Monday, November 30, 2009

Service-Learning & Environmental Awards, Grants, Contests

Awards, Grants, Contests

1. FY2010 EPA Environmental Education Grant Solicitation

Deadline: Postmark by December 15, 2009
EPA seeks proposals to support environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and responsible students, teachers, and citizens. EPA issues EE grants from Headquarters as well as its Regional offices. The same educational priorities are used for both -- the EPA funding amount requested determines whether the grant is awarded from a Region or from Headquarters. Regional offices fund projects from $5,000 to $50,000. EPA Headquarters funds projects from $50,001 to $200,000. Following instructions is an important part of the application process. Read the entire notice but pay particular attention to Section 2. Complete the Application and Budget Form.

http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html

 

2. 2010 Spirit of Innovation Awards

Deadline: December 15, 2009
This Conrad Foundation awards program is an annual competition that challenges teams of high school students to create innovative products for use in one of four categories: aerospace exploration, space nutrition, renewable energy, and green schools. Teams and their coaches will compete for more than $100,000 in cash prizes; be designated as Pete Conrad Scholars; have the opportunity to commercialize their products for general market use; and receive annual memberships to the Conrad Foundation, Sigma Xi, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the National Science Teachers Association—the Foundation’s official education advisor.

http://www.conradawards.com

 

3. Sea World & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund

Deadline: December 1, 2009
Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to US and international nonprofits, government agencies, zoos, aquariums, and higher education institutions working to conserve, protect, or rehabilitate wildlife.

http://www.swbg-conservationfund.org/

 

4. Young Travel Writers and Artists Contest

Deadline: November 30, 2009
This Young Travel Writers and Artists Contest from Rand McNally, "I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest!" is for students up to 5th grade to submit original stories and artwork. Complete information on prizes and contest rules are listed on the Web site:

http://smartpoodlepublishing.com/contest.html

 

Service-Learning news from YSA

Webinar: Semester of Service, A Semester of Learning
Thursday, December 10 - - - 3pm ET
Presenter: Susan Abravanel, Vice President of Education, Youth Service America
 
Semester of Service links prominent national service events - such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and Global Youth Service Day - through an extended service-learning framework of at least 70 hours. Young people ages 5-25, spend the "semester" addressing a meaningful community need connected to intentional learning goals and/or academic standards. Semester of Service emphasizes "Duration and Intensity", enriching the experience by providing participants with enough time to incorporate the five stages of service-learning: Investigation, Preparation & Planning, Action, Reflection, and Demonstration/Celebration.
 
This webinar will provide an introduction to Semester of Service, the IPARDC process, and YSA's tools and resources - including the new Semester of Service Strategy Guide and the GoToServiceLearning lesson plan database.
 
Sign up for this webinar at:
http://tinyurl.com/ysa2010webinar1
 

 

Webinar: Connecting Your Service-Learning Projects to National Days of Service
Thursday, December 17 - - - 3pm ET
Presenter: Karen Daniel, Vice President of Engagement, Youth Service America
 
The time period of Semester of Service and the National Learn and Serve Challenge includes several national days of service, including as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Cesar Chavez Day, Earth Day, and Global Youth Service Day. This webinar will provide an introduction to key days of service, how to leverage these days to bring added publicity and resources for your program, and how to utilize these days as key points in the IPARDC process - for example, investigative activities on MLK Day activities and demonstration & celebration activities on Global Youth Service Day.
 
Sign up for this webinar at: http://tinyurl.com/ysa2010webinar2



Global Youth Service Day & Semester of Service Posters
2010 Global Youth Service Day posters (left) and Semester of Service poster-calendars (right) are now available. The front side of the Semester of Service poster is a November - June planning calendar with major days of service. The back side of the poster is a Semester of Service planning outline, with suggested activities for each step in the IPARDC (Investigation, Preparation & Planning, Action, Reflection, Demonstration, Celebration) service-learning framework. Request printed copies to be shipped to you (free) at: http://tinyurl.com/ysa2010posters



DoSomething.org and the Cast of "Secret Life" Team up to Fight Hunger
DoSomething.org is teaming up with the cast of the hit ABC Family channel show The Secret Life of the American Teenager to battle against hunger. 'Feed The Need' is an annual food drive to help combat hunger during the roughest winter months ahead. Join Shailene Woodley, India Eisley, Ken Baumann, Francia Raisa, Megan Park and Greg Finley to stock local food pantries.
 
Last Fall you and DoSomething.org collected 1 Million Pounds of Food. This November, let's do even more to Feed The Need. Starting November 1st, middle and high schools, sports teams, Do Something Clubs, church groups and teens nationwide will lead food drives to help fight hunger and bring hope to communities in need.

Organize a food drive in your community! Submit your drive by December 15 to help us reach our goal of 1 Million lbs of food collected by teens. You could win a pizza party sponsored by DoSomething.org and a $1000 donation to your local food bank! http://www.dosomething.org/feedtheneed

 

Service-Learning: A Dropout Prevention Strategy

The National Service-Learning Partnership presents

The Innovation Spotlight Series: Solutions to the Dropout Crisis

Thursday, December 3, 2009, 3:30- 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

 

Service-Learning: A Dropout Prevention Strategy and MORE!

presented by Cathryn Berger Kaye

 

http://cufan.clemson.edu/psaradio/NDPC091203Promo.asx

 

How does service-learning bring together best teaching strategies to create authentic education, provide meaning and purpose, and motivate youth to be involved? And why do these elements keep our youth in school and move them from surviving to thriving?

 

Generate success and build transferable skills that lead to inner confidence all youth need to succeed and to thrive! Keep in mind that service-learning is academic, rigorous, and filled with genuine opportunities for students to apply their ideas, interests, skills, and talents toward the common good a win-win for all involved. Join this webcast for good stories, practical ideas, and resources you can use!

 

Supplementary materials and all necessary information about participating fully in this professional development opportunity are found on our Web site at www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact the National Dropout Prevention Center at ndpc@clemson.edu or 864-656-2580.

 

Participation in this radio webcast is free and no registration is required. The program will be archived in its entirety on the Web site. On the day of the webcast, sign on early to ensure your connection. Link to the broadcast at www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast. If technical support is needed, you may call 864-656-4550 for assistance at that time.

 

This Webcast is produced with support from Penn Foster and co-sponsored by the National Service-Learning Partnership.

 

Christina Kwon

Director of Member Engagement

National Service-Learning Partnership

Academy for Educational Development

1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20009

202.884.8982 (phone)

202.884.8422 (fax)

ckwon@aed.org

 

 

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Story Corps Service-Learning Opportunity

Dear Friends:

 The Corporation for National and Community Service is teaming up with StoryCorps on its 2nd Annual National Day of Listening, November 27 to highlight the value of service during this holiday season.

 We are inviting the public to interview everyday service heroes who help to shape the future of communities across the country—from volunteer firefighters to youth mentors to veterans returning from active dutyas part of the National Day of Listening. Woven together, these stories will help illustrate how volunteering can answer national challenges and trumpet the extraordinary acts of service that make a difference in the lives of so many Americans.

 We need your help to make this project a success! Join us on Friday, November 20 for a conference call with Katie McGowan of StoryCorps to discuss how your organization can participate in the National Day of Listening. Below is the call-in information.

When:             Friday, November 20 @ 1 PM EST
Dial In:            888-566-6585    
Passcode:        58071

StoryCorps has provided Do-It-Yourself interview instructions to help your organization’s principals and volunteers record and upload an interview, and a tool kit with sample media material. These documents and other aspects of the project will be discussed on the conference call.

Looking forward to working with you on this exciting project. Please feel free to contact Ashley Etienne, the Corporation’s Press Secretary at 202.606.6944 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Office of Public Affairs
Corporation for National and Community Service

 

Monday, November 16, 2009

Service-Learning For Leaders Course Registration Now Available

The Alameda County Office of Education has partnered with Cal State East Bay to offer Service-Learning for Leaders during the winter academic quarter each year. Designed as an elective in the administrative credential program, this course focuses on integrating service-learning with school site leadership and campus wide reform initiatives. The course is also open to service-learning practitioners in leadership positions and hosts a number of aspiring service-learning coordinators, professional developers and non-profit staff each year.

The course is highly interactive and teaches the principles of high-quality service-learning. Highlights from 2009 included a panel of high school students engaged in service-learning, a session at the Alameda County Community Food Bank highlighting service-learning opportunities from a panel of social service agencies, a presentation of recent civic engagement research by Joe Kahne, and a session with Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Program Director for the Chavez Foundation.

This year’s class will meet six Wednesdays January-March (1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/24, 3/3) from 4:30-7:30 PM at the Alameda County Office of Education.

Visit CalState East Bay to enroll.


Comments from past participants:

"Extremely meaningful content."
"Inspirational, motivational, and teacher-friendly!"
"Outstanding class - a must for all new/old educators"
"Excellent class! Inspiring, uplifting, deep, meaningful and relevant to the promotion of social justice through education. Thank you."
"This is a great course to supplement this Master's program. The guests were fantastic"
"The instructors were very knowledgeable and humorous. They were organized and efficient. I wish they taught this class more than once a year."
"I would recommend this course."
"What a way to get students involved in learning!"

 

 

*************************************************************

Nate Ivy

 

Service-Learning Lead CalServe Region 4 | http://calservenetwork.org

Service-Learning Waste Reduction Project | http://recycle.stopwaste.org/slwrp

 

Alameda County Office of Education

313 W. Winton Ave., Room 220

Hayward, CA 94544-1198

Ph: 510.670.4283

Fax: 510.670.4578

nivy@acoe.org

 

Friday, November 13, 2009

Register Now for the 2010 NSLC Preconference Sessions

Be sure to join more than 2,500 of your peers at Inspire. Imagine. Innovate! the 21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference. NYLC staff and dozens of volunteers have planned four powerful general sessions, 200 featured and topical sessions, school visits, service-learning projects, and an exhibit hall featuring more than 100 booths, on-site projects and a service-learning showcase. Please join us in San Jose, Calif. for four days of best practices, research, and professional learning.

Meet Sir Ken Robinson

Come hear Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human resources who works with governments in Europe, Asia, and the U.S., as well as with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on creativity, education, and the economy for the U.K. He was the central figure in developing a strategy for creative and economic development as part of the peace process in Northern Ireland and one of four international advisors to the Singapore government for its strategy to become the creative hub of South East Asia.

Register for a Preconference Session

  • Service-Learning REMIX
    Presented by Julia Sewell, former NYLC Youth Advisory Council and State Farm Youth Advisory Board member, current member of America’s Promise Alliance’s Youth Partnership Team and Youth Noise’s Youth Council, and student at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minn.
  • Inspiring Innovative Service-Learning Trainers
    Presented by Youth Action Council Members, Richland School District 2, Columbia S.C.
    Beverly Hiott, Lead Teacher for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, RSD2
    Joan Liptrot, Institute for Global Education and Service-Learning, Levittown, Pa.
  • Advancing Service-Learning – A Three-Part Event
    Presented by Cathy Berger Kaye, CBK Associates, International Consultant and author, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • The Spirituality of Service-Learning: Engaging Students in their Path to Peace
    Presented by Kent Koth, Seattle University, Director, Center for Service and Community Engagement
    Marshall Welch, St. Mary's College of California, Director, Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action
  • All-Day Off-Site Service-Learning Project

Be a Conference Exhibitor

The Exhibit Hall is the epicenter of educational innovations and activities and provides an interactive center for resources and materials. Conference participants are interested in the latest education, communications, and consulting tools and techniques to enhance educational programming. The application deadline is December 4, 2009.

Highlight Your Service-Learning Project

On Thursday, March 25, the Conference will feature a Service-Learning Showcase. Please consider participating!

The Service-Learning Showcase will feature high-quality service-learning projects from across the country and around the world. Showcase participants will talk with conference attendees about service-learning project implementation, connection to curriculum goals, and impact. Youth participation is strongly encouraged in this exciting event! The application deadline is 4:00 p.m. CST, November 23, 2009.

Please visit the conference website at www.nylc.org/conference for more details about all of the items above and for all other conference information. 

We look forward to seeing you in San Jose!

Questions? Reach us by replying to this email or calling (800) 366-6952.

Sincerely,

Amy Meuers
Conference and Events Director

Enter the 2010 Multi-Media Service-Learning Showcase

We Are A Solution: Youth Changing the World through Service-Learning Multimedia Showcase

Submission Deadline: January 22, 2010

We live in a world faced with several critical challenges that deserve our collective attention. Everyday in schools and communities across the country—and in fact, the world—young people are daring to make a difference by tackling the challenge to create solutions to these important community problems.

Youth engaged in service-learning do not consider themselves to be “the leaders of tomorrow” because so many are stepping forward as leaders today. Through service-learning, young people are taking what they learn in the classroom and translating it into powerful ideas and action to create change in their own communities.

Celebrating Youth Who Dare To Change the World through Service-Learning

With support from the State Farm Insurance Companies Foundation, the National Service-Learning Partnership (NSLP) at the Academy for Educational Development is helping us shine a bold spotlight on the many ways in which we as young people are changing the world.

It is a national service-learning recognition program for youth, by youth. Through the We Are a Solution: Youth Changing the World through Service-Learning Multimedia Showcase, young people can express how they are transforming their communities, their schools, and even their own lives through service-learning. Through this showcase, youth will:

- Tell the world how education becomes more meaningful and school becomes more exciting when they are given the chance to put the skills and information learned in the classroom into action in the world around us.
- Spotlight the many ways in which youth are creating solutions to important community problems.
- Inspire others to bring learning to life by creating more opportunities for young people to learn and take action through service-learning.

 

To learn more click here

 

 

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Second Session of the Gear Up for Service-Learning Success is this Thursday!

Please see below for more information.  The second session in this series is this Thursday at 12 PM EST.  Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity!

 

National Service-Learning Partnership and the National Youth Leadership Council 

present

Gear Up for Service-Learning Success: The National Learn & Serve Challenge


The National Service-Learning Partnership and National Youth Leadership Council invite you to participate in a series of webinars;

1) An Introduction to Service-Learning: The National Standards for High Quality Service-Learning (happened 10/28 and will be archived at www.learnandservechallenge.org)  

2)  Understanding the Service-Learning Cycle

3)  The Value of Self- Assessment for Quality and Sustainable Service-Learning

 

This series is intended to provide an in depth look at how organizations might begin or possibly improve upon existing service-learning programming.  Throughout all three of these webinars we will explore how a new and exciting online professional development network known as the Generator School Network (GSN)  a for educators working in service-learning can help educators on their journey to improve the quality of their learning practices.  While each webinar is intended to build upon the previous, feel free to join any one or all sessions.


1)  To join these webinars visit www.readytalk.com  on the following dates and times:

 

(Oct. 28th at 11:00 am CST                 Intro to Service-Learning)

 

Nov. 12th at 11:00 am CST                  The Service-Learning Cycle

 

Dec. 3rd at 11:00 am CST                    Self-Assessment and the GSN Resources

 

Join us by logging onto www.readytalk.com and typing89912⿝ as the access code underJoin a Meeting  You will be asked to provide your name and e-mail address to register.  The audio portion is done through a conference call line; join the audio by dialing 866-740-1260 and using the same participant passcode: 8991249.

 

For any questions or concerns, contact Michael VanKeulen, Director at the National Youth Leadership Council at mvankeulen@nylc.org  or 651-999-7378.

 

Hope you will be able to join us!

 

Christina Kwon
Director of Member Engagement

National Service-Learning Partnership

Academy for Educational Development
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
202.884.8982 (phone)
202.884.8422 (fax)
ckwon@aed.org

 

Friday, November 6, 2009

“In 2009, Will Steger Foundation created a new curriculum for high school students that focuses on global climate solutions, called Citizen Climate. This curriculum emphasizes civic engagement and helps teachers and students understand the critical and complex climate solutions being discussed on the national and international stage. It also allows students to formulate statements about what they would like to see happen in climate policy and how these policies and actions can be replicated in their states and local communities. These lesson plans build on the Will Steger Foundation’s original six lesson plans on the basics of global warming. The new lessons cover the carbon cycle, target levels for atmospheric levels of greenhouse gasses, cap and trade, carbon tax, new technologies, concerns of developed and developing countries, and how to formulate position statements.”

 

http://willstegerfoundation.org/index.php/programs/k-12-education-program/citizen-climate-curriculum

Project Bud Burst- Environmental Service-Learning

Project BudBurst

Fall has arrived - celebrate the change of seasons with Project BudBurst! Get outside with your students and have them make observations of seeds ripening, leaf color change, leaf drop, and other interesting changes. It's easy to participate and provides a great learning opportunity at any time of the year. The Project BudBurst team has a goal of reaching 5,000 phenophase observations this Fall and needs your help!

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst  

 

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Planning Memo

It's getting to be that time of the year again!

We are 75 days away from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service 2010. Have you begun planning your projects? Do you know what community issues you would like to address? Now is the time to dream BIG and to plan so that the dream can become a reality!

Are you looking for great project ideas with lasting impact, best practices for building partnerships, advice on getting started, or someone to help troubleshoot some tough planning issues? Below you will find information on where to get answers to these and other questions.

First things first, where to get resources!

At www.MLKDay.gov, you can connect with all of the resources available for MLK Day 2010. Learn how to write a press release, organize events, coordinate volunteers, and much more. At www.MLKDay.gov you can link to a brand new MLK Day Tool Kit for planning small or large scale community projects and the Self Mobilizing Toolkit for planning individual, family or neighborhood projects.

Do you have the tools, but need still some practical advice, help, and ideas from your peers?

Join the MLK Day Service Connection, an online social networking site, where you can connect with others working on similar projects and with potential partners in your city or state. Post your questions, and let your peers and experts answer them for you.

Stay connected; join the MLK Day Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/MLKDay. Share your success stories, and inspire others. Tell us why MLK Day is important to you; why Dr. King’s teachings are still relevant today; or why the social justice movement that he championed should continue. Post pictures of service on www.flickr.com/photos/MLKDay and tweet your goals, inspiration, ideas, and more at www,twitter.com/MLKDay.

There are many ways to stay connected with those who share your goals for MLK Day and for service as a strategy to address community needs. Join them all, and influence your networks to do the same. As networks link together, we can create a nation-wide change movement!

Webshops! Webshops! Webshops!

This year, we will again be offering interactive web-based workshops that will help you organize, plan, and create great MLK Day projects.

Below you will find the schedule of MLK Day Planning Webshops.

Date

Topic

Mon, 11/02/09

Orientation to MLK Day Tools and Resources

Mon, 11/16/09

Best Practices for Planning/Implementing MLK Day

Mon, 12/07/09

Raising Resources for King Day Events/Projects

Wed, 01/06/09

Getting Media for Your MLK Day Event

Click on the webshops of your interest to register.

 

 

Mayor to Offer Proclamation Supporting Community Book Read

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7 PM, at the Fremont City Council Chambers, Mayor Wasserman will issue a Proclamation to the City of Fremont announcing the adoption of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle as a city-wide read.

 

Fremont Unified School District has produced a website of suggestions for connecting service-learning opportunities to the reading of this book: http://calservenetwork.org/aauw2009.html

 

To learn more about the community wide book read program visit the American Association of University Women’s website: http://aauwfremontbranch.org/onebook.html

 

 

Participate in an upcoming book discussion group:

 

Thu.      Nov. 12             7-8 p.m.            Barnes & Noble, 3900 Mowry, Fremont

Thu.      Nov. 19             10-11 a.m.         Paddy’s Coffee House, 3900 Smith St.,Union City
Fri        Nov. 20             7-8 p.m.            Borders, 39210 Fremont Hub,  Fremont

Tue.      Nov. 24             10-11 a.m.         Niles Library, 150 I St.,  Fremont

Wed.    Dec. 9               7-8 p.m.            Half Price Books, 43473 Boscel Rd., Fremont

Mon.     Dec. 14             7-8 p.m.            Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont

Wed.    Dec. 22             2-3 p.m.            Kaiser Library, 39400 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont

Mon.     Jan. 4               7-8 p.m             Fremont  Main Library  2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont

Sat.      Jan. 16              2-3p.m              Bay St. Coffee. 4000 Bay Street, Fremont

Tues.    Jan. 19              10-11 a.m.         Covent Garden Cafe, 1596 Washington Blvd. , Fremont

Mon.     Feb. 1               7-8                    Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd  Fremont

 

 

 

 

 

 

K-12 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest presented by California Coastal Commission

The California Coastal Commission invites California students in kindergarten through 12th grade to submit artwork or poetry with a California coastal or marine theme to the annual Coastal Art & Poetry Contest.  Up to eight winners will be selected to win $100 gift certificates to an art supply or book store and each winner's sponsoring teacher will receive a $40 gift certificate for educational supplies.  All winners and honorable mentions will receive tickets for their families to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific, courtesy of the Aquarium.  Students may have their work featured on Commission web pages and materials and winning entries will be exhibited throughout the state.

Entries must be postmarked by January 30, 2010 to be eligible for the upcoming contest.  For rules and entry form (and helpful links for teachers and students) visit www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/poster/poster.html.

For more information contact:  Email coast4u@coastal.ca.gov | phone (800) Coast-4U

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Wells Fargo Grants for Teachers

In support of education efforts, a limited amount of funds are available through the Wells Fargo Educator Fund. Classroom educators in Alameda County are encouraged to apply for funds for the purpose of covering the costs associated with:

 

(1) academic programs

(2) faculty development or curriculum-related preparation

(3) academic after-school extra-curricular school-sponsored programs and clubs

(4) programs that encourage school partnerships with the community.

 

Funds cannot be used to cover labor costs, fundraising activities, field trips or overnight hotel stays.


Applications are due Monday November 16, 2009 and awards will be distributed in January 2010. 

 

 

 

WHALE TAIL(r) Grants Program due Nov 16th: $10-$50K ea

 The WHALE TAIL®   Grants Program distributes funds from sales of the WHALE TAIL®   License Plate. The grants support programs that teach California's children and the general public to value and take action to improve the health of the state's marine and coastal resources. Adopt-A-Beach programs, as well as other beach maintenance and coastal habitat restoration projects that have an educational component, are also eligible for these grants. This grants program focuses on reaching communities that are currently poorly served in terms of marine and coastal education.

Available Funding: A total of $352,000 will be distributed. Applicants may request any amount up to $50,000, and 25-50% of the funding will be allocated in small grants under $10,000.

Categories of Grants: The WHALE TAIL®   Grants Program funds projects that fall into any one of the following three categories: 1) Adopt-A-Beach programs; 2) Youth programs; 3) Programs for the general public.

Eligibility: Applicants must be either a non-profit organization or a governmental entity. For beach operation and maintenance projects, the applicant must be a non-profit organization or local governmental agency. For proposals in the Adopt-A-Beach category, both current and new Adopt-A-Beach managers are eligible to apply.

Background: The program distributes funds from sales of the California Coastal Commission's WHALE TAIL®   Coastal Protection License Plate. The WHALE TAIL®   License Plate is an official "specialty" license plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles for cars registered in California. Proceeds from the sales of the plates benefit the California Coastal Commission's Adopt-A-Beach Program, California Coastal Cleanup Day and a wide variety of coastal and marine education projects throughout the state.

Deadline: November 16, 2009

Go to:

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/plate/plgrant.html


 


 

Monday, November 2, 2009

New Study Examines Teen Voice

The Best Buy Children’s Foundation has commissioned Teen Voice 2009, a national study of teen voice conducted by the Search Institute.

 

The report examines teens’ “sparks”- their talents, interests and strengths that make them happy.  It also describes a “Teen Voice Index” and “Relationships and Opportunities Index” that helps to understand how and why some students stay engaged and others check out.  The report ends with 15 suggestions to support teens’ interests and voice development.

 

An excerpt:

 

If you believe the headlines, most teenagers are failing school, having sex, drinking alcohol, and committing violence. They’re zoned out on computers, iPods, and cell phones, and they won’t have anything to do with adults—particularly their parents.

It’s true that some teens do face these challenges and make poor choices. But there’s a different story, just as true, that doesn’t often get attention: Most of today’s teens are actually savvy, active, engaged, and interested in making a positive difference in their world. But too often, they are, as this report shows, an under-tapped and under-recognized source of creativity and energy for our communities, nation, and world.

 

Read the report here:
http://www.search-institute.org/system/files/TeenVoiceReport_FINAL.pdf

 

 

Global Glimpse~ International Service-Learning for Bay Area High School Students

 “Now I feel that getting an excellent education is not just a privilege it is my responsibility” --Cherrie Young GG Alumni ‘09

 

Would you like to be a part of a global learning experience your students will never forget?  Would you like to give your students phenomenal access into the inner workings of a developing nation?  Would you be willing to travel with the purpose of service and global education rather than just tourism (for free!)?  Then please join the Global Glimpse program!

 

Imagine starting each new day with a new theme and a new opportunity to work with community members, NGOs, and even the U.S. Embassy, to broaden students’ perspectives.  Global Glimpse believes that the success of the next generation will require more than solid academic preparation.  The next generation needs a clear understanding of US interactions with developing nations. Students on this trip will not only learn how personal and foreign policy decisions reverberate globally, they will have the opportunity to volunteer to become part of a solution of their choice. 

 

Global Glimpse is an after-school and summer global education program for Bay Area high school juniors. Global Glimpse is a non-profit organization that offers a 3 week summer program designed to bring life changing, first hand experiences to students by traveling to and volunteering side by side global community members in a developing nation.  The preparation for this program starts during the school year with after-school workshops. Currently we are working in Nicaragua, Central America.  Nicaragua is a country rich with history, natural wonders, and global issues for our students to grapple with, such as poverty, micro finance, children’s literacy, and international aid.  Our unique program ties in subject area curriculum while empowering youth to think beyond themselves as responsible global citizens.

 

Join 25 Bay Area High Schools in our adventure this school year and summer (educators travel free). See pictures and read student stories at http://community.globalglimpse.org  & visit us at www.globalglimpse.org  

If you feel inspired to prepare youth to be successful in this globalized world; there is a new chaperone workshop on November 8th or please feel free to contact msteward@fremont.k12.ca.us .

Thank You For Your Interest!

Maia Steward

Irvington High School

msteward@fremont.k12.ca.us

(510) 687-6405

 

“Now that I have seen how people struggle, I really don’t want to take my life for granted” 

--Kristi Guan GG Alumni ‘09

 

 

 

About Me

The CalServe Network posts news and updates of interest to the service-learning field in California. News and updates are drawn from the CalServe List Serve and the National K-12 Service-Learning List Serve and various other sources.