Looking for a way to increase participation in your programs while connecting with the larger youth service movement in your city or state?
Youth Service America has the perfect opportunity for you to do so; apply to be a Lead Agency for National & Global Youth Service Day 2007! Lead Agencies are organizations across the United States that increase the scope, visibility, and sustainability of National & Global Youth Service Day by leading city, regional, or statewide service projects. Past Lead Agencies have been successful in garnering national media attention, developing new partnerships, and engaging elected and public officials in their service and service-learning projects.
Lead Agencies receive a planning grant sponsored by State Farm Companies Foundation and direct assistance and support from Youth Service America to ensure a successful National & Global Youth Service Day.
To complete an application please visit http://www.ysa.org/nysd/nysd_leadagency.cfm. The application deadline is August 31, 2006. If you have any questions about the Lead Agency program or the application please contact Cassandra Miller, N & GYSD Field Manager at cmiller@ysa.org .
--posted on behalf of Steve Culbertson, Youth Service America
July 27, 2006
Follow the Leader
With the recent decreases in funding from the federal government and as the service-learning field continues to grow, it will be extremely important to establish more relationships with the private sector. It's wonderful that a company such as State Farm recognizes and supports the work of our field and the hope is that more companies will follow their lead. Check out their site to find out more about their contributions to service-learning.
State Farm truly believes in service-learning and sees it as a true vehicle to help students achieve academically, to build their civic responsibility, and to cultivate an environment in which individuals feel that they can and must contribute to the local community. Moreover, State Farm recognizes that through service-learning, students are learning to apply their skills and knowledge to solve real life problems. These are the types of experiences that will undeniably help our young people become better citizens as well as better prepared as they eventually enter the workforce.
Let's hope other companies will follow State Farm's lead and support service-learning. We can't continue to be the best kept secret. We need both the public and private sectors to know what the field already knows and what David Eisner has stated, "we know with certainty that service-learning is good for young people, good for communities and good for America."
Seung Yu - SEANet/National Service-Learning Partnership
State Farm truly believes in service-learning and sees it as a true vehicle to help students achieve academically, to build their civic responsibility, and to cultivate an environment in which individuals feel that they can and must contribute to the local community. Moreover, State Farm recognizes that through service-learning, students are learning to apply their skills and knowledge to solve real life problems. These are the types of experiences that will undeniably help our young people become better citizens as well as better prepared as they eventually enter the workforce.
Let's hope other companies will follow State Farm's lead and support service-learning. We can't continue to be the best kept secret. We need both the public and private sectors to know what the field already knows and what David Eisner has stated, "we know with certainty that service-learning is good for young people, good for communities and good for America."
Seung Yu - SEANet/National Service-Learning Partnership
July 24, 2006
At-Risk Students Can Excel Through Service-Learning
Working with "at-risk" students to engage and excel in positive activities is one of many challenges of today's educational landscape. While most educators do not use the term "at-risk," it is used to describe one who is in danger of failing to complete his or her education with an adequate level of skills. Risk factors include low achievement, retention in grade, behavior problems, poor attendance, low socioeconomic status, and attendance at schools with large numbers of poor students (Slavin, 1989). "At-risk" students are commonly misunderstood and, unfortunately at times, overlooked because traditional schooling and policies are not able to provide the needed support and alternative methods of learning.
Service-learning has been shown to offer opportunities for at-risk students. Students who participate develop leadership skills, a sense of social responsibility, and increased interest and engagement in school activities.
Youth Service America, with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, has just announced the YouthRising grant program. The grant will support projects that engage high-risk and/or gang-involved youth (ages 12-25) in service to their communities. Projects should be co-led by youth and adult allies such as parents, counselors, coaches, teachers, youth leaders, etc. A significant portion of the project must take place on National and Global Youth Service Day, April 20-22, 2007.
Deadline is 5pm EST on October 12, 2006.
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse offers a comprehensive list of resources, research, and exemplary programs linking at-risk students and service-learning.
- Susan, National Service-Learning Partnership
Service-learning has been shown to offer opportunities for at-risk students. Students who participate develop leadership skills, a sense of social responsibility, and increased interest and engagement in school activities.
Youth Service America, with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, has just announced the YouthRising grant program. The grant will support projects that engage high-risk and/or gang-involved youth (ages 12-25) in service to their communities. Projects should be co-led by youth and adult allies such as parents, counselors, coaches, teachers, youth leaders, etc. A significant portion of the project must take place on National and Global Youth Service Day, April 20-22, 2007.
Deadline is 5pm EST on October 12, 2006.
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse offers a comprehensive list of resources, research, and exemplary programs linking at-risk students and service-learning.
- Susan, National Service-Learning Partnership
July 21, 2006
Mentor ?
What is a Mentor ?
Mentoring, it is a popular term. Used often in describing AmeriCorps programs and after school tutoring program. But now people are asking what does it mean? What constitutes a mentoring relationship?
Is a baseball coach a mentor ? This is the question Patrick Boyle raises in his Youth Today article Are You My Mentor.
'No one draws the line between mentoring and other youth services more strongly than the National Mentoring Center’s Garringer, who writes:
“If a program is going to call itself a mentoring program, then mentoring better be the primary service they offer and their matches better be developmentally focused. You can work on grades, getting into college, staying off drugs and out of gangs. ... But if the relationship itself isn’t the primary focus of your agency’s work, then stop talking about yourself as a mentoring program. You’re doing something else using adults to help youth (and god bless ya) but it ain’t mentoring.”'
Check out these two mentoring resources and see how your program's language lines up.
Mentor/National Mentoring Partnership or
National Mentoring Center
What does a service-learning mentoring program look like? Please share your examples and the criteria you set for a mentoring relationship or email me directly.
-Heather Margolis National Service-Learning Partnership
Mentoring, it is a popular term. Used often in describing AmeriCorps programs and after school tutoring program. But now people are asking what does it mean? What constitutes a mentoring relationship?
Is a baseball coach a mentor ? This is the question Patrick Boyle raises in his Youth Today article Are You My Mentor.
'No one draws the line between mentoring and other youth services more strongly than the National Mentoring Center’s Garringer, who writes:
“If a program is going to call itself a mentoring program, then mentoring better be the primary service they offer and their matches better be developmentally focused. You can work on grades, getting into college, staying off drugs and out of gangs. ... But if the relationship itself isn’t the primary focus of your agency’s work, then stop talking about yourself as a mentoring program. You’re doing something else using adults to help youth (and god bless ya) but it ain’t mentoring.”'
Check out these two mentoring resources and see how your program's language lines up.
Mentor/National Mentoring Partnership or
National Mentoring Center
What does a service-learning mentoring program look like? Please share your examples and the criteria you set for a mentoring relationship or email me directly.
-Heather Margolis National Service-Learning Partnership
July 19, 2006
Making a Difference
Across the country there are service-learning projects and programs that are making a tremendous difference in the local community. One program is the Gulf Coast Walkabout, a service-learning-based summer school program for 5th - 8th graders in the Gulf Coast region that addresses the long-term recovery needs of communities. This program is part of the Resources for Recovery initiative by NYLC and the State Farm Companies Foundation. Read more about the Gulf Coast Walkabout program and the wonderful contributions that youth are providing through their learn through service opportunities.
Additionally, check out this nice article featured in the Mississippi Press about some of the work.
Seung Yu - SEANet / National Service-Learning Partnership
Additionally, check out this nice article featured in the Mississippi Press about some of the work.
Seung Yu - SEANet / National Service-Learning Partnership
July 17, 2006
Creating a School-Community Culture of Learning
A strong school-community partnership is usually essential for effective implementation of service-learning. The Education Commission of States has published Creating a School-Community Culture of Learning: Exemplary Leadership Practices of Four School Districts, which spotlights four school districts across the United States using exemplary education leadership practices resulting in higher student achievement. Interviews were conducted with students, teachers, administrators, and community members to find out how leadership at all levels of the education system works to increase the achievement of students
with the greatest needs.
The policy brief explores a key leadership strategy common to all four districts: The purposeful cultivation of an environment that reflects – and reinforces – a commitment to:
• Transparency
• Shared leadership
• Focusing on the needs and interests of children.
- Susan, National Service-Learning Partnership
with the greatest needs.
The policy brief explores a key leadership strategy common to all four districts: The purposeful cultivation of an environment that reflects – and reinforces – a commitment to:
• Transparency
• Shared leadership
• Focusing on the needs and interests of children.
- Susan, National Service-Learning Partnership
July 14, 2006
It's Never Too Early to Start Service-Learning: Missouri Pre-schoolers Learn about Water Conservation
In an Ozark, MO classroom
Amy McKee tells a group of 3- and 4-year-olds to pretend the water bottle she's holding up is really a lake.
Then she plucks a yellow napkin out of a bag beside her feet, which represents her picnic lunch.
"I'm in hurry so I'm just going to drop this on the ground, but wait, it went in my lake," she says as she stuffs the napkin into her bottle.
McKee proceeds to push a candy wrapper, straw and other trash in her bottle, transforming it into a foggy mess.
"You can't drink that, it's ucky," squeals Owen Schuldt, 3.
Would fish be OK to swim in this? McKee asks.
No, the kids yell in unison.
---
McKee, an Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) student, is a volunteer with the Earth Team Early Childhood Education Project and teaches preschool-age children in the Upper White River Watershed about water conservation. McKee and other OTC students visit early childhood centers and teach children basic conservation concepts, such as how to keep water clean. This pilot project was created at the South Missouri Water Quality Project office and advocates say it benefits the students with practical experience and promotes early childhood education and water conservation.
- Read the entire article.
The Ozark environmental program serves as a great model for service-learning practitioners because it:
Here are some resources if you are interested in introducing environment/conservation and service-learning in your class or program:
1. EarthForce - organization that trains and supports educators in programs that enable young people to lead community action projects focused on creating sustainable solutions to local environment issues in the community. Learn more about the programs, tools for teachers, and read a success story.
2. East Bay Conservation Corps - a California nonprofit dedicated to promoting youth development through environmental stewardship and service-learning and to further education
reform and social change. Download their latest publication, Service-Learning As Civic Engagement: A Resource Guide for the Elementary Grades.
3. Interdisciplinary Connections to Service-Learning - Environment [Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction]
4. Science Service-Learning Project Examples [Kids Consortium]
5. Adopt-A-Watershed is a service-learning program geared towards students K-12. Adopt-A-Watershed uses a local watershed in the school's community and all of its natural resources to engage students in hands-on activities making science applicable to their lives.
6. GreenWorks is a Project Learning Tree environmental community action program. It encourages students to participate in community based partnerships by developing and implementing environmental action projects, such as graffiti paint overs, tree plantings, stream clean-ups, and recycling projects.
7. Hot Topic: Environment [National Service-Learning Clearinghouse]
AND funding opportunities to support implementation:
1. Cyber Sierra's Conservation Grants Center
2. Foundation Center's Environment Grants
3. the Partnership's Funding page
4. Science Grants [Salt Lake City Schools]
5. Environment and Conservation grants [Fundsnet Services]
6. Red, White, and Green Climate Change Grant [Youth Service America]
~ Susan, National Service-Learning Partnership
Amy McKee tells a group of 3- and 4-year-olds to pretend the water bottle she's holding up is really a lake.
Then she plucks a yellow napkin out of a bag beside her feet, which represents her picnic lunch.
"I'm in hurry so I'm just going to drop this on the ground, but wait, it went in my lake," she says as she stuffs the napkin into her bottle.
McKee proceeds to push a candy wrapper, straw and other trash in her bottle, transforming it into a foggy mess.
"You can't drink that, it's ucky," squeals Owen Schuldt, 3.
Would fish be OK to swim in this? McKee asks.
No, the kids yell in unison.
---
McKee, an Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) student, is a volunteer with the Earth Team Early Childhood Education Project and teaches preschool-age children in the Upper White River Watershed about water conservation. McKee and other OTC students visit early childhood centers and teach children basic conservation concepts, such as how to keep water clean. This pilot project was created at the South Missouri Water Quality Project office and advocates say it benefits the students with practical experience and promotes early childhood education and water conservation.
- Read the entire article.
The Ozark environmental program serves as a great model for service-learning practitioners because it:
- is a complete partnership between higher education, state government, and community based organizations. Partnerships that have multiple sources of buy-in and support tend to be more sustainable and effective in affecting change in the community over time.
- shows that very young children can be conscious of others and the environment and can engage in service-learning.
- promotes introduction of service-learning early in a child's education, which can lead to increased student involvement later on.
Here are some resources if you are interested in introducing environment/conservation and service-learning in your class or program:
1. EarthForce - organization that trains and supports educators in programs that enable young people to lead community action projects focused on creating sustainable solutions to local environment issues in the community. Learn more about the programs, tools for teachers, and read a success story.
2. East Bay Conservation Corps - a California nonprofit dedicated to promoting youth development through environmental stewardship and service-learning and to further education
reform and social change. Download their latest publication, Service-Learning As Civic Engagement: A Resource Guide for the Elementary Grades.
3. Interdisciplinary Connections to Service-Learning - Environment [Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction]
4. Science Service-Learning Project Examples [Kids Consortium]
5. Adopt-A-Watershed is a service-learning program geared towards students K-12. Adopt-A-Watershed uses a local watershed in the school's community and all of its natural resources to engage students in hands-on activities making science applicable to their lives.
6. GreenWorks is a Project Learning Tree environmental community action program. It encourages students to participate in community based partnerships by developing and implementing environmental action projects, such as graffiti paint overs, tree plantings, stream clean-ups, and recycling projects.
7. Hot Topic: Environment [National Service-Learning Clearinghouse]
AND funding opportunities to support implementation:
1. Cyber Sierra's Conservation Grants Center
2. Foundation Center's Environment Grants
3. the Partnership's Funding page
4. Science Grants [Salt Lake City Schools]
5. Environment and Conservation grants [Fundsnet Services]
6. Red, White, and Green Climate Change Grant [Youth Service America]
~ Susan, National Service-Learning Partnership
July 13, 2006
Public and Private DC school students answer a Call To Action on Poverty
They take local service-learning to an international level and bring it back home full circle to teach others.
29 students and teachers traveled to Ethiopia to better understand issues faced by a developing nation. Learn Serve Ethiopia’s purpose is to inspire teachers and students to apply what they learn to their classrooms and school community. This program is a Center for International Education program working in partnership with Share Our Strength’s Project Mercy.
So why is this a cool program ?
Because it involves students from both public and private schools learning about causes and effects of poverty both here in the US and internationally. And these kids make a commitment to learn from their experiences so that they can teach others.
These students meet with representatives from non profit organizations such as Save the Children and with representatives from the World Bank. They also serve locally at Martha's Table in DC. Talk about taking action to the next level !
Teams from the following schools that went to learn and serve in Ethiopia this summer 2006:
Anacostia Senior High School * Maret School
Banneker Senior High School * Seed Public Charter School
Bishop O'Connell School * The Potomac School
Cardozo Senior High School * Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology * Eastern Senior High School * Washington International School
With this foundation, students learn first hand about the challenges Ethiopia faces.
What They Did:
In late June the LSE team traveled to two different rural Ethiopian project sites. Here students tutored, taught, engaged in community service projects, and developed new friendships. During the two week service trip, they visited the capital city, and met with non-profit and government leaders.
Next Steps:
The school teams will report back to their schools and to invest time in curriculum development and explore how their school can make a difference. Thus, the founders of LSE expect the trip will be a beginning not an end to a transforming experience, not only for the trip participants, but also for the school as a whole.
Voice from the field from last 2005 trip. Teacher comments: "I am a changed human being. [...] this trip expands your world view [...] and has given me case studies and specific facts for my teaching." Student comments: "This trip has made an impact on my life. [...] I will be active in fighting for safe water, (ending) hunger and (preventing) the spread of AIDS." See also a journal entry and more quotes on the main LearnServe page.
-Heather Margolis, National Service-Learning Partnership
29 students and teachers traveled to Ethiopia to better understand issues faced by a developing nation. Learn Serve Ethiopia’s purpose is to inspire teachers and students to apply what they learn to their classrooms and school community. This program is a Center for International Education program working in partnership with Share Our Strength’s Project Mercy.
So why is this a cool program ?
Because it involves students from both public and private schools learning about causes and effects of poverty both here in the US and internationally. And these kids make a commitment to learn from their experiences so that they can teach others.
These students meet with representatives from non profit organizations such as Save the Children and with representatives from the World Bank. They also serve locally at Martha's Table in DC. Talk about taking action to the next level !
Teams from the following schools that went to learn and serve in Ethiopia this summer 2006:
Anacostia Senior High School * Maret School
Banneker Senior High School * Seed Public Charter School
Bishop O'Connell School * The Potomac School
Cardozo Senior High School * Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology * Eastern Senior High School * Washington International School
With this foundation, students learn first hand about the challenges Ethiopia faces.
What They Did:
In late June the LSE team traveled to two different rural Ethiopian project sites. Here students tutored, taught, engaged in community service projects, and developed new friendships. During the two week service trip, they visited the capital city, and met with non-profit and government leaders.
Next Steps:
The school teams will report back to their schools and to invest time in curriculum development and explore how their school can make a difference. Thus, the founders of LSE expect the trip will be a beginning not an end to a transforming experience, not only for the trip participants, but also for the school as a whole.
Voice from the field from last 2005 trip. Teacher comments: "I am a changed human being. [...] this trip expands your world view [...] and has given me case studies and specific facts for my teaching." Student comments: "This trip has made an impact on my life. [...] I will be active in fighting for safe water, (ending) hunger and (preventing) the spread of AIDS." See also a journal entry and more quotes on the main LearnServe page.
-Heather Margolis, National Service-Learning Partnership
July 11, 2006
Lend Your Voice Today
On July 12th, service-learning advocates will come together on Capitol Hill to educate Members of Congress, Hill staff, and non-profit organizations about the funding cuts to Learn and Serve America and ask that Congress restore this national program to its traditional funding level of $43 million. We must raise our voice to prevent this possible funding cut, which if enacted, will be the second year that this program has been reduced.
The first cut in FY'06 is already having a tremendous impact. This year, Learn and Serve America received over 500 applications (a record high) for competitive grants requesting more than $162 million in program funding. However, only $19.1 million from the FY'06 record-low appropriation of $37.1 million was available for competitive grants; the remainder, by law, is granted by formula allocation to each state education agency for school-based service-learning.
Many groups and organizations have been affected. I recently spoke with one local group that did not receive a grant and was moved by their passion and disappointment for the young people who are truly the ones that will feel this loss. Unfortunately, there are too many other groups who are in the same position and, with another possible funding cut, there maybe many more.
I urge every one to lend your voice on July 12 to support Learn and Serve America. Contact your Senators and ask them to restore this national program's traditional funding of $43 million. Visit www.servicelearningunited.org to send an email message or to view a telephone script for calls.
Young people will truly be the ones who lose if this funding cut is enacted. Send an email or make a call tomorrow to your Senators! Young people want to make a difference in their communities and we must provide them with those opportunities. Let's not disappoint them.
Seung Yu - SEANet / National Service-Learning Partnership
The first cut in FY'06 is already having a tremendous impact. This year, Learn and Serve America received over 500 applications (a record high) for competitive grants requesting more than $162 million in program funding. However, only $19.1 million from the FY'06 record-low appropriation of $37.1 million was available for competitive grants; the remainder, by law, is granted by formula allocation to each state education agency for school-based service-learning.
Many groups and organizations have been affected. I recently spoke with one local group that did not receive a grant and was moved by their passion and disappointment for the young people who are truly the ones that will feel this loss. Unfortunately, there are too many other groups who are in the same position and, with another possible funding cut, there maybe many more.
I urge every one to lend your voice on July 12 to support Learn and Serve America. Contact your Senators and ask them to restore this national program's traditional funding of $43 million. Visit www.servicelearningunited.org to send an email message or to view a telephone script for calls.
Young people will truly be the ones who lose if this funding cut is enacted. Send an email or make a call tomorrow to your Senators! Young people want to make a difference in their communities and we must provide them with those opportunities. Let's not disappoint them.
Seung Yu - SEANet / National Service-Learning Partnership
July 07, 2006
Intergenerational Service-Learning
Youth Today's article Generation Rap
As youth and elder populations rise, intergenerational programs grow and reap benefits for both.
Once you get past the creepy Harold and Maude reference, you can appreciate the writers effort to share insight and promising practice. Some of my favorite intergenerational projects have focused honoring our World War II Vets. This article goes beyond honoring vets and caprturing oral histories, which I still believe are fantastic, to sharing mutual reciprocal service projects. So thank you Jessica Weiss for helping us all get a few more ideas about how to connect and reap the benefits of these two expanding populations.
http://www.youthtoday.org/youthtoday/June06/sampler.html
-Heather Margolis National Service-Learning Partnership
As youth and elder populations rise, intergenerational programs grow and reap benefits for both.
Once you get past the creepy Harold and Maude reference, you can appreciate the writers effort to share insight and promising practice. Some of my favorite intergenerational projects have focused honoring our World War II Vets. This article goes beyond honoring vets and caprturing oral histories, which I still believe are fantastic, to sharing mutual reciprocal service projects. So thank you Jessica Weiss for helping us all get a few more ideas about how to connect and reap the benefits of these two expanding populations.
http://www.youthtoday.org/youthtoday/June06/sampler.html
-Heather Margolis National Service-Learning Partnership
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