Watershed Service-Learning in the News

Students from Kennedy High School in Fremont, CA were featured in a recent CBS 5 news report for their participation in a shoreline service-learning restoration project with Save the Bay.  Kennedy has established a Green Tech Career Pathway and the project represented an opportunity for students to gain hands on experience working environmental restoration.  Kennedy also included a class of English Learners in the service-learning project to provide a contextualized opportunity for students to learn and practice language skills.

 

Save the Bay hosted the service-learning project at Eden Landing in Hayward California as part of their initiative to reclaim and restore former salt ponds back to productive wetland habitats.  (More about Save the Bay’s Restoration opportunities here: http://www.savesfbay.org/site/pp.asp?c=dgKLLSOwEnH&b=490233)

 

 

Change the Game with the Souper Bowl of Caring! (January 17-Feb 7, 2010)

The Souper Bowl of Caring is a national movement started by one youth
group responding to a call to make a difference! They believed they
could use the energy around our nation's biggest sporting event to
inspire Americans to give and serve, while remembering our neighbors in
need. After 20 years, the movement has grown to include over 13,500
groups and has raised over $60 million to help fight hunger and poverty
in local communities. You can be a part of it!

REGISTER your school online to receive your free Starter Kit.
LEARN about hunger and homelessness in your local community and our
country. Find out what organizations in your area are working to help
provide services to those in need and choose one to donate to.
COLLECT money and/or canned goods anytime January 17 - February 7, 2010.
REPORT the amount of your collection to the Souper Bowl of Caring.
DONATE 100% of your collection to the charity of your choice.

It's that easy!

Sign up today at www.souperbowl.org and make a difference!

For more information contact:
Sheree Muse
Director of School Relations
Souper Bowl of Caring
1-800-358-7687
sheree@souperbowl.org

Report highlights critical youth civic engagement gap

An October 2009 report from PACE (Philanthropy for Civic Engagement) entitled An Inequitable Invitation to Citizenship: Non-College-Bound Youth and Civic Engagement shows that "Increases in voting, volunteering, and other forms of civic engagement are driven disproportionately by young people from higher-income families and communities, as well as youth who are college bound or already enrolled in secondary institutions. In contrast, low-income and non-college-bound youth are lagging far behind in their levels of civic participation—a gap that threatens the health of a democracy that depends on the full participation of

everyone, not just some." The report examines factors that influence civic participation among non-college bound youth and highlights strategies to expand civic participation for all.

 

Schools are encouraged to, “Form stronger connections with service-providing community organizations, especially in neighborhoods with more NCBY (non-college bound youth), to create more diverse and enriching ‘real world’ experiences through which NCBY can practice civic skills that address issues affecting their lives. These connections to civic organizations could also serve as important resources for NCBY— including information, jobs, contacts, networks—as they transition from students to adults who may then be more inclined to participate in these kinds of community institutions later in life.”

 

Read the full report here: http://www.pacefunders.org/publications/NCBY.pdf

Lexus Eco Challenge

http://www.scholastic.com/lexus/

 

Deadline: January 19, 2010 - Scholastic.com

 

Scholastic.com is offering up to $30,000 to winning middle and high

school students participating in an environmental contest.

 

The Lexus Eco Challenge is a nationwide environmental education program

and contest that empowers teens to create a better world. Through the

program, middle and high school students can participate in two initial

environmental challenges: land & water and air & climate. The challenges

call for teams of 5-10 students and one teacher-advisor to define an

issue, make a plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report

the results online. Finalists from these challenges will receive $10,000

and be eligible to participate in the final challenge, in which they can

receive up to $30,000. Each challenge has a separate entry deadline:

November 6, 2009 (land and water), January 19, 2010 (air and climate),

and March 12, 2010 (final).

 

 

Momentum is Building for the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

Dear Colleagues:

 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Life's most urgent and persistent question is: What are you doing for others?"  He devoted his life to advancing equality, social justice, and opportunity for all and taught us that everyone has a role to play in making America what it ought to be. 

 

The upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, taking place on January 18, 2010, provides an ideal opportunity to answer Dr. King's challenge.  By making King Day "a day on, not a day off," and using the holiday as a springboard for service throughout the year, we can help realize Dr. King's dream and renew our communities and country. 

 

As leaders in the service and volunteering field, I hope that you are planning to participate, either by organizing your own project or joining with an existing effort.   Service on the King Holiday is not just an appropriate way to honor Dr. King, it is an important opportunity to bring in new volunteers, partners, and funders that can provide resources to support your organization's work throughout the year. 

 

The 15-year effort to transform the King Holiday into a national day of service took an exponential leap forward last year, when then President-elect Obama asked Americans to serve and made the King Day of Service a centerpiece of his Inauguration.  This year's King Day of Service, part of the United We Serve initiative, is a key opportunity to build on last year's success and encourage compassion and generosity at a time of continuing economic and social need.

 

Planning for the 2010 King Day of Service began last summer and the momentum is building.  With the support of our lead partner the King Center, the leadership of our national King Day of Service grantees, and the organizing efforts of nonprofit, national service, corporate, education, faith-based, and community groups across the country, the 2010 King Day is shaping up to be the strongest ever.  To maximize participation, we want to engage the entire national service network, and encourage organizations new to King Day to get involved.

 

To help you, we have assembled a comprehensive set of resources at MLKDay.gov. This site has everything you need to plan a King Day project - including tips on getting started, building partnerships, organizing the day, fundraising, and MLK Day mobilization resources. You'll also find a service-learning guide for schools and organizations, project examples, and marketing tools to help promote your project.

 

To make it easy to register or find a King Day project, we are using the All for Good volunteer search tool that is on SERVE.gov.  This tool collects and displays volunteer opportunities submitted by other volunteer search engines and other organizations, and we have launched a specific King Day search tool at SERVE.gov/MLKDay.  When posting your MLK Day volunteer opportunity with one of the partner web sites that feed All for Good, please make sure to tag your opportunity with one of the following keywords: MLK, MLK Day of Service, MLK Day 2010, or Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.  Click here for more details.

 

In short, we hope you will take three steps:

 

1.       Plan or connect with a King Day of Service project in your community

2.       Register your project on the www.SERVE.gov/MLKDay website; and

3.       Encourage your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to join your project or get involved.

 

As the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service, the King Day of Service has enormous potential to grow.  It is a reminder that America is made stronger when citizens come together and that service is integral to meeting national challenges.  With your help, we can mobilize more Americans to serve their communities and move us closer to Dr. King's dream.

 

If you have questions or need help, please e-mail mlkday@cns.gov or call Rhonda Taylor at 202-606-6721. I look forward to hearing of your accomplishments on King Day and beyond.

 

 

Nicola Goren

Acting Chief Executive Officer

Corporation for National and Community Service

Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.

Friends of Points of Light and HandsOn Network,
 
We've had a landmark year with the passage of the Serve America Act and the Presidential launch of United We Serve to inspire Americans to create change in our local communities. And in the spirit of inspiring service, HandsOn Network is partnering with Disney Parks to celebrate volunteerism like never before.
 
We want to share with you this tremendous opportunity to celebrate the good things people do in their communities. In 2010, we want to inspire one million more people to volunteer a day of service through the Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program, where volunteers will receive one-day admission to a Disney park for free.
 
Through the program, you'll recognize your existing volunteers, inspire new volunteers to serve and celebrate that service in a big way. Here's how you can get involved:

• Organize - To make your volunteer events part of Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. sign up today with HandsOn Network at http://VOP.HandsOnNetwork.org. For frequently asked questions, go to www.HandsOnNetwork.org/Disney/FAQ. If you still have questions, submit a request to the customer support team at http://www.handsonnetwork.org/disney/cpsupport and we will contact you.
• Celebrate - Tell your friends, family and service network about this unique opportunity. Go to www.HandsOnNetwork.org/Disney for more information.

There's never been a better time than now to celebrate the spirit and power of volunteerism. We look forward to celebrating with you through Give A Day. Get A Disney Day.
 
Thank You!

 

 

 

Service-Learning opportunities through Federal Agencies

Here is a sampling of some federal initiatives that have service-learning elements or are well-developed service-learning projects.  Links to the agency are included to help interested folks make contacts at both the federal and local levels.  Project people at local units of these agencies would be glad to hear from anyone in a school setting who would like explore partnership ideas.

 

Department of Agriculture

US Forest Service (USFS)

Here’s an example of a USDA Forest Service “More Kids in the Woods” project:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ssrs/story?id=4580

 

The USFS also has a program called “Passport in Time,” a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program.  Here is the link:

http://www.passportintime.com/

 

Interior Department

The Interior Department houses the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Trail System (among other bureaus). 

The National Park Service’s “Teaching with Historic Places” program provides a service-learning resource on its website.  Sites range from Andersonville and Bryce Canyon to Monmouth Cave and President Taft’s boyhood home.

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/servicelearn.htm

 

In the spring semester of 2009, Harpers Ferry National Military Park partnered with Harpers Ferry Middle School, the Journey through Hallowed Ground Partnership, and the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in a service-learning project that invited students to create “vodcasts” about John Brown’s raid.  The Park now includes the student-created materials in its interpretation of the events of October 1859.

http://www.nps.gov/hafe/photosmultimedia/ofbyforthestudent.htm

 

The Park Service works to protect public lands through a teacher professional development program called “A Forest for Every Classroom.”  Find out more about the partners they work with and the content of the training at:

http://www.nps.gov/mabi/forteachers/forest-for-every-classroom.htm

 

A replicable service-learning project that originated with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is “A Trail to Every Classroom,” which is described here:

http://www.nps.gov/appa/forteachers/index.htm

 

The National Trails System lists local contacts for every scenic and historic trail in the network:

http://www.nps.gov/nts/nts_contact.html

 

In the summer of 2009 the Bureau of Land Management helped organize a Preserve America Youth Summit in Colorado, which engaged students in activities such as raising awareness of Colorado’s heritage sites, exploring how archaeology supports preservation, and promoting culturally-sensitive heritage tourism.  

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Education_in_BLM/Learning_Landscapes/in_the_spotlight_features/preserve_america_youth.html

 

National Wildlife Refuges have historic and cultural resources that can be preserved and interpreted by students.  One example is the Cathlapotle Plankhouse in Clark County, Washington, which is managed by a partnership among Portland State University, the Chinook Tribe, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

http://www.plankhouse.org/

 

 

Thanks, 

Scott Richardson

K-12 Program Coordinator

Learn and Serve America

Corporation for National and Community Service

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525

202-606-6903

srichardson@cns.gov

 

 

Urban Youth Take Up the Cause of Healthy Eating

FACT: Half of U.S. teens are overweight or obese.

“When it comes to healthy eating, options are often limited for urban youth,” says María Elena Torre, director of the Public Science Project at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. "All youth, including those in poor and working class areas, must be involved in unpacking the consequences of our becoming a ‘fast-food’ nation."

We couldn't agree more. This month, WKCD showcases youth and their adult allies for whom healthy eating has become a mantra.

In "Urban Youth Take Up the Cause of Healthy Eating"--the first story in this three-part series--students at a charter school in Oakland, as part of a service-learning project with the National Council of La Raza, take turns interviewing each other about their daily diet, and videotape the results.

In "Rethinking School Lunch," students in Chicago master the challenge of making a school lunch that kids WILL eat--one that involves only six steps, exceeds federal nutrition standards, includes a locally grown vegetable, and costs only a dollar.

In "Schoolyard Gardeners Nourish New Ideas," we learn about schools where students are replacing asphalt with raised beds and seeds, growing their own food and sharing the surplus with neighbors. "I can already smell the broccoli," says seventh-grader Tyler. "We're helping the planet," Lisa adds.

All three pieces include lots of resources and links for folks who want to know more, as well as history and statistics.

This month's edition of WKCD.ORG also features young journalists at Y-Press reporting on youth and social justice, and high school students in Somerville, MA who have created a living, green roof atop an affordable housing project.

As always, your interest means the world to these young people and the adults who guide them. Read their stories--and forward to friends!

With good wishes,

Barbara Cervone, Ed.D., President

bcervone@whatkidscando.org

GO TO: http://www.whatkidcando.org

WKCD (www.whatkidscando.org) brings youth voices to bear on important issues in our schools and society. Check out our other sites, too: www.nextgenerationpress.org, www.firstinthefamily.org, www.inourvillage.org; and www.lifeinnewchina.org. Help us spread the word!

2010 Opportuntiy with HandsOn Network and Disney Parks

In 2010, HandsOn Network has set our sites on celebrating the spirit and power of volunteerism. We are partnering with Disney Parks to connect families to volunteer activities that are friendly to the unique dynamics of youth activism.

 

We want to share this chance to thank your existing volunteers, inspire new volunteers to serve and celebrate that service in a big way. Through the Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program, we’re inspiring one million more people to volunteer a day of service, and say “thanks” by giving them a one-day admission to a Disney park for free.

 

Thousands of organizations – including schools, healthcare organizations, animal shelters, parks & recreation facilities and more - will participate in this program by making their existing volunteer activities eligible for the program.

 

Just a few of the kinds of projects available to family volunteers include: making kudzu wreaths for senior centers or schools to address environmental hazards in a fun way; crafting doggie bandanas to help animal shelters adopt out more homeless pets; conducting canned food drives to fill food bank pantries; and filling backpacks with nutritious snacks for kids living in homeless shelters. These are just a handful of the thousands of creative volunteer activities that will be available through www.DisneyParks.com beginning Jan. 1.

 

To make your volunteer events part of Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. sign up today with HandsOn Network at http://VOP.HandsOnNetwork.org.

 

For frequently asked questions about the program, go to www.HandsOnNetwork.org/Disney/FAQ. If you still have questions, submit a request to the customer support team at http://www.handsonnetwork.org/disney/cpsupport and we will contact you.

 

There’s never been a better time than now, when there are so many needs in our communities, for young people and families to get involved in service. We look forward to celebrating this time with you!

 

Kathy Saulits

Vice President, Youth & Family Engagement

Youth HandsOn Network

975 Boston Post Road

Darien, Connecticut 06820

Ksaulitis at HandsOnNetwork dot org

 

  

Solutions to the Dropout Crisis

Then National Dropout Prevention Center features service-learning as a key strategy for keeping students engaged in school, community and life.  Check out these free online webcasts to learn more:

 

The next free radio webcast for Solutions to the Dropout Crisis will focus on service-learning. Here is your special invitation to participate on Thursday, December 3^rd, at 3:30 EST.
http://cufan.clemson.edu/psaradio/NDPC091203Promo.asx

 

And on Thursday, December 3^rd, listen live to this webcast with noted service-learning author and trainer, Cathryn Berger Kaye.
http://www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast

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

 

 

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 duty—as 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

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

 

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