It is the responsibility of every adult - parent, teacher, school counselor - to engage youth involved in risky activities by reaching out to them and promoting peace and antiviolence, imbuing them with a sense of personal responsibility and helping them re-enter into positive, productive citizenship. Louis Gossett Jr. takes this responsibility to heart and believes that by educating and enriching communities through after-school programs that provide mentoring and tutorial services, we can nurture the academic and emotional development of children from diverse communities. Through his Eracism Foundation, Gossett has sought to enrich communities and promote diversity through a series of documentaries, psychodramas, plays and interactive videos addressing the historical contributions and current relevance of these efforts in improving the quality of life among today's youth. A parent, advocate, activist and Academy-Award-winning actor, Gossett is deeply committed to his message that our children are the most important investment for our future.

Come hear Gossett share his vision at the ASCA Annual Conference, June 28-July 1, 2009, in Dallas.

Stay on top of education-related news with the ASCA Weekly Wrapup. This new e-news brief provides a concise listing of the week's top education-related headlines and issues. You should have already received your first few issues of ASCA Weekly Wrapup. If not, log in to the ASCA Web site, click on "update personal information" and make sure you have selected "Weekly Wrapup e-mail." We hope you enjoy this new member benefit. However, if you no longer wish to receive it, simply click on "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the next issue of ASCA Weekly Wrapup you receive.

Chances are you can name one or two people who pointed you in the right direction in your career. For thousands of University of Missouri school counseling alumni, that person is Norm Gysbers, Ph.D., curators professor of educational, school and counseling psychology. The University of Missouri recently honored Gysbers by establishing an endowment for graduate student assistantships in his honor. ASCA recently made a donation to the endowment in thanks for all the work Gysbers has done to advance the school counseling profession. If you would like to make a donation as well, call (573) 882-5111 or e-mail giving2mu@missouri.edu.

As ASCA continues exploring how to expand member benefits and communications vehicles, we're examining various Web-related options. Please take a few moments to fill out our survey about your experiences with social networking tools.

Looking for a school counseling job? There's no denying it, this is a tough time to be in the job search market. ASCA wants to help give you all the tools possible to help you in your search. So we've added a new session to the ASCA Annual Conference line up: Job Seeking Tips in Today's Economy. Hear from school counseling directors and a principal about what they look for when interviewing candidates. Get some solid tips on how to make your resume rise to the top of the pile. Focus on what to say - and not to say - during an interview.

ASCA has added a number of new publications to its online store, all available at a discount to members. The books cover topics from career guidance to middle school success, detached students to response to intervention and more. Some titles include:
· A Counselor's Guide to Career Assessment Instruments
· Group Career Counseling
· Social Competence Intervention Program: A Drama-Based Intervention for Youth on the Autism Spectrum
· Strengths-Based Career Development for School Guidance and Counseling Programs · and much more

May 1: Deadline for discounted conference registration
July 17: School Counselor of the Year nominations deadline
Oct. 15: ASCA Foundation Scholarship applications due

Financial Responsibility Curriculum Available: America's Promise Alliance has released $aving Our Futures: A Financial Responsibility Program for Young People, an online curriculum that teaches middle level and high school students about financial responsibility and how to advocate for smarter money management in their homes, communities and from elected officials. The curriculum is aligned with I.O.U.S.A, a documentary about the country's addiction to debt. The free curriculum also includes an extensive resources section and provides opportunities for quality service learning projects. Download the curriculum.

Learn About College Financial Aid and Earn CEUs for Free: NT4CM provides free training and support for school counselors to help students and their families prepare financially for college. Professional trainers provide comprehensive, up-to-date information regarding federal and state student aid programs, scholarship searches and financial aid fraud. Learn how to access free resources such as fact sheets, brochures and PowerPoint presentations. The next training is May 28, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Washington, D.C To register, visit http://www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/clcf/NT4CMindex.html, choose "State Training Programs," and then go to District of Columbia.

"Engaging the Whole Child" for Free: The Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development has launched a 300-plus page e-book, "Engaging the Whole Child: Reflections on Best Practice," for free download between now and May 6. The e-book sections on inspiring trust and confidence, deepening students' thinking, building motivation, student empowerment, and more. There is also a study guide included in the download. After May 6, the book it will become a for-purchase item in the ASCD Online Store.

Researching Teen Drinking: George Mason University has a research project, "Understanding the Cultures of Teen Drinking," and part of the methodology is online Community Leader Survey. Please take a few moments to complete the survey. This project will help researchers understand the culture surrounding teens' use of alcohol and provide helpful for insights about prevention and intervention efforts.

Career Development Survey: If you haven't participated in the Career Development Survey yet, please do so now. The 35 item online survey which will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please click on this link (or copy and paste it into your web browser). We need all practicing school counselors to respond. The password is: Career. This survey will provide valuable information about school counselors' perceptions, roles and functions providing career development services.

Century Council Partners with Girl Talk: The Century Council is proud to announce a new partnership with Girl Talk, a peer-to-peer- mentoring program offering positive weekly meetings, community service projects and friendship building activities. Girl Talk is led by high school girls who serves as mentors to middle school girls. Through mentoring they develop key leadership skills they will use throughout life. Girl Talk and its curriculum are free to any school who truly wants to make a difference in the lives of its middle school girls. It only takes one adult and one high school girl to start a chapter. Start a chapter or download the Girl Talk handbook.

GLSEN Study Finds Transgender Youth Face Harassment: Transgender youth face extremely high levels of victimization in school, even more so than their non-transgender lesbian, gay and bisexual peers, according to "Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools," the first comprehensive study on transgender students, recently released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. View the full report.