A WEEKLY PUBLICATION OF
Published for the Service and Service-Learning Field Since 1994
|
December 22, 2009 - Volume 16 #49 - Circulation: 32,400
|
|
Share the NSB
|
|
|
|
SPECIAL EDITION
TOP SERVICE STORIES OF 2009
As we wrap up 2009, Youth Service America offers a look back at the biggest service stories of the year. |
|
|
TOP 10 SERVICE STORIES OF 2009
|
|
Largest King Day of Service Ever
Fueled by President Obama's call to service, the 2009 King Day of Service experienced a historic level of participation, as Americans
across the country honored Dr. King by serving their communities on the
January 19 King Holiday. In total, more than 13,000 projects took
place, more than doubling 2008's record of 5,000 projects.
Friends of National Service Awards
On February 10, 2009, more than 600 friends and supporters of national
service gathered in the nation's capital to celebrate and honor elected officials and private citizens who have worked to protect and expand
national service opportunities for all Americans.
National Service-Learning Conference
NYLC hosted the 20th Annual National Service-Learning Conference in Nashville on at March 18-21. The conference is the
largest gathering of youths and practitioners involved in the
service-learning movement, drawing approximately 2,700 attendees from
across the United States and at least 20 other countries each year.
Through three days of general sessions, featured forums, and
service-learning projects, the conference engaged participants in
local, national, and global issues that service-learning addresses. The 21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference -
Inspire. Imagine. Innovate! will be held March 24-27, 2010 in San Jose, CA.
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
On April 21, President Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act at an elementary school in Washington DC. The Serve America Act is landmark legislation that charges the
Corporation for National and Community Service and its partners to
dramatically expand opportunities for Americans to serve, to focus on
critical national issues, to be a catalyst for social innovation, and
to support the nonprofit sector.
United We Serve
Launched by First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, running through the summer, and culminating on September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, the United We Serve campaign harnessed the power of volunteering and service to
meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn.
Service Takes Over Television
The Entertainment Industry Foundation mobilized the
entertainment community around the iParticipate campaign designed to
inspire a new era of service and volunteerism. As a centerpiece for this initiative, EIF enlisted major
broadcast networks including, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, for an
unprecedented, week-long television event in October.
National Learn and Serve Challenge
The National Learn and Serve Challenge Week kicked off a school-year long service-learning campaign calling on young people to apply their education by
using service-learning to create and implement innovative solutions to
problems within five priority areas: Community renewal, including responding to the economic
crisis; Education, including literacy and keeping kids in school;
Energy and the environment; Health and nutrition; and Safety and
security.
Presidential Forum on Service
On October 16, President Barack Obama joined President George H. W. Bush in honoring
individual service and celebrating volunteerism's tremendous gains
during the past two decades under the Points of Light leadership. Points of Light Presidential Forum Panelists included Gregg Petersmeyer, who implemented Points of Light
as staff member for President Bush; Harris Wofford, former U.S. Senator
and former CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service; Stephen
Goldsmith, Corporation for National and Community Service; and Sonal
Shah, head of the White House Office of Social Innovation. Petersmeyer, Wofford, and Shah also spoke on a panel with John Bridgeland (Administration of President George W. Bush) at YSA's Youth Service Institute earlier in the month of October.
Mayors Commit to Cities of Service
Cities of Service is a bi-partisan coalition of the mayors of large and
small cities from across our country who will work together to engage
citizens to address the great challenges of our time. Founded in New
York City on September 10, the coalition and its member cities will
respond to the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act's historic call to
action by finding new and innovative ways to harness the power of
volunteers to help solve pressing local challenges. At least 46 mayors have now committed.
Corporation for National and Community Service Gets New CEO and Budget Increase
President Obama nominated Patrick Corvington, a recognized expert on non-profit sector
leadership and capacity issues, new and emerging philanthropy, and
volunteerism. He is currently a Senior Associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Senate H.E.L.P committee has approved his nomination and will now be sent to te full Senate for approval. Congress also approved an historic budget increase for CNCS, approving $1.149 billion to start to implement new programs authorized by the Serve America Act. YSA thanks Nicola Goren for her exemplary service as the Acting CEO of CNCS throughout 2009.
|
TOP 10 YOUTH SERVICE AMERICA STORIES OF 2009
|
|
Semester of Service Launches on King Day of Service
On MLK Day, January 19, Youth Service America launched Semester of Service, an initiative linking the MLK Day of service with the largest
service event in the world, Global Youth Service Day in April. In total, approximately 37,000 students
ages 5-25 participated in semester-long service projects, serving over 420,000 hours and 600,000 people, addressing important problems in their communities. Semester of Service also coincided with President Obama's first 100 days in office. YSA asked, "What will you do in the first 100 days?"
Harris Wofford Awards
In the spirit of Harris Wofford's goal of "making service and service-learning the
common expectation and the common experience of every young person on
America," the awards recognize extraordinary achievements in four
categories: Youth, Organizations, Media, and Public Officials. In 2009, YSA honored Talia Leman, age 14, founder of RandomKid; the National Education Association, Country Music Television, and Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
YSA Grants Support 450 Schools & Organizations
Youth Service America distributed 450 grants to nonprofit and community-based organizations, schools, afterschool programs, and young people, including 100 State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants, 140 Disney Minnie Grants, 100 UnitedHealth HEROES Service-Learning Grants, 5 Dollars for Change Grants, 30 National Education Association Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants, and 75 GYSD Lead Agency Grants.
Elected Officials Support Global Youth Service Day & Semester of Service
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act recognized Global Youth Service Day as a national day of service and authorized
a new Semester of Service program within Learn and Serve America. For the 7th year in a row, Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced a U.S. Senate Resolution honoring Global Youth Service Day. 35 U.S. Senators joined her as
co-sponsors. For
the first year, Representative Rosa DeLauro introduced a U.S. House Resolution
honoring GYSD along with 31 co-sponsors. 30 Governors issued
proclamations recognizing GYSD.
Global Youth Service Day
Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and
mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their
communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. It is the largest service event in the world, and the only one that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of children and youth to their communities and the world. On April 24-26, 2009, over one million young people participated in over 2,000 projects in more than 100 countries. YSA worked with 50 International Partners, 150+ National Partners, 75 Lead Agencies, hundreds of grantees, media partners, and celebrity spokespeople.
YSA Welcomes New Vice President of Education
YSA welcomed Susan Abravanel as Vice President of Education on July 1. In this newly-created
position, Susan has led development of new tools for school and community-based educators, including the GoToServiceLearning lesson plan database and resources like the Semester of Service planning calendar and 55 Environmental Service-Learning Projects tipsheet.
8 for 9/11
As we approached the 8th-year anniversary of 9/11, we were challenged to
explain the significance of the event to America's young people - most
of whom have no first-hand memory of the occasion. Youth Service
America, designated as the official youth partner of the September 11th
National Day of Service and Remembrance, offersed its experience in
engaging children and youth by suggesting eight lessons from the event and related ideas for service and service-learning projects. YSA launched it's 09-10 program year on 9/11 at a DC elementary school with a STEM-focused lesson led by NASA Administrator Bolden reading books donated from Scholastic.
Get Ur Good On Launches
Miley Cyrus and YSA launched GET UR GOOD ON™,
an online network of youth supporting each other in their mission to do
"good" in their communities. Involving celebrities, multimedia
platforms, and opportunities for grants and awards, GET UR GOOD ON
provides youth a platform to learn about, create, and implement
innovative solutions to global issues.
YSA Receives 3-Year Grant for STEMester of Service
YSA was selected by the Corporation for
National and Community Service as one of ten grant recipients for the
2009 Learn and Serve America School-Based Grant. YSA will work with 25 middle schools to engage students in a STEMester of Service, a semester-long service-learning program focused on STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and math) subjects.
2010 Lead Agencies Announced, Convened at Youth Service Institute
2010 Global Youth Service Day and Semester of Service Lead Agencies were announced in August and convened at the 6th Annual Youth Service Institute in Washington, DC on October 7-9. The Opening Plenary featured service leaders from the last four Administrations, including Sonal Shah, Director, White House Domestic Policy Council's Office of
Social Innovation and Civic Participation (Administration of Barack
Obama); John Bridgeland, President and CEO of Civic Enterprises and former
Assistant to the President of the United States and the first Director
of the USA Freedom Corps (Administration of President George W. Bush); Harris Wofford, Youth Service America board member and former CEO of
the Corporation for National and Community Service (Administration of
President Bill Clinton); and C. Gregg Petersmeyer, former Assistant to the President and Director
of the Office of National Service (Administration of George H.W. Bush). |
Best, 
Michael Minks
Director of Outreach
National Service Briefing Editor-in-Chief
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.
|
Connect to Youth Service America
|
|
     
|
|
Join our list
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
