House Leaders Begin Conversations about National Service and Service-Learning

On February 25, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine the importance of national and community service in meeting critical economic needs across the country. The hearing will examine the importance of national and community service in meeting critical economic needs across the country. The witness lists includes recording artist Usher Raymond IV, TIME Magazine managing editor Richard Stengel, former Senator and Corporation CEO Harris Wofford, Echoing Green President Cheryl L. Dorsey, and others. You may access the hearing live starting at 10:00 am on the Committee’s website at http://edlabor.house.gov/ by clicking the “Live Webcast” button.

The National Service-Learning Partnership joins other national service and service-learning advocates in applauding Chairman Miller and Ranking Member McKeon for spotlighting these issues during the first full committee education hearing to be held in the 111th Congress.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates, insights and commentary from the hearing.

National Service on NPR Radio

On February 19, starting at 1:06 EST, the Kojo Nnamdi Show will spend an hour speaking with guests about national service. The AnnMaura Connolly will be representing ServiceNation.

Tune in on a radio, or listen live at http://wamu.org/listen

Show details: National Service and Volunteerism

It's been more than four decades since John F. Kennedy urged Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." President Obama and a bipartisan team of U.S. senators are now working to revive that spirit of volunteerism. We explore the promise and limits of national service programs, and examine proposals designed to make "giving back" a rite of passage.

Guests:

• AnnMaura Connolly, Senior Vice President, City Year, Inc.; Lead Organizer with Service Nation Coalition
• William Hauser, Colonel, U.S. Army (ret.); Co-author of the article, "Bring Back the Draft" in Foreign Policy Magazine
• Jerome Slater, University Research Scholar, State University of New York at Buffalo; Co-author of the article, "Bring Back the Draft" in Foreign Policy Magazine
• Michael Lind, Whitehead Senior Fellow, New America Foundation

The Kojo Nnamdi show takes calls and e-mails from listeners. This could be our opportunity to put service-learning on the airwaves!

To join the show: call 1-800-433-8850 or e-mail kojo@wamu.org

Vote on the Multimedia Showcase Finalists!

The National Service-Learning Partnership is proud to announce the FINALISTS for this year's We Are a Solution: Youth Changing the World Through Service-Learning Multimedia Showcase! Now, you have a chance to vote for the winners at http://slsolutionshowcase.blogspot.com. Limit ONE vote per person per category.

FINALISTS
Elementary School Division
A.D. Henderson University School, 3rd grade (Boca Raton, FL)
A.D. Henderson University School, 4th and 5th grades (Boca Raton, FL)
Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force (Erie, PA)
The School at Columbia University (New York, NY)

Middle School Division
AE Wright Middle School (Calabasas, CA)
Nellie Stone Johnson Community School (Minneapolis, MN)
Saddle Brook Middle School (Saddle Brook, NJ)
Tchefuncte Middle School (Mandeville, LA)

High School Division
Central Catholic High School (Portland, OR)
Rock Hill Youth Council (Rock Hill, SC)
Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, Journalism (Whitman, MA)
Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, WH Cares (Whitman, MA)

The winner in each division will receive $500 for their school, group, or program!