“Superman” coming to speak at children and families conference

The founder, president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone — which the federal government hopes to recreate in 21 American neighborhoods — and the “star” of the much-discussed “Waiting for Superman,” Geoffrey Canada will speak in Milwaukee on Friday, Oct. 22.

Canada will give a talk at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at 11 a.m. as the closing keynote speaker at the 2010 Alliance for Children and Families National Conference.

According to a news release, “Canada will share models for reform that combine educational, social and medical services that impact children from birth to college. He will discuss the trend toward service integration and the impact his suggested models for reform have on child welfare.”

The Harlem Children’s Zone is a 97-block “residential educational system” in New York that has, over two decades, been nationally recognized for its success in tackling issues facing education and families in the poverty-stricken neighborhood via a network of charter schools and child-focused health care programs. 

The program — and Canada — are featured in the new documentary “Waiting for Superman,” which makes its Milwaukee premiere Sunday at the Milwaukee Film Festival and is expected to return to area screens in mid-October.

Yesterday, the federal government announced the 21 winners of a competition among American neighborhoods for $10 million in grants that come with being named a “Promise Neighborhood.” 

None of the 21 winners is in Wisconsin. Of 339 applicants for the grants, two were from Milwaukee.

The Alliance for Children and Families, which celebrates 100 years in 2011, is a non-profit national membership association of private, nonprofit human service providers in the United States and Canada.

To register for Canada’s presentation, go to nc10.allianceinfo.org. Tickets can be purchased at a special keynote speaker price for $50 and must be reserved in advance.