrastructure. There is a growing need for municipal social services, made even more urgent by the recent recession and the federal and provincial retreat from traditional social supports, which has shifted the burden to municipal governments. The report introduces the concept of social infrastructure, the support system provided by municipal governments and made up of direct social services, such as affordable housing, emergency shelters and subsidized childcare, as well as public services like transit, recreation and libraries. Social infrastructure is particularly important to vulnerable people on limited incomes, especially during a recession. The report finds that while the need for these services has increased, investments have not kept up.