Plenary I: The State of the Economy: Crisis and Opportunities
This panel will answer two key questions: What is the status of our economy, and what does it mean for key NYC industries?
Experts will give a macro perspective on the status of the country's economy amid recent financial and mortgage meltdowns and will discuss the impacts on New York City and its key industries. Key players from tourism, small business, housing and financial services will discuss how the economic downturn is currently affecting their work, how each sector is able to connect to each other to maximize shrinking resources, and share their perspective on what we can anticipate in the coming years.  The panelists will explore the impact of the landmark National Housing Trust Fund, the recent $700 billion bailout, and their potential uses to improve and better serve our community.

Plenary II: How can Local Communities Benefit from Globalization?
Foreign investments are playing an increasingly important role in New York City's economy, accounting for 10% of its total output. Experts will discuss what New York City and the U.S. can do to harness globalization to create opportunities for the community. They will explore the importance of a comprehensive immigration policy and outline the role of immigrant workers as a vital link to the growing economies of their countries of origin and New York City, their critical role in revitalizing and enriching the City's economy, and how they cushion the City from the impact of losses from Wall Street.

Morning, Workshop Session I

A. Smart Community Building for the 21st Century How do social service and advocacy organizations remain relevant in increasingly complex environments? What can local leaders do to tackle additional modern issues of globalization, energy sustainability, population, and long-term growth balanced with equitable preservation? Panelists will discuss models of comprehensive neighborhood planning strategies that enhance historical community development with consideration for 21st century problems and how their organizations have dealt with planning for change through strategic community planning. They will also share successful models of engaging local residents, challenges to creating and maintaining a community with diverse needs, and introduce experts who can help neighborhoods start their own planning process for smart growth.

B. Should We Build? Outgrowing your office space? Can't afford to lease your community center space in your neighborhood service area anymore? Thinking about building a senior housing facility to enhance your social services program? Dream of owning your own office and community center? Think rental is the only way to go? Trying to understand the impact of "going green?" These are questions growing community organizations are increasingly facing. Panelists will share their organization's experiences and advice on when to build, how to get ready, and what are the pitfalls and opportunities when creating your own facility. Experts will present resources available to help organizations realize their goals.

C. Anatomy of Success: Collaborations That Achieve Results This panel will study two important collaborations that have brought significant wins in the Asian American and immigrant community - Project CHARGE and New York City's Language Access Law. Project CHARGE (Coalition for Health Access to Reach Greater Equity), is a four-year campaign to improve financial access to health care for the City's diverse Asian Pacific Islander (API) community.  Leaders who were instrumental in spearheading these successes will discuss the effectiveness that comes from collaborations, the importance of forming a diverse coalition to achieve success, and offer ideas of how your organization can identify shared resources for a common community benefit.

D. China Center: A case study on China-New York City Business Partnership The China Center is the creation of the Vantone Group, a major real estate group in China that has become the first major commercial tenant in the proposed Freedom Tower being built on the former World Trade Center site. The panel of experts who made the connection happen will discuss a foreign business's foray into New York city's  major rebuilding efforts, and how they envision their investment will impact and contribute to the city's economy.

Afternoon, Workshop Session II

A. Philanthropy as a Community Development Tool This workshop will explore the role of philanthropy in directing community development discussions. Program officers will discuss how they see the use of their resources to support community organizations during these challenging times and what innovations they hope to inspire. Leaders from the Asian American philanthropic groups will share insight into how diverse local leaders can come together to support community growth.

B. Beyond Numbers: How to Effectively Use Research and Data Community advocacy and development is only as effective as the relevance of data and knowledge available to make a case for reform. Strong and effective organizations need to be adept at researching, compiling and analyzing data that support their causes. Learn from experts who have successfully utilized research methodologies to generate high impact reports and publications that shape how our community is seen, and how research can be used to shape public policy changes.

C. Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders Asian American and immigrant leaders will share their experience as emerging community leaders and discuss their approaches to impacting and empowering the community. Leaders will present their personal and professional experiences and what motivates them to serve the community. They will also discuss how they measure success, the barriers they've faced, and their vision for creating strong grassroots change movements.

D. The Future of Immigrant Housing Organizing & Advocacy: Opportunities on the Horizon New York City is rapidly losing affordable housing units resulting from rent deregulation, inadequate affordable housing subsidies, and rising property costs. This workshop will explore the emerging opportunities that arise from such situations, the importance of immigrants in revitalizing neighborhoods, and the role of the newest New Yorkers in developing affordable housing platforms and organizing across ethnic lines for a more sustainable housing and community development.