July 14, 2011

Volume 18, No. 28

Circulation: 39,950

YSA and Sodexo Support Youth, Schools, and Organizations Taking Hunger Personally

Sodexo Foundation

17 million children in the U.S. - 1 in 4 children - are at risk of hunger.

YSA and the Sodexo Foundation are supporting youth, schools, and community organizations' efforts to end childhood hunger in America.

Sodexo Lead Organizer Grants - $2,000 grants for organizations to lead community-wide efforts to fight childhood hunger for Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2012)
Sodexo School Engagement Grants - $5,000 grants for K-12 educators to engage their students in taking hunger personally during a Semester of Service
Sodexo Youth Grants - $500 grants for youth-led projects to fight childhood hunger during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 13-20, 2011)

Learn more about all three programs in the Grants & Awards section below or at www.YSA.org/grants

Connect with YSA

YSA Funding Partners

Corporation for National and Community Service

News From the Field

End Hunger Portal

The USDA and the Corporation for National and Community Service have joined together to help you find volunteer opportunities to fight hunger in your community. You can also find out more about hunger in the U.S. and learn how to start your own project with toolkits. http://bit.ly/npZb2G

Individuals, groups, and organizations can also partner with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to end hunger in your community. Learn more at: http://1.usa.gov/nyj5JV

No Kid Hungry in Summer

Although 21 million kids in the U.S. rely on a free or reduced-price school lunch during the school year, less than 3 million get summer meals when schools are closed. Find out how you can help. http://bit.ly/ofgvgR One way to help is to "Bake a Difference this Summer." Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale is a great way to raise awareness and make an impact in your community. Plus, it's the perfect summer activity for the entire family! Find out how you can get started now. http://bit.ly/oqJxGy

LikeMinded Connects Leaders with Ideas for Local Change

Over the past year, Craigslist Foundation has been working on LikeMinded, a new online tool for local change makers that recently launched. LikeMinded will collect stories of local innovations, success, and sometimes even failures and help information get where it needs to go. The service is free and no login is needed to discover local stories. LikeMinded was built especially for people who want to change something in their community but don't know where to start. It's also for leaders of successful community projects to get credit for their good work and inspire others. http://likeminded.org/

YSA Hiring for Three Positions

YSA is currently accepting applications for three positions, including:

Development Director - to implement a development strategy to increase the organizational budget by 20% a year through diverse funding streams.

Special Assistant to the President - to coordinate the responsibilities and activities of the President & CEO

Web Designer - to lead in the design, development and maintenance of all online properties

Learn more about these positions and how to apply at: http://bit.ly/pjtZxt

Grants & Awards

2012 Global Youth Service Day & Semester of Service Lead Agencies

Deadline Extended: July 22

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

Sodexo Lead Organizer Grants

Deadline Extended: July 22

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

STEMester of Service YSA Grants

Deadline: August 8

YSA is seeking middle schools with large populations of disadvantaged youth in the 19 states with highest dropout rates (AK, AZ, CA, CO, DE, DC, GA, HI, IL, LA, MI, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, RI, WA, WY). Grantees will engage students in a STEMester of Service addressing critical environmental and disaster preparedness needs and connecting them to STEM curricula. The $5,000 grant supports sustainable service projects that launch on MLK Day of Service (January 16, 2012) and culminate on GYSD (April 20-22, 2012). www.YSA.org/grants/stemester

Sodexo School Engagement Grants

Deadline: August 15

The Sodexo School Engagement grant program will support teachers and students, grades K-12, in learning about the incidence of childhood hunger in their community, and in leading meaningful activities that facilitate access to nutritious food for all children, especially those most at risk. The program will be implemented through a service-learning "Semester of Service" focused on childhood hunger that launches on MLK Day of Service (January 16, 2012) and culminates on GYSD (April 20-22, 2012).. 11 grantees will receive a $5,000 planning grant. www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoschool

The Global Green USA's Green School Makeover Competition

Deadline: September 30

Would you like to give your school a 'Green School makeover'? If so, Global Green USA wants to hear about it! To enter 'The Global Green USA's Green School Makeover Competition', work on an essay with a teacher, a parent, or your school's PTA. The winner of the contest will win the grand prize, a $65,000 'Global Green USA Green Makeover' for their school. Global Green USA will also award four finalists $2,500 to be used on green projects within their school. http://bit.ly/mxlHiY

Sodexo Youth Grants

Deadline: September 16

YSA will award 25 Sodexo Youth Grants of $500 each to support youth-led service projects in the United States that address the issue of childhood hunger during National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (November 13-20, 2011). We're looking for projects that engage your peers, friends, families, neighbors, Sodexo employees, and other community members in creative, youth-inspired solutions to ending childhood hunger in your community. Learn more at www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoyouth

Everyday Young Heroes

Morgan Bowen

Americus, GA

YSA recognizes seventeen year old Morgan Bowen of Americus, Georgia, as one of our Everyday Young Heroes for her work to provide support for troops deployed overseas.

Operation Desert Support (ODS) is a project that Morgan started in 2008 to show support to our deployed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through ODS, stockings are sent overseas to the troops for Christmas. The stockings are handmade and decorate, and stuffed with items donated from the community. In 2008, ODS sent stockings to 80 troops serving overseas. Last Christmas, 630 American troops received stockings to remind them they are loved and appreciated. Collectively, the stockings were filled with $11,453 worth of donated items weighing 1487 pounds.

Morgan's project would not be possible without the support of community volunteers or donors. In addition to the 230 hours that Morgan personally contributed in 2010, volunteers contributed an additional 1,553 hours of volunteer time. Civilians, military families, and veterans have worked together while decorating stockings to send to deployed troops. Their work was supported by donations from the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, The Georgia Peanut Commission, Family Talk, Military Ministry, and the National Day of Prayer.

Morgan plans to continue her work in the future and states that "pulling the community together for one common goal - showing appreciation for our troops, and the fact that so many people donate items, money, and/or their time to make and decorate stocking in such unique ways is the heart of ODS". For her continued work to support our troops, we honor Morgan 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.

Resources & Trainings

Youth Engagement = Student Success

In a recent column, youth development expert Karen Pittman argues that engaging students in decision-making isn't just a feel-good add-on for programs. Engaging students fosters their individual success and also delivers long-term payoffs for others, and for society as a whole. http://bit.ly/pUdPmf

Boosting Youth Employment with National Service Programs

A Center for American Progress series featuring "job creation ideas that can fit squarely within the fiscal bounds of the political climate today in Washington" recently featured an article by Shirley Sagawa that explains how national service programs help American youth enter the workforce while serving our country and why these programs are key to our national economic competitiveness. http://bit.ly/rhOkIZ

A Generation with Solutions

"When it comes to tackling the issue of youth unemployment, it's not enough just to say we want help. We also need to offer solutions. Enter the Young Entrepreneurs Agenda from Young Invincibles. ... Last month, with the help of young adults across the country, Young Invincibles released a young entrepreneurs agenda with specific proposals on how to help young would-be business owners - anyone from the next tech giant to the neighborhood pizza joint proprietor - succeed and overcome the hurdles they face." http://bit.ly/nm4uno