Utah Campus Compact Updates and Events
Campus Corner and Community Partners
National Campus Compact Updates and Events
RFP (Publications & Conferences)
Professional Development Conferences
Utah Campus Compact Updates and Events
UTAH YOUTH SERVICE MARATHON
The Utah Youth Service Marathon (UYSM) is now accepting project proposals. To be a part of the largest youth service initiative in Utah’s history be sure to submit your project proposal before October 24, 2008 to Emily at emily@youthlinc.org. Project proposals and more details regarding the UYSM can be found online at www.servicemarathon.org under 26 projects.
The UYSM is made possible by its Partners- Utah State Office of Education, Utah Commission on Volunteers, Utah Campus Compact, Utah Association of Youth Councils, Utah Federation for Youth, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring, YouthLINC and Sponsors: City Weekly, Deseret News, IKEA, and X96 radio station.
Campus Corner and Community Partners
SUU GETS TWO NEW SCHOLARSHIPS
Cedar City Rotary to Fund Two SUU Scholarships
Cedar City Review - Cedar City,UT,USA
Indeed, with more than 36000 hours of student community service completed through the university’s Service and Learning Center over the past academic school ...
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CONFERENCE
Registration is now open for the 2008 International Service-Learning Conference: Engaging Your Campus and World through International Service-Learning at Utah Valley University October 2-3, 2008.
Utah Valley University will host an International Service-Learning Conference for campus teams and individuals involved in or interested in international service-learning. Participants will engage in a variety of workshops, panel discussions, poster presentations, plenary sessions, and other activities that will help campus teams and individuals learn about best practices in international service-learning. Additionally, participants will have an opportunity to develop a campus plan for international service-learning programs and academic courses.
Pre-registration opens on August 1. The pre-registration rate is $150.00. Regular registration begins September 22nd. The regular registration fee is $200.00. Regular registration closes on September 26th at 5:00pm. The registration fee includes all conference materials and 3 meals. *Please note the student registration rate is $100.00
For more information or to register for the conference visit www.uvsc.edu/volunteer
Please direct any questions to volunteer@uvsc.edu or call 801-863-8681.
UTAH EDUCATION POLICY FORUM
Bridging Research, Policy and Practice
2008 Utah Education Policy Forum
Featuring Keynote Speaker Marilyn Cochran-Smith
Registration Now Open, Click Here to Register:
http://uepc.ed.utah.edu/
Educational Excellence: Engaging Communities in Public Education Renewal
Co-Sponsored by
The Utah Education Policy Center and Utah Council of Education Deans
November 14th, 2008 (please note change of date)
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Salt Lake City’s Wells Fargo Building, 23rd Floor
5TH ANNUAL DIALOGUE ON DEMOCRACY
SAVE THE DATE: The 5th Annual Dialogue on Democracy will be held Thursday, October 23rd in partnership with the Utah Commission on Civic and Character Education, and the Hinckley Institute of Politics. This year's keynote speaker---and we are very excited to announce this, will be Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft! Please save the date!
Some information for you on Brent Scowcroft: As President and founder of The Scowcroft Group and one of the country's leading experts on international policy, Brent Scowcroft provides Group clients unparalleled strategic advice and assistance in dealing in the international arena. He served as the National Security Advisor to both Presidents Ford and Bush. From 1982 to 1989 he was Vice Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm. In this capacity, he advised and assisted a wide range of U.S. and foreign corporate leaders on global joint venture opportunities, strategic planning, and risk assessment. His prior extraordinary twenty-nine-year military career began with graduation from West Point and concluded at the rank of Lieutenant General. His Air Force service included Professor of Russian History at West Point; Assistant Air Attache in Belgrade,Yugoslavia; Head of the Political Science Department at the Air Force Academy; Office of the Secretary of Defense International Security Assistant; Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Military Assistant to President Nixon. He earned his masters and doctorate in international relations from Columbia University.
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Service-Learning and Academic Success: The Links to Retention Researchhttp://www.mncampuscompact.org/vertical/Sites/%7BE34AF879-F177-472C-9EB0-D811F247058B%7D/uploads/%7BAE49B2F5-A78A-4FCC-92A2-C5CCF303563D%7D.PDF
Colleges Spend Billions to Prep Freshman USA Today Article
Return to Contents National Campus Compact Updates and Events
UTAH SENATOR HATCH AND SENATOR KENNEDY INTRODUCE SERVICE AMERICA BILL
Hatch, Kennedy team for voluntarismDeseret News - Salt Lake City,UT,USA
He said the bill will also help marry learning in classrooms with service in the community. "Service learning has been shown to keep students engaged in ...
Letter from National Campus Compact President on the bill and the ServiceNation Summit
Greetings all,
Wanted to give you all a quick summary of the activities at ServiceNation last week. We attended the presidential panel Thursday evening through the follow-up planning session on Saturday. Most of the action was at the actual Summit on Friday.
Overall, I believe it was a huge success as a media event, a rally for advancing service for all ages and an outward sign to take this movement to the next level. An impressive array of people from both sides of the aisle and all walks of life attended and spoke, including Laura Bush; Senators Orin Hatch, Chris Dodd and Hilary Clinton; Corporate leaders from Target, Goldman Saks, Bank of America and Time Magazine; foundation leaders from Carnegie, Case and Home Depot; Caroline Kennedy; Mayor Blumberg; Usher and Jon Bon Jovi. Higher education was well represented by a panel we put together featuring John DeGioia (Georgetown), Gloria Larson (Bentley College), Joann Haysbert (Langston University) and Jerry Sue Thornton (Cuyahoga Community College). At lunch the presidents of Duke, Tulane, Bentley and Penn made announcements of initiatives at their institutions that advance service and service-learning. There were a number of articles in the press including an article about service-learning on Friday in the New York Times (Compact was mentioned), an editorial in yesterday's New York Times and an editorial in today's Boston Globe.
The most significant announcement was of course the Kennedy-Hatch "Service America" bill which was introduced on Friday. It's a broad sweeping $5 billion plan over the next five years calling for new corps and encouraging service and service-learning opportunities for all ages. I have attached a summary which notably is very general. I will forward more details as soon as they are available. The specific higher education piece involves the establishment of Campuses of Service - a designation that recognizes institutions for the number of service-learning course they offer, the percentage of work-study assignments in the community and programs that encourage students to go into public service work, among other things. Institutions will be nominated by the state commissions with the final decision being made by the Corporation. There will be a cash award for winners to invest further in their work. Please note that this description is based on the conversations that I have had with Senator Kennedy's office over the last few weeks and earlier drafts of the bill. I have not seen the final language. (Please note that there are also a number of other provisions within the bill for which higher education would be eligible.)
This bill is all new authorizations and does not amend existing service programs. The committee wants to begin work on a 2nd bill that will reauthorize the existing programs and deal with reform that was part of the GIVE act which did not pass last year. The plan is to start with these two bill - Serve America Act which is new authorizations and a Reauthorization Package - and then combine the two into one comprehensive piece of legislation in the next Congress.
Congress is scheduled to adjourn at the end of this month, so this legislation will not be acted on this year. There is a chance that there will be a hearing though, so we will keep you informed. In the meantime, however, there are a number of things we can do to keep the issue alive and build on the momentum. 1) review the bill and come up with possible changes we might like to see, 2) write a letter of thanks to the sponsors (Kennedy and Hatch) and co-sponsors (Clinton, Cochran, Obama, McCain and Dodd) and 3) ask your members to sponsor the bill. I will continue to get information to you as things develop.
Hope you all have a great week!
Best,
Maureen
President, National Campus Compact
NEW LEADERSHIP AWARD FOR CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Campus Compact has created the Leadership Award for Campus and Community Engagement to highlight the critical and valuable role of the community engagement professional in higher education. These dedicated individuals form a vital link between the community and campus, they are central to realizing the vision of the engaged campus, and integral in the education and development of students. The tremendous growth of the field is due in large part to the dedication and hard work of the community engagement professional. This award is for staff members on Campus Compact member campuses; please see our other awards for faculty and students.
Call for Nominations
This award honors an individual whose work embodies the vision and value of the engaged campus. The objective of this award is to recognize the work of a community engagement professional who advances her/his campus's civic vision and the field by creating and/or coordinating high-quality campus and community engagement initiatives, contributing significantly to the development and sustainability of strong, reciprocal partnerships between higher education and communities, and fostering a deep culture of engagement on their campus.
Campus Compact is pleased to announce that the 2008 application process for this inaugural award is now open. The deadline for submission of applications is October 17, 2008.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this award, an individual must be a full- or part-time staff member at a Campus Compact member campus in the 2007-2008 academic year. Any individual whose work meets the selection criteria may be considered regardless of position, level, or title. An applicant's impact will be weighted more heavily over her/his years of service.
Selection Criteria
Campus Compact recognizes that developing and implementing high-quality partnerships and rigorous student and institutional engagement initiatives requires creativity, leadership, commitment, and integrity. We seek to honor an individual who demonstrates these qualities.
Applicants must be employees of a Campus Compact member campus for the 2007-2008 academic year. (Visit the membership pages to check on institutional membership status.) These candidates should possess the following:
Experience in creating and/or coordinating high-quality campus-community partnership programs. These may include community service, service-learning, community-based research, community service work-study, deliberative dialogues, and other opportunities for students and others to address important public issues. How did the engagement initiatives benefit students and the community? How did the applicant's work lead to these positive outcomes? How did the applicant respond to challenges?
Significant contributions to the development and sustainability of strong, reciprocal partnerships. How has the applicant cultivated new or enduring relationships with community leaders? How have partnerships demonstrated shared vision, power, and leadership?
Integral contributions to the development of student civic leadership. How has the applicant created and/or leveraged opportunities for student service and engagement? How has the applicant fostered student civic leadership?
Ability to foster a deep culture of engagement and sense of the campus's civic vision. How has the applicant cultivated other leaders and advocates on campus? How has her/his work transformed the institution overall?
Building the community engagement field. How has the applicant contributed to ongoing learning and growth in this field?
Nomination Submission Requirements
To be considered for the award, the application must include all the required elements below. A compelling submission will address all of the selection criteria described above. All applications must be complete and submitted online by October 17, 2008.
Required Materials
A reflective essay from the applicant (not to exceed 5 pages, double-spaced) describing the transformative impact of service, civic engagement and/or campus-community partnerships on their students, the community, their institution, and themselves; outlining innovative programming s/he has created that has greatly affected the students, campus, and the community and with specific outcomes; and providing evidence of personal commitment to advancing civic engagement on campus, in the community, and within the field.
A letter of support from a campus colleague (i.e. the president, a faculty member, or a staff member), addressing as many of the selection criteria as possible.
A letter of support from a community partner, addressing as many of the selection criteria as possible (not to exceed 2 pages).
The applicant's resume or curriculum vitae (not to exceed 5 pages).
Optional Materials
A reflective statement from a current or former student, addressing the applicant's work and impact on her/him (not to exceed 2 pages). Up to 5 pages of documentation supporting award criteria. Documentation may include articles (newspaper, magazine, or journal), evaluation results, letters of appreciation, etc.
The award recipient will be notified in December 2008. In recognition of her/his achievement and contribution to the field, the recipient will receive an award plaque and a $2,000 award.
For questions regarding the award, please contact Pamela Mutascio at Questions Regarding the Leadership Award for Campus and Community Engagement or call 401-867-3949.
NATIONAL LEARN AND SERVE CHALLENGE
We're just a few weeks away from the 2nd Annual National Learn & Serve Challenge. Now is the perfect time for you to join your peers from around the country to shine the spotlight on your service-learning efforts. Campus Compact is a partner in this nationwide initiative.
The National Learn & Serve Challenge, October 6-12, 2008, is a concentrated week of events and activities designed to spotlight service-learning successes around the country. It is also designed to show support for Learn and Serve America and to inspire greater participation in service-learning nationwide. Following are some simple but important ways you can participate:
1. Include a service-learning update in your school's newsletter or website. Download sample text for newsletters, email announcements, and website features at http://nslp.convio.net/site/R?i=hJijfnRMpss4qM_8iKwDUQ..
2. Set up a service-learning booth or exhibit as part of key community events, such as a school football game or freshman orientation. Use the Host an Open House Tip Sheet for more planning ideas: http://nslp.convio.net/site/R?i=Ohqk6lGBwRy5tTJhF49I1Q..
3. Host a service-learning t-shirt or button day. Visit the Learn & Serve Challenge Online Store where you can purchase buttons, t-shirts, and other items on an as-needed basis: http://www.cafepress.com/lschallenge. You can also use the Host a Button or T-Shirt Day Activity Tip Sheet for more planning hints and good ideas: http://nslp.convio.net/site/R?i=KqLxnuJ7cx6a1Ntz6cuGEQ..
Once you decide to participate, add your event to the growing listing of activities on the Challenge website so we can spread the news about the impact of your efforts: http://nslp.convio.net/site/R?i=_C3zJlpvSJVEgWosWOfkrw. Register your Challenge event by September 5, 2008 and become eligible to win an official Learn & Serve Challenge Gift Bag, which includes a variety of items you can use to celebrate service-learning.
VISTA Volunteer Announcement
Make a difference in your community! Become a VISTA volunteer with the Campus-Community Outreach Project. Four VISTA volunteers are needed to assist local colleges and universities develop sustainable partnerships with community organizations. This is a one-year full-time national service position. VISTAs receive a modest living allowance ($865/month) and $4,725 in an educational award upon successful completion of service.
REQUIREMENTS: College degree; strong interest and experience in college service programs; experience working with students and diverse groups of people; leadership ability; public speaking skills; strong writing and organizational skills; ability to drive; ability to make a full-year commitment.
BENEFITS: Health coverage, childcare assistance (if eligible), $4,725 education award upon successful completion of service, living allowance, relocation allowance, public transportation pass, paid vacation and sick days. For more information about applying, contact Betsy Ward at 801-957-4689 or betsy.ward@slcc.edu.
UTAH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Posting Date: September 10, 2008
Closing Date: Until Filled
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) is seeking applicants for the position of a part-time (20-25 hours a week) Program Assistant. The Utah System of Higher Education is governed by the Utah State Board of Regents and consists of ten colleges. The Program Assistant will work primarily on projects related to the Utah Scholars Initiative and the Regents’ Scholarship. This position reports to the Policy and Special Projects Manager.
Duties include:
• Organizing materials and correspondence related to school partners and volunteers
• Working with partner schools to set up and make arrangements for Utah Scholars presentations
• Manage the Utah Scholars volunteers using the Volunteer Management Database
• Enter information regarding the Regents’ Scholarship applications into computer
• Present information regarding the programs to constituents
• Perform other duties as assigned
Desired skills:
• Working knowledge of basic computer programs such as Word, Publisher, Excel
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to be able to answer the phone and respond to constituent needs and questions
• Ability to present in front of different age groups
• Self-motivation and willingness to help where needed
• Familiarity with public and/or higher education preferred
• Accuracy and attention to detail is essential
• Some college experience is required
USHE offers a competitive salary range of $10-$15 per hour depending on education and relevant experience. To apply, provide the following items to the address, e-mail or fax number below:
• cover letter
• completed application (visit www.utahsbr.edu to complete the application)
• resume
Human Resources
Utah System of Higher Education
Board of Regents Building, The Gateway
60 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1284
Phone (801) 321-7124, Fax (801) 366-8405
Email: hr@utahsbr.edu
USHE is an “Equal Opportunity Employer,” and prohibits, in all employment – related practices and decisions, discrimination, harassment or prejudicial treatment against any person based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy related conditions, age, disability, veteran status, or otherwise as provided by federal, state or local law.
Applicants claiming veteran's or disabled veteran's preference must submit a photocopy
of their honorable discharge (such as DD-214) showing dates of active service and verification of disability.
We conduct a full background check on all candidates for employment.
STUDENTS AT COLUMBIA COMBINE VOLUNTEER HOURS WITH STUDIES FOR CREDITS
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/nyregion/11service.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&sq=Columbia%20volunteer&st=cse&scp=1&oref=slogin
Olney's Project Change works to make service more meaningful
Business Gazette - Gaithersburg,MD,USA
In 1992, Maryland became the first state to mandate Student Service Learning (SSL) as a requirement for graduation. Project Change board member and Olney ...
OUR VIEW: Mandate will not teach service ethic
SouthCoastToday.com - New Bedford,MA,USA
To encourage students even more, the schools could offer an elective course in service-learning, a discipline that combines volunteerism with instruction. ...
POWELL: Education through service
Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA
In particular, service and service-learning play a powerful role in children's lives. Service unites youth in ways more lasting and profound than ...
IN NATIONAL SERVICE, IT's QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY
http://philanthropy.com/premium/articles/v20/i22/22003201.htm
PHILANTHROPY & POLITICS
In National Service, It's Quality, Not Quantity
By Leslie Lenkowsky
On September 11, 500 advocates of national-service programs, such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, are expected to gather in New York City for the ServiceNation Summit.
Joining the meeting will be the major presidential candidates, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, both of whom have supported significant growth in service programs.
The goal of this meeting is to start a movement designed to increase the number of Americans who volunteer from 61 million annually today to 100 million by 2020. It also seeks to raise the number of full-time national-service participants to one million a year by 2020. Currently, some 600,000 Americans are involved annually in national-service programs sponsored by the federal government, and most, especially in the programs for older citizens, work less than full time.
Those are ambitious and undoubtedly well-intentioned goals. But 15 years after AmeriCorps was created, and more than 50 years after the Peace Corps was started, the case for such a large expansion is thin.
For all the enthusiasm they have inspired among their advocates (of whom, as a former director and chief executive of the Corporation for National and Community Service, I am one), the evidence that these programs are achieving their goals and are worth substantially increased money is still lacking.
Traditionally, two main arguments have been used on behalf of national service — and those same ideas appear in background materials produced for the ServiceNation Summit.
One is that those programs effectively deal with important social issues, like education, poverty, the environment, and public safety (or, for the Peace Corps, development problems in poor countries). The second is that they heighten the commitment of participants to lifelong civic activity, including volunteering, as well as to careers in the nonprofit world and government.
Plenty of anecdotal evidence supports both claims. However, more reliable information is in short supply.
Teach for America, one of the main beneficiaries of AmeriCorps money and participants, has probably invested more than most groups in trying to find out what its participants have accomplished. The results have been mixed. In the most rigorous study, children instructed by Teach for America participants did better on science and math tests (and about the same on reading) than those who had learned from regular classroom teachers. Since the AmeriCorps members had far less training and experience than their counterparts, their success is especially noteworthy.
Nonetheless, other studies of Teach for America have come to different conclusions, and in any case, how much those results can be generalized is doubtful, since participants are carefully selected from graduates of the best universities and colleges in the United States.
That's not usually true for other national-service programs. To participate in most service programs, all that is required is a high-school diploma, and for the programs involving older Americans, such as Foster Grandparents, not even a diploma is required.
Indeed, national service in the United States (unlike some other countries) is not one program but operates through thousands of separate organizations that receive government support, each of which has considerable leeway in setting its own rules and requirements.
Although the federal government provides money and issues a variety of guidelines, including how to measure results, each group conducts its volunteer efforts in its own way. That makes assessing what national service has accomplished difficult.
Moreover, few evaluations go much beyond measures such as how much work was done or surveys to figure out who participated in the work and what they thought of it, rather than looking carefully at how much of a contribution their efforts made to solve an important social problem.
Thanks largely to a study that has tracked AmeriCorps members who began serving in 1999, better information about how much national service has influenced the lives of participants is available.
At least at first glance, it tells an encouraging story. According to the most recent report, nearly a decade after enrolling in the program, 60 percent of AmeriCorps alumni had embarked on careers in nonprofit organizations or government. They were more aware of issues in and felt a sense of responsibility for their communities than a comparison group of contemporaries who had applied for the program but had not served. This was particularly so for African-American alumni and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
However, it also turns out that by the benchmarks this study is using, those who joined AmeriCorps in 1999, as well as the members of the comparison group, were already highly inclined toward public service.
How much their participation in national service really changed their lives is thus open to doubt. In addition, when the study began, AmeriCorps was much newer and smaller than it is today, with a special intensity to it. The impact of an expanded and changed program on those who joined later, let alone the impact of a program of the size contemplated by ServiceNation, is anybody's guess.
In fact, AmeriCorps now has 25,000 more members than it did when President Bush took office, a 50-percent increase, while other service programs have expanded or been established as well. In addition, the White House in 2002 added a new unit, the USA Freedom Corps, to promote the president's call to service, which he made to tap the energy of America's volunteers after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of Americans volunteering has remained relatively steady during this period. Whatever the effects of national service have been, many factors influence how active a role Americans play in their communities, and government efforts may be just a minor one.
Some organizations, of course, such as Teach for America, are well-known for producing alumni who remain involved in public life, even becoming leaders in their fields. But what generally distinguishes them is that they have high entrance requirements, lots of training for their members, well-defined objectives, and a serious commitment to measuring results.
In other words, what really matters in national service is the quality of the experience, not the number of people taking part, a lesson those attending the ServiceNation Summit would do well to keep in mind.
Leslie Lenkowsky is a professor of public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University and a regular contributor to these pages. He served as chief executive of the Corporation for National and Community Service from 2001 to 2003. His e-mail address is llenkows@iupui.edu. Copyright © 2008 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Free Resource: Enhancing Your Youth Program With Web 2.0 Tools
Ever wonder what a blog, wiki, or RSS feed is? Or what the fuss is all
about with MySpace or Facebook? Or if any of these might help you as a
volunteer or program manager working with youth?
The LEARNS partners are pleased to announce the latest edition of Youth
Impact, our publication for mentoring, tutoring, and other youth-serving
programs. Titled "MySpace and YouTube and Blogs, Oh My! Enhancing Your
Youth Program With Web 2.0 Tools," it explains key Web 2.0 technologies
and offers ideas on how volunteers and programs can put them to use.
Download the publication (PDF) at http://snipurl.com/3l2r3. Archived
issues of Youth Impact are also available at the Resource Center at
http://snipurl.com/youthimpact. To receive new issues by e-mail,
subscribe to our electronic mailing list at
http://snipurl.com/learns_youth_impact.
LEARNS is a partnership of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
and the Bank Street College of Education. We are funded by the
Corporation for National and Community Service to provide training and
technical assistance to projects focused on tutoring, mentoring,
literacy, and out-of-school time.
For additional tools, training, and information visit The Resource
Center at www.nationalservice.gov/resources.
Constitution and Citizenship Resources
Sept 17 is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, which is observed every year to commemorate the signing of the US Constitution on September 17, 1787 and to “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.” The US Department of Education requires all educational institutions that receive Federal funds to hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of each year.
Learn and Serve America’s National Service-Learning Clearinghouse has information and resources on service-learning, citizenship, and civic engagement to help you integrate service-learning into this year’s Constitution Day and Citizenship Day:
Hot Topic: Citizenship
http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/hot_topics/citizenship/index.php
Hot Topic: Civics and History
http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/hot_topics/civics__history/index.php
Hot Topic: Civic Engagement
http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/hot_topics/civics__history/index.php
Citizenship and Service-Learning in K-12 Schools
http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/k-12_facts/citizenship/index.php
Our SLICE (Service-Learning Ideas and Curricular Examples) database is full of sample syllabi, lesson plans, and project ideas for service-learning projects around the ideas of citizenship, government, and civic engagement. Here’s a few great examples:
American National Government (HE)
http://www.servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=234
Citizen Artist (HE)
http://www.servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=398
Know Your Rights Project (k-12)
http://www.servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=263
Responsibilities of Citizenship (k-12)
http://www.servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=298
Teaching About the Bill of Rights (k-12)
http://www.servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=246
Constitution Fair (k-12)
http://www.servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=327
Do you have a great citizenship service-learning project that you’d like to share? Are you proud of the engaged learning and good works that your students are doing in their communities? Let NSLC promote your projects and spread the word about service-learning!
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/share/index.php
Literacy resources
Discovering the World of Community Service Learning: Literacy and Education Service Learning Project Manual.
http://servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=327
Increasing Basic Writers’ Thinking About and Understanding of Literacy Through Literacy-Based Service-Learning
http://servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=5862
Literacy Focused Service-Learning Projects as a Tool to Augment Children's Literature Courses
http://servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=6707
Project MURALS: A Buddy Reading/Cross-Aged Literacy Curriculum
http://servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=2423
Promoting Family Literacy: an Opportunity for Suburban University Inner City Agency Resource Exchange.
http://servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=3377
Read and Lead: Fostering Literacy through Cross-Age Tutoring: Facilitator's Manual
http://servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=4663
Service-Learning and Literacy Motivation: Setting a Research Agenda
http://servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7268
Books for Young Readers
http://servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=90
Literacy Leaders
http://servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=291
Reading Buddies
http://servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=109
Read to Me
http://servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=138
Three Cheers for Books
http://servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?ep_action=view&ep_id=41
DISNEY MINNIE GRANTS
The Disney Minnie Grants GYSD 2009 (U.S. and International Applicants)
The Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America are excited to announce grants of up to $500 to support child-led service projects. These grants support children (ages 5-14) in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Teachers, older youth (15-25), and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to apply, if they engage younger children in planning and implementing the project. A significant part of the service must take place on GYSD 2009, April 24-26. We particularly encourage applicants to address the environmental issues and to seek to empower children as young citizens through their projects. Applicants can use the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a reference and review past grantees’ projects from all over the world at: http://ysa.org/AwardsGrants/DisneyMinnieGrants/DisneyMinnieGrantees2008/tabid/292/Default.aspx. Applications are welcome from all countries. Applicants from India, China and Russia are especially encouraged to apply. While grant information is made available in Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish, applications will only be accepted in English (an online translation tool is available at the YSA website).. Past Disney Minnie Grantees are also eligible to apply. Questions? Email MinnieGrant@ysa.org. Deadline: October 30, 2008. Be sure to download the correct application and review all application materials, available at www.YSA.org/awards.
LOCAL VISTA POSITIONS
VISTA Volunteer Announcement
Make a difference in your community! Become a VISTA volunteer with the Campus-Community Outreach Project. Four VISTA volunteers are needed to assist local colleges and universities develop sustainable partnerships with community organizations. This is a one-year full-time national service position. VISTAs receive a modest living allowance ($865/month) and $4,725 in an educational award upon successful completion of service.
REQUIREMENTS: College degree; strong interest and experience in college service programs; experience working with students and diverse groups of people; leadership ability; public speaking skills; strong writing and organizational skills; ability to drive; ability to make a full-year commitment.
BENEFITS: Health coverage, childcare assistance (if eligible), $4,725 education award upon successful completion of service, living allowance, relocation allowance, public transportation pass, paid vacation and sick days. For more information about applying, contact Betsy Ward at 801-957-4689 or betsy.ward@slcc.edu.
AMERICORP'S BIG FUTURE
http://philanthropy.com/premium/articles/v20/i22/22000701.htm
PHILANTHROPY & POLITICS
AmeriCorps's Big Future
Supporters of volunteer programs seek major expansion in 2009
By Cassie J. Moore
On September 11, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will appear at a gathering of charity leaders in New York to talk about one issue they more or less agree on: national service. Both are expected to call for a vast expansion of the federal government's domestic and international service programs.
The appearance by the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees so close to Election Day signals a major coup for ServiceNation.
The coalition of more than 100 corporations and nonprofit groups that organized the two-day meeting — with $500,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York — hopes the candidates will mark the seventh anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks with a rallying cry for Americans to give more time to charitable causes.
Senator Obama has already said he would more than triple enrollment in AmeriCorps, the federal service program, from 75,000 to 250,000 participants, by 2012. He would also double the Peace Corps to 16,000 members.
Senator McCain has yet to provide details of his plan, but sources close to him say he will do so at the New York event.
The plans by the presidential candidates will probably get a lift in Congress from key lawmakers. Sens. Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, and Ted Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, are expected to unveil legislation at the New York meeting that would expand national-service programs and raise the amount of the education award that full-time AmeriCorps participants receive, which is now $4,725 for a year of service — the same amount approved when Congress first passed AmeriCorps 15 years ago.
Seeking Baby Boomers
Supporters of a much-expanded service program say the federal government should encourage young people and baby boomers, in particular, to devote a year or two of their lives to such activities as teaching, assisting after a disaster, or protecting the environment. They say interest already exceeds the current capacity: For every available spot in AmeriCorps, three people apply, according to federal statistics. But whether a huge increase in participation in national-service programs is practical or possible remains to be seen.
Ever since the program was started, politicians and nonprofit leaders have debated how effective federal service programs can be at either solving social problems or instilling a lasting sense of civic duty among participants.
And finding new money to finance an expansion will prove a hard sell as the federal deficit swells. Senator Obama's national-service plan, for example, would cost about $3.5-billion per year, which he says he would pay for by eliminating tax breaks for international corporations and by ending the war in Iraq. Costs for Senator McCain's national-service plan are unclear.
Some observers also question whether the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps and other service programs, is prepared for rapid growth. They say the agency — which has suffered budget cuts every year since 2004 and closed its national recruitment office in 2004 — has been slow to adopt new technology that could help recruit members. AmeriCorps also is not very well known, so that may make it hard for the agency to lead a major recruitment campaign.
Survival Threats
AmeriCorps was created by President Bill Clinton and passed as part of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. Under the law, federal money flows to nonprofit groups like Teach for America and Habitat for Humanity to put AmeriCorps members to work, and charities must match some of the money. AmeriCorps participants receive a stipend as well as money they can apply toward college.
AmeriCorps has faced Congressional threats to eliminate its funds numerous times over the years.
But Paul Schmitz, chief executive officer of Public Allies, a charity in Milwaukee that trains young people for public-service jobs, says he believes the climate in Washington has started to shift, with support for AmeriCorps growing as it becomes better established and a better advocate for its achievements.
The Corporation for National and Community Service has commissioned studies to demonstrate to the public that its participants are making a difference. This spring, for example, it released a report that said former AmeriCorps members are more likely than their peers to take nonprofit or government jobs. AmeriCorps, the corporation says, can serve as a "pipeline to public service."
And many of the people who have served in AmeriCorps over the past 15 years have been mobilized to demonstrate their support for expansion of the program, both through ServiceNation and AmeriCorps Alums, a network of about 20,000 graduates of the program.
"National service for the first time is on offense," says Mr. Schmitz. "For years, we played defense. For years, there were critics and those out to get it and attempts to kill it. And those failed."
Even with the intensified efforts to attract support, persuading Congress to vote for an expansion plan will be far from a sure thing.
Paul Light, professor of public service at New York University, says that while he supports expansion efforts, in the past it's been "an elusive goal that everybody seems to embrace, but nobody seems to want to fund."
"It's really going to be a tough sell to Congress," he says. "There are die-hard opponents of AmeriCorps on Capitol Hill, several in the Senate. I'm not sure we're going to have the 60 votes necessary [in the Senate] to expand."
One difference now, as opposed to previous years, is that politicians — and the general public — have started to think less in terms of "service for service's sake" and instead see volunteerism as "what we need to solve our core problems" as a country, says David Eisner, head of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
To give national service more prominence, the agency that oversees it should be elevated in stature, with a leader who serves in the president's cabinet, says JoAnn Jastrzab, a researcher at Abt Associates, in Cambridge, Mass., which has prepared studies of the program commissioned by the Corporation for National and Community Service since 1993. She also says that other government agencies, such as the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, could work more closely with AmeriCorps to encourage their grant recipients to rely on service members to carry out their programs.
For example, she says, grant recipients of the housing department could use AmeriCorps members to recruit volunteers to help repair public housing or run literacy programs in housing developments.
Recruiting Older Americans
If Congress does approve a bigger budget for national service in the future, advocates hope to fill new slots by persuading baby boomers to devote some of their retirement years to service, as well as attracting young people in the millennial generation, the estimated 78 million people born from 1979 to 2001.
"This boomer generation doesn't want to retire the way their parents did," says Alan Khazei, who founded City Year in 1988, which served as a model for the federal program. "They're healthier, they're living longer, a lot of them grew up in the '60s, which was a very idealistic time, and they want to give back."
At the ServiceNation event, Civic Enterprises, a public-policy consulting firm in Washington, will release a report commissioned by the AARP with recommendations for attracting baby boomers and older Americans, says John Bridgeland, chief executive of Civic Enterprises.
He says one possibility would be to provide a "silver scholarship," or a transferrable education award that older Americans could pass on to their children or grandchildren. Currently, the AmeriCorps education award is nontransferrable.
To attract more young people, ServiceNation promotes volunteerism on several popular social-networking sites.
But the Corporation for National and Community Service lags behind other organizations in its use of new technology, some observers say. They note that AmeriCorps's online recruitment site, for example, is confusing, outdated, and unlikely to appeal to a generation accustomed to filling out job applications online.
AmeriCorps officials agree that improvements are needed. The agency is taking steps to update its Web site, including adding a social-networking feature.
Seeking Visibility
Supporters say the next step for AmeriCorps is to give the program more visibility, and better demonstrate what it has accomplished.
That is tricky because AmeriCorps participants tend to identify more strongly with the charities at which they were placed than with the AmeriCorps program, says Mr. Eisner. For example, AmeriCorps members at Teach for America think of themselves as teachers.
Mr. Eisner says the corporation used to encourage this approach, seeing its role as a behind-the-scenes broker. But the agency now realizes that it needs to do more to build public support.
"The hard part has been telling a coherent national story about the impact of national service, and I think that's a real opportunity for the field going forward," says AnnMaura Connolly, senior vice president of global initiatives and strategic partnerships at City Year.
Ms. Connolly says the next step will be to show that AmeriCorps members have made a significant difference on a few select national issues, such as lowering the high-school-dropout rate. The results of the narrowed focus would motivate more Americans to join AmeriCorps, familiarize the public with the volunteer corps, and prompt more political support.
"If we were able to choose some big national goals, I think that would be both very motivating for citizens" and, she says, "it will enable us at the end of the day to say this policy idea has real legs and can really address the issues."
She says an expanded AmeriCorps could be especially effective in helping after major disasters.
"National service was one of the best stories of that whole horrible era after [Hurricane] Katrina," Ms. Connolly says. "National service has been on the ground since the day after the storm hit and remains there today in the recovery and the rebuilding process."
As of this month, 12,000 AmeriCorps members have served in the Gulf Coast, spending a total of 4.2 million hours working on relief projects. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, those members have helped coordinate the work of 368,000 additional volunteers.
Amity Tripp, executive director of AmeriCorps Alums, says she would like to establish a "reserve corps" of alumni who could be dispatched for disaster relief. "There are so many good AmeriCorps alums that are aleady trained" in disaster-recovery work, she says. "They work hard, they get the team-based approach, and a lot of our alumni are interested in being in a reserve corps already before we've even tried to start one." Copyright © 2008 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Unite For Sight's High Impact Volunteer Abroad Opportunities - Recruiting and Training The Next Generation of Leaders in Global Health
As Featured Weekly On CNN International and Recently in The New York Times
Volunteer Abroad in Summer, Fall, Winter, or Spring: http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad
India, Ghana, and Honduras
Volunteers Are Part Of Global Problem Solving And Have The Thrill Of Experiencing and Contributing To Change on the Highest Level. With The Assistance of Volunteers Like You, Unite For Sight Has Provided Eye Care to More Than 600,000
How Do I Apply? The application as well as complete details about Unite For Sight's international opportunities are available at http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroadWho Is Eligible To Volunteer Abroad?: Volunteers are 18 years and older, and there is no upper age limit. Volunteers range from undergraduate/college students to medical and optometry students, public health students and professionals, business students, filmmakers and photographers, nurses and nursing students, social workers, physician's assistants, teachers and educators, opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists.
Unite For Sight welcomes volunteers who may not have previous health or eye care experience. Volunteers receive all necessary training from Unite For Sight so that they are able to assist eye doctors with community eye outreach programs. Unite For Sight also welcomes volunteers to participate as photographers and filmmakers.
Academic Credit: The Unite For Sight international volunteer program provides unique service-learning opportunities about global health and international development through hands-on clinical service and cultural exchange. We encourage undergraduate, public health, optometry, nursing, and medical student volunteers to arrange with their university to receive academic credit for their participation in the Unite For Sight program.
What Do Volunteers Do?:
*Hands-On Clinical Service: Assist eye doctors in rural villages, refugee camps, and slums in Ghana, India, and Honduras
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*See Results: Volunteers immediately see the joy on patients' faces when their sight is restored after years of blindness.
*Entrepreneurial Volunteering: Volunteers are encouraged to be proactive and entrepreneurial to develop their own projects and programs that dovetail with Unite For Sight’s outreach programs
What Do Volunteers Say?: Hundreds of volunteer narratives, volunteer diaries, as well as videos of alumni volunteers and partner eye doctors, are available on the Unite For Sight website: http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad
NO NEW STUDENT INITIATIVES
Reminder: President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
Apply Today for the 2008 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll!
The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is an annual federal recognition program for institutions of higher education that supported meaningful student community service during the 2007-2008 academic year. Applications are now being accepted at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll. DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 23, 2008.
Applications will be reviewed based on the scope, innovation and impact of the college's service and civic engagement activities. Presidential Awards will be presented to institutions demonstrating excellence in Community Service in many areas as well as for this year's special focus: tutoring, mentoring and other services to youth from disadvantaged circumstances designed to promote high school completion and college readiness.
Winners of the 2008 Presidential Awards will be announced at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education (ACE) on February 9, 2008 in Washington, DC.
Full details of this year's Honor Roll program and an application, please visit the website at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.
RFP (Publications & Conferences)
20th Annual National Service-Learning ConferenceDo you have an outstanding service-learning program?
Do you have a message that needs to be heard?
The National Service-Learning Conference is looking for you! Proposals are currently being accepted. Come present to the largest gathering of youths and practitioners from the service-learning field including educators in k-12 and higher education, youth leaders, trainers, policy-makers, grantees, researchers, funders and many others. Young people are strongly encouraged to submit proposals. All proposals must be postmarked by September 26, 2008.
We look forward to seeing you in Nashville! To find out more about the conference, register online and download a Call for Presenters application, please visit our website at www.nylc.org/conference.
If you have any questions, you can reach us by replying to this email or calling (800) 366-6952.
The Conference Planning Team
www.nylc.org/conference
Professional Development Conferences
The National Service-Learning Conference Update
Join your friends and colleagues from around the world for The 20th Annual National Service-Learning Conference: Growing Hope, Cultivating Change.
The conference website and online registration are now open for the largest gathering of youths and practitioners involved in the service-learning movement. Held March 18-21, 2009, in Nashville, this singular event draws nearly 2,700 educators, state and federal officials, youth leaders, program coordinators, policy-makers, and representatives from community-based organizations. The conference connects participants with service-learning leaders through three days of plenary sessions, featured forums, and service-learning projects. It also provides access to new ideas and networking opportunities, with more than 150 workshops and countless opportunities for informal meetings.
Register now and save money! Early bird rates are in effect until October 31.
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