Service Learning May 27

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A WEEKLY PUBLICATION OF



Published for the Service and Service-Learning Field Since 1994


May 27, 2010 - Volume 17 #21 - Circulation: 37,000


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Year Two of Project Green Launches with New Videos from Disney Stars and Kid-Friendly Ways to Save the Planet


Disney's Friends for Change: Project Green is celebrating its one year anniversary with the premiere of all-new content. Starting May 30, new on-air messages will begin airing on Disney Channel and Disney XD. They feature nearly 40 Disney stars including the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. The spots will also be featured on Radio Disney and the recently redesigned program website: www.Disney.com/projectgreen.

The aim of this ambitious movement is to empower children to take charge when it comes to the environment, whether it's their own piece of the planet or a big picture approach. Twelve months after the launch of Disney's Friends for Change: Project Green, kids have made nearly two million personal promises to change their daily routines, from unplugging electrical devices when not in use, to taking shorter showers.

With the new videos and web content debuting May 30, young people will learn even more ways to recycle, save water, help habitats and reduce energy consumption. They will also have the opportunity to again vote on how another $1 million in grants will support worthy environmental causes throughout the year.

Kids can turn their own local environmental project into a reality. Disney's Friends for Change grants, in collaboration with Youth Service America, provide seed money to help get them started. The next call for grant applications opens June 7. To date, these grants have positively influenced nearly 8,000 kids.

Kids can also help raise money through iTunes downloads of Disney's Friends for Change anthems Send It On and Make A Wave. At last count, nearly $700,000, representing 100-percent of download proceeds, have been contributed to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.



NEWS FROM THE FIELD


YouTube Video Volunteers Focuses on Service & Volunteerism
ServiceNation has partnered with YouTube for the month of June to help coalition members highlight the tremendous work you do everyday. YouTube's Video Volunteers program matches nonprofit organizations that have video needs with YouTube visitors who can help develop powerful videos. YouTube focuses on a different issue each month and enlists the help of a celebrity champion to call for video submissions. The month of June will be focused on service and volunteerism and YouTube will be asking visitors to help create videos that will support service organizations in the ServiceNation coalition. ServiceNation ambassador and Youth Service America spokesperson Miley Cyrus will serve as this month's celebrity champion and will make the initial call for videos. Fill out the form at https://services.google.com/fb/forms/youtubevideovolunteers09/ and we'll publish your request on the Video Volunteers channel at youtube.com/videovolunteers. If a video-maker likes your entry and wants to help out, they can contact you directly to get started. In addition, you can contact one of your supporters directly, and ask them to make a video for you and submit it before the deadline posted on youtube.com/videovolunteers. There is a tight deadline! This must be filled out by the end of the day on Monday May 31st.




Global Youth Culture Live Chat - Saturday, June 5
Do you feel part of an emerging global youth culture? If so, how is it affecting you and others in your community, country and region? What factors influence your sense of identity and belonging? How has technology and new media shaped your understanding of global culture? In what ways do you promote dialogue and understanding among youth in your region and around the world?
We invite you to share your thoughts on what Global Youth Culture means to you with other youth from around the world, as well as hear about the personal experiences of our Global Youth Culture contest winners! Participate in the live chat on Saturday June 5, 2010 at 3:00 pm GMT and share your thoughts. To participate in the live chat please go here: www.yfc.tigweb.org/getconnected/chat.html

The Live Chat is part of the "Youth For Change" program implemented by TakingITGlobal in partnership with Bibliotheca Alexandrina and other organizations in the MENA region. To read more about the program visit: www.yfc.tigweb.org



Mesa, AZ Launches Mayor's Youth Summer of Service
Mayor Scott Smith, a winner of the 2010 Harris Wofford Award for Public Officials, recently launched Mesa's first Youth Summer of Service. Registration for the first Mayor's Youth Summer of Service began on May 17, and all nine service projects were filled almost immediately. The Mayor's Youth Summer of Service is a series of service-learning projects during June and July especially designed for teens ages 14-17. "What a fantastic response!" Mayor Smith said. "It is no surprise to me that even over summer break Mesa teens are committed to making a difference in our community. The program has been so successful in its first day of registration that we are looking to see if we can add more projects. The more we can offer, the more service can be provided and the more Mesa teens can help address the needs of our community." Some of the service projects include assembling medical packets for doctors overseas, stocking shelves at the food bank, helping in an adult day care center, educating the public about recycling, assisting in an animal shelter and much more. For a full listing of projects and registration information go to www.mesaaz.gov/volunteer/MayorSummerService.aspx



GRANTS & AWARDS

My Idea Grants (Deadline: June 11)
America's Promise Alliance and AT&T are looking for the energy, enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to help make this country a Grad Nation through the My Idea Grants program. My Idea will empower young people to examine the high school dropout crisis and take action to help more of their peers to graduate on time. National grants of $10,000-$20,000 will be awarded to 20 - 25 youth for the best of the submitted ideas to help increase a community's graduation rate anywhere in the United States. Additional opportunities are available for young people in Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Jackson, Louisville, Nashville, New York, New Orleans, Oakland, and Washington, D.C., with grants of $500-$1500 to support targeted local projects. www.americaspromise.org/How-to-Help/Young-Leaders/My-Idea-Grants.aspx



BIC 4 GOOD Grants (Deadline: June 15)

Did you create a sustainable community action project, program or organization that you want to grow? Lack the funds to take your project to the next level? If you answered "YES!", you are eligible to apply for a BIC 4 GOOD Grant! BIC 4 GOOD Grants are targeted towards established programs and organizations that have a large impact, proven sustainability, and measurable success. The best applicants are those that are self-driven, unique, community-oriented with measurable impact.
Ten outstanding projects or organizations will be awarded $2,000 BIC 4 GOOD Grants and 1 exceptional project or organization will be awarded the Grand Prize $5,000 BIC 4 GOOD Grant! www.dosomething.org/grants/bic4good





OAS Logo Design Contest (Deadline: June 21)
To promote youth participation in the hemisphere, as well as the theme of the Second Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Development, and public participation as a priority and a cross-cutting issue to its working areas, the Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) is inviting all interested youth students of architecture, graphic design, art, marketing or related areas and nationals of an OAS Member State, to participate in the design of a logo/visual distinctive for the Second Inter-American
Meeting of Ministers and High Level Authorities on Sustainable Development.
The objective of the contest is to promote the participation and creativityof young students by participating in the design of a logo/visual distinctive for the Second Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Development, creating awareness and knowledge about the ministerial theme "Towards Sustainable Development in the Americas." The winner will be given an official certificate of participation, and be awarded a small monetary compensation from the DSD. Also, the winner will have the opportunity to do an internship at OAS headquarters in the fall of 2010. Learn more at:
www.oas.org/dsd/MinisterialMeeting/DocumentsII/Logo_eng.pdf and
www.oas.org/dsd/MinisterialMeeting/DocumentsII/CONTESTRULESfinal.pdf




For Previously Featured Grants & Awards, visit:
www.servicewire.org/nsb/Grants-and-Awards


PROFILES IN SERVICE
NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE AWARD WINNERS


Youth Service America asked Members of Congress to recognize youth volunteers on Global Youth Service Day with the National Youth Service Award (NYSA). We'll feature several NYSA winners each week.


Kai Neander, 16
McKinleyville, CA
Nominated by Representative Mike Thompson
Kai has been a California and National Council Member for the Jane Goodall Institute since 2007, where he promotes Roots and Shoots, providing guidance to more than 11,000 youth environmental leaders throughout California and coordinating the annual California Youth Leadership Retreat.


Serena Chapman, 18
Bristol, PA
Nominated by Representative Patrick Murphy
Serena developed the "Want the World to Know" video with YOFAB, a teen anti-smoking group, to challenge stereotypes in teen smoking. She is also invested in her community, being involved with an array of groups, such as Neighborhood First, NAACP, and East Coast Steppers.


Jessica Turner, 17
Hawthorne, FL
Nominated by Senator Bill Nelson
Jessica developed "Pancakes for Haiti", a project devoted to addressing starvation in Haiti. She mobilized thousands of students and collected enough food to feed two hundred people and provide one hundred gallons of water. Her first shipment of aid was sent to Haiti in February.


Catherine Wills, 17
Greenville, NC
Nominated by Senator Kay Hagan
Catherine has been active in the 4-H program in Greenville, North Carolina, being involved in a variety of projects, ranging from packaging toiletries to Hurricane Katrina victims, leading park cleanups, and helping the relocation of families displaced by Hurricane Rita.


Ashley Calcote, 15
Biloxi, MS
Nominated by Senator Thad Cochran
Ashley has used her birthday as a means to support those in need for the past eleven years. She has celebrated her birthday for the past ten years as Make a Difference Day, where in lieu of presents for herself, she collects gifts, money and gift cards to go to Hope Haven Foster Care Home for Children in Waveland, Mississippi.


TOOLS, TRAINING, RESOURCES & RESEARCH
SPECIAL FEATURE: CHILDHOOD OBESITY RESOURCES

UnitedHealthcare/VolunteerMatch Benefits of Volunteering Survey Finds Volunteers Gain as Much as They Give

A survey released in April by UnitedHealthcare and VolunteerMatch found that 68 percent of those who volunteered in the past year report that volunteering has made them feel physically healthier. Issued in advance of National Volunteer Week (April 18-24, 2010), the UnitedHealthcare/VolunteerMatch Do Good. Live Well. Survey of more than 4,500 Americans over the age of 18 identified some of the key health benefits of volunteering. According to the survey, volunteering appears to correspond to a healthier Body Mass Index (BMI), with a significantly lower proportion of volunteers identified as obese (31 percent) when compared to non-volunteers (36 percent). Twenty-nine percent of volunteers who suffer from a chronic condition say that volunteering has helped them manage a chronic illness. Fueled by the belief that volunteerism can improve the health of communities and help people live healthier lives, UnitedHealthcare last year launched "Do Good. Live Well." an initiative designed to inspire a new level of service and volunteerism in communities across the country. www.DoGoodLiveWell.org Read the survey results at: www.unitedhealthgroup.com/news/rel2010/UHC-VolunteerMatch-Survey-Fact-Sheet.pdf





Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report
First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let's Move! campaign in February to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. As part of this effort, President Barack Obama established the Task Force on Childhood Obesity to develop and implement an interagency plan that details a coordinated strategy, identifies key benchmarks, and outlines an action plan to end the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. In total, the report presents a series of 70 specific recommendations, many of which can be implemented right away. Many of these recommendations can be implemented as part of service or service-learning projects. Download the report at: www.letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html





Service Through Sports: Sports-Based Youth Development
To help you leave your mark, Up2Us has released the National Service Learning Curriculum Guide, a comprehensive toolkit to incorporating service learning into youth sports. The guide directs coaches and players across the country on how to utilize their natural leadership skills off the field to help identify problems in their communities and then implement solutions. Download it today and improve your community tomorrow! http://up2us.org/servicethroughsports/improveyourcommunity

The Up2Us Research & Evaluation team promotes the field of Sports-Based Youth Development by providing tools that will prove that sports programs have a positive impact on youth. Each Up2Us research publication is available under the brand new Up2Us Center for Sports-Based Youth Development. http://up2us.org/centerforsbyd


SERVICE CALENDARS

Conferences & Events



Culminating Project Institute
An Institute for Teachers, School District Leaders and Nonprofit Partners
July 23-24, 2010
Riverdale High School
Portland, Oregon

Learn how to develop powerful culminating projects by:
- Establishing process that supports academically rigorous exhibitions;
- Providing a year-long sequence of learning that helps students find a personal passion;
- Increasing the value of the projects to students and community through service-learning;
- Developing a sequence of experiences so students can successfully complete a student directed project;
- Building supportive partnerships with nonprofits and national service programs; and
- Establishing thoughtful risk management plans.

This interactive institute will give you a rare opportunity to see high-quality projects up close and explore ideas with educators, students and
nonprofit organizations.

Register Online at www.projectserviceleadership.org
Registration Fee: $250 single; Teams of two $400! Clock Hours Available.



Conference Calendar: www.servicewire.org/conferences

If you'd like your 2010 conference or event to be included, please e-mail the name, date, and location (city, state) of the conference to dmiranda@ysa.org with the subject line "NSB Conference." Include a short blurb/description of the conference and the website you want people to be directed to.



Seasons of Service


May 2010

National Foster Care Month - May

Older Americans Month - May

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - May

National Youth Traffic Safety Month - May

National Preservation Month - May

World No Tobacco Day - May 31

June 2010

National Family Month - May 9 - June 20

World Environment Day - June 5

World Day Against Child Labor - June 12

World Blood Donor Day - June 14

World Refugee Day - June 20

National Summer Learning Day - June 21


Seasons of Service Calendar: www.servicewire.org/seasonsofservice

If you'd like your annual campaign/awareness event to be included, please e-mail the name, date, and location (city, state) of the event to dmiranda@ysa.org with the subject line "Seasons of Service." Include a short blurb/description of the event and the website you want people to be directed to.



QUOTE OF THE WEEK



"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him....But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, 'We did it ourselves.' "

- Lao Tzu


Best,


Michael Minks, Editor-in-Chief
Director of Outreach
Youth Service America


Danielle Miranda, Associate Editor
Manager of Outreach
Youth Service America

nsbinfo@ysa.org

Deadline: All submissions to the NSB must be emailed to the above email no later than 5pm EST on Monday for that week's NSB.

Disclaimer: Youth Service America offers the National Service Briefing as a resource to the field for information purposes and does not necessarily endorse or support, in any way, the views, opinions, goals of organizations, or sources of grants.


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