Moving On Up

Is it better to be proactive or reactive when it comes to "intractable generational problems" like crime, substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, child abuse and domestic violence? With the introduction of the Upstream Investments Initiative, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is taking the proactive route, aiming to create evidence-based programs and policies that will potentially prevent these problems rather than repair them after the fact.

Supervisor Efren Carrillo kicks off the first of six community forums to explain the initiative in greater detail and discuss its implications on Wednesday, March 23, from 3pm to 5pm in Santa Rosa. Supervisor Valerie Brown leads the second forum on Monday, April 4, from 3:30pm to 5pm in Boyes Hot Springs. For more information and future forums, see www.sonomaupstream.org.

Beyond Hotel Rwanda

In 1994, as the Hutus began butchering Tutsis in an act of genocide that ended with over 800,000 people dead over the course of a hundred days, Carl Wilkens was the only American to remain in Kigali, Rwanda. Wilkens now speaks about his first-hand experience of the tragedy in classrooms and colleges across the country. He has since founded World Outside My Shoes, a nonprofit organization committed to highlighting global unity. He speaks on Tuesday, March 29, at Ives Hall on the Sonoma State University Campus. 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. 4pm. Free. 707.664.2832.

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