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June 3, 2011
Volume 18, No. 22
Circulation: 39,000
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YSA Now Accepting Applications For 2012 GYSD Lead Agencies
and sodexo lead Organizers
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YSA (Youth Service America) and State Farm are proud to support up to 100 Global Youth Service Day & Semester of Service Lead Agencies for GYSD 2012 (April 20-22, 2012). Lead Agencies are local, regional, or statewide organizations across the United States, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, or New Brunswick that increase the scale, visibility, and impact of Global Youth Service Day by leading GYSD in their city, region, or state.
YSA and The Sodexo Foundation are accepting applications from organizations across the United States to serve as 2011-2012 Sodexo Lead Organizers. Sodexo Lead Organizers will work with partner organizations to engage at least 600 youth volunteers in learning about and addressing the issue of childhood hunger in their communities, beginning during Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (November 14-20) and continuing through Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) (April 20-22, 2012).
The application deadline for both programs is July 15.
Learn more below in Grants & Awards.
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News From the Field
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Largest Gathering of Volunteer and Service Leaders Convenes in New Orleans, June 6-8
As communities across the country face challenges ranging from the dropout crisis to childhood hunger to natural disasters, and as Americans look for ways to give back, volunteer service has become an essential strategy for solving community challenges. Leaders from the service sector will come together to share solutions, best practices and lessons for achieving greater impact at the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service (NCVS) in New Orleans, June 6-8. http://bit.ly/imz3h4
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World Environment Day is June 5
World Environment Day (WED), an annual event through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is June 5. People of all ages around the world celebrate WED by taking positive environmental actions, educating others and celebrating the natural world. The theme for 2011 is "Forests: Nature at Your Service." Forests cover one third of the earth's land and almost two billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods. Learn more about how you can participate at http://bit.ly/llCy0N.
YSA recommends Roots and Shoots' On the Edge campaign as a World Environment Day project. http://bit.ly/j6Mn4C
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National Summer Learning Day is June 21
This national advocacy day is a great opportunity to showcase your program and get the word out about the importance of summer learning. Host an event during the week of June 21 or anytime during the summer! Learn more, download planning resources, register your summer learning event, and find events at http://bit.ly/jSellK
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Interim Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Announced
President Obama has designated Robert Velasco, II, as Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Robert will serve in this position as the President works to identify a permanent CEO to be nominated and confirmed by the Senate. Robert has served as CNCS's Chief Operating Officer and as Chief of Program Operations. http://bit.ly/j1oAuM
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Grants & Awards
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9/11 Service-Learning YSA Grants
Deadline: June 17
Available to youth ages 5-25 and teachers/educators who work with youth ages 5-25, YSA will award 10-20 $500 or $1,000 grants to youth-led projects that address important community needs while helping youth - many of who have no first hand memory of the event - remember and honor the 9/11 victims and their families, understand the significance of the event, and commit to sustaining our democracy through service. Projects will need to address one of YSA's 9 for 9/11 - 9 lessons from the event and related ideas for service-learning projects. www.YSA.org/grants/911
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Do Something Disaster Relief Grants
Deadline: June 15
In response to the devastating tornadoes ripping across the deep south which have killed over 200 people at latest count, DoSomething.org is offering 10 special $500 grants for community action projects that directly relate to domestic disaster relief. Whether your program will help those affected by the recent southern storms or Texas wildfires, DoSomething.org will support the best ideas that will give back to communities fast. Due to flooding around the Mississippi River, the deadline has been extended through June 15th. http://bit.ly/lbpKpU
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2012 Global Youth Service Day & Semester of Service Lead Agencies
Deadline: July 15
Lead Agencies convene a planning coalition of at least 10 partner organizations that collectively engage at least 600 youth volunteers in service during Semester of Service and on GYSD, engage local media and elected officials, and plan a high profile signature project or celebration of service. Lead Agencies receive a $2,000 GYSD planning grant sponsored by State Farm, travel support to attend YSA's annual Youth Service Institute, and ongoing training and technical assistance from YSA. www.YSA.org/grants/leadagency
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Sodexo Lead Organizer YSA Grants
Deadline: July 15
Sodexo Lead Organizers will work with partner organizations to engage at least 600 youth volunteers in learning about and addressing the issue of childhood hunger in their communities, beginning during Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (November 14-20) and continuing through Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) (April 20-22, 2012). Sodexo Lead Organizers receive a $2,000 planning grant, travel and lodging for YSA's Youth Service Institute, and ongoing training and technical assistance.
www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoleadorganizer
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Everyday Young Heroes
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Ashley Rhodes-Courter
St. Petersburg, FL
Youth Service America recognizes 25 year old Ashley Rhodes-Courter from St. Petersburg, Florida, as one of our Everyday Young Heroes for her work advocating on behalf of children in the foster care system. At the age of 25, Ashley Rhodes-Courter is an internationally recognized child welfare advocate, specializing in the rights for abused, neglected, homeless, and orphaned children. Ashley grew up in an abusive foster care system herself, so she has first-hand experience and insight into the needs of this underserved population. Currently Ashley serves as a foster parent herself and is working with the American Humane Association to bring about change and awareness on a variety of child welfare issues. She has dedicated her life to work on an on-going basis both on a national and community level to increase adoptions and stop child abuse. Reliving her abuse and trauma isn't always easy, but she is dedicated to her foster children and audiences wanting to learn more about how to help. Thousands have been motivated and encouraged to volunteer for children through the Guardian ad Litem (GAL) or CASA program. Ashley served as a GAL (which is a volunteer for children in the court system) for two years before becoming a foster parent. She has helped raise millions of dollars for child welfare organizations and has shared her story across the globe. She promotes adoption and permanency and her best-selling memoir "Three Little Words" is used in classrooms for students, foster parents, policy makers, and child welfare professionals and is being made into a major motion picture. She has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, Levi's Shape What's To Come, Montel Williams, The Today Show and was even on the back of 2-million $.99 Cool Ranch Dorito Bags. For her work to provide a voice to children in the foster care system and to improve services for the most needy children, we honor Ashley as an Everyday Young Hero.
To nominate a young person who has improved their community through service to be recognized as an Everyday Young Hero, please visit www.ysa.org/awards/hero. |
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Resources & Trainings
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YSA Workshops at National Conference on Volunteering and Service
YSA staff will present two workshops at next week's National Conference on Volunteering and Service.
Inspiring a Semester of Service: Learning through Community Impact (5452)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM - Room: MCCNO 356
This session introduces a successful program in which middle-school teachers working with YSA's STEMester of Service program have demonstrated outcomes in academic achievement, through student engagement in addressing substantive community issues.. Participants will explore the elements of this comprehensive, extended service-learning program, to discover what works, what is especially challenging, what the accompanying body of research shows, and how to replicate the program in their own communities.
HEROES for Healthy Living: Engaging Youth in Combatting Childhood Obesity (5434)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Room: MCCNO 347
This session introduces UnitedHealth HEROES, a youth-led service-learning response to childhood obesity. The workshop presents outcomes and lessons learned from more than 600 youth projects in a unique corporate/nonprofit service-learning partnership, empowering young people across America to address this critical problem affecting them. Supported by microgrants and a service-learning curriculum module, children and youth are improving their own health and that of their peers, families and communities.
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National Conference on Citizenship
The 66th Annual National Conference on Citizenship is heading out of Washington DC for the first time, starting in Philadelphia on September 15 and concluding in Arizona September 22-23. The theme is "Redefining America's Social Compact" and will delve into the revised roles of the citizenry, business, nonprofits, and government in a 21st Century democracy. Learn more: http://bit.ly/moq8T7
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Youth Engagement in Grad Nation
America's Promise Alliance hosted a free webinar to explore the power of student-to-student experiences as effective youth engagement. Presenters discussed local and national models that are all fostering leadership development and promoting positive attitudes towards education through positive peer pressure. The webinar also explored the valuable role youth play in building a Grad Nation. Download the webinar recording: http://bit.ly/mE5SIb
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Quote of the Week
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"Great people talk about ideas. Average people talk about things. Small people talk about other people."
- Anonymous
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The Editors
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 Mike Minks Director of Outreach
Editor-in-Chief |  Danielle Miranda Manager of Outreach
Associate Editor |  Mike Man Manager of Outreach
Associate Editor |
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