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November 3, 2011
Volume 18, No. 44
Circulation: 39,950
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YSA Partners with Monique Coleman for "What's Your M.O.?" Video Contest
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 | | What's Your M.O.? |
YSA along with Monique Coleman and GimmeMo are proud to present the What's Your M.O.? video contest for youth.
Coleman, an actress, singer, activist and United Nations Youth Champion dedicated to empowering today's youth, created What's Your Mo with YSA as a chance for teens to tell what their Mo' is, what teens are passionate about, and what they are doing to make a difference.
Contest details:
* For teens ages 13 to 18
* Videos must be :60-:90 seconds
* Submission deadline is November 11
* Videos must be uploaded to YouTube with the tag "What's Your M.O.?" and the link emailed to communications@ysa.org
The winning video will be featured on Coleman's online show at Gimmemo.com and the winner will receive a personal 15 minute Skype video call with Coleman.
Learn more at www.YSA.org/whatsyourmo
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Connect with YSA
  
YSA Funding Partners
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News From the Field
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Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week - November 12-20
Each year, one week before Thanksgiving, National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness co-sponsor National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. During this week, schools, communities, and cities take part in a nationwide effort to bring greater awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness. Participating in National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week not only brings greater awareness to your community, but also helps to promote the national endeavor to end hunger and homelessness. Learn more, download a 2011 Awareness Week manual, and register your events at: http://bit.ly/tWWKBL
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Opportunity Nation Summit - Live Stream on Friday, November 4
These are challenging times, and Americans of all beliefs and backgrounds are looking to Washington with despair. That's why Opportunity Nation is launching at a summit on November 3 and 4 in New York City, bringing together more than 500 political, business, academic, and community leaders to kick-start a national campaign to promote opportunity, social mobility, and access to the American Dream. Opportunity Nation believes in the premise that no party, ideology, or single program has all the answers to revitalize the American Dream, and that significant progress will only be made by coming together and elevating ideas we can all agree on. Learn more and watch at: http://bit.ly/uDgtqu
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Youth Service Institute 2011
Last week, nearly 300 people convened for the 8th Annual Youth Service Institute in Philadelphia, PA. Learn more about YSI and see photos from this year at www.YSA.org/institute
All workshop materials and presentations will be archived on this site in the next few weeks.
Watch a video of the Opening Plenary session featuring a discussion about outcomes with two members of YSA's Board of Directors:
- Kathy Payne, Senior Director for Education Leadership, State Farm Companies
- Ira Harkavy, Associate Vice President and Director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania
Watch a video of the Closing Plenary session featuring six outstanding youth panelists discussing "Youth Changing the World":
- Robert Hsu, University of Pennsylvania
- Zachary Bodden, HandsOn Jacksonville
- Mubarak Lawrence, Rising Sons
- Bryce Weets, Minnesota FCCLA
- Najeeba Gootee, Hanover County Department of Community Resources
- Ryan Lennon, IGESL Youth Action Council
Read "Why Are We Surprised by the Power of Youth?", a blog post reflecting on YSI (including the Youth Panel) from Andrea Cahn, Senior Director of Special Olympics Project UNIFY.
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 | 2011 Youth Service Institute
Opening Plenary Session |
 | 2011 Youth Service Institute
Closing Plenary Session |
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Grants & Awards
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Deadline Extended: November 15
State Farm is proud to team up with YSA to offer grants of up to $1,000 for service-learning projects in K-12 public schools in all fifty US states and the District of Columbia, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants encourage semester-long projects. Up to 125 grants will be awarded; at least 10-15 grants will support projects addressing teen driver safety issues. Learn more at www.YSA.org/goodneighbor
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Deadline: November 18
YSA and CNCS are proud to support up to 16 MLK Day Lead Organizers with $4,000 planning grants to coordinate Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 16, 2012) activities. This grant program is open to nonprofit organizations, K-12 schools, and colleges & universities in all 50 states and DC. Grantees will be required to engage at least 3,000 volunteers in community service or service-learning projects on MLK Day, build or strengthen partnerships with at least 5 partner organizations, and address one or more strategic issue areas. Learn more: www.YSA.org/grants/MLKDay
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Deadline: December 9
The White House Office of Public Engagement and mtvU are proud to announce the first ever Campus "Champions of Change" Challenge. The Challenge invites college and university students from across the country to demonstrate how their student led project is improving their campus community and helping America win the future. Submit an online application detailing your student-led program. The White House will select 15 finalists. The public will then have an opportunity to weigh in and vote on the top five projects. The top five finalists will be named Campus Champions of Change, featured on MTVu and MTV.com, and will be invited to the White House for a culminating event. http://1.usa.gov/t8VEex
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Deadline: December 9
The 2012 Honor Roll will accept applications in two categories for service performed during the 2010-2011 academic year: (1) General Community Service recognizes the quality of, quantity of, and commitment to community service initiatives at a college or university. (2) Special Focus Area recognizes exemplary initiatives aligned with the President's education and innovation priorities. CNCS will select six institutions - three from each category - as Presidential Award winners. All higher education institutions are welcome to apply. The winners will be announced on March 12, 2012 at the American Council on Education (ACE) Conference in Los Angeles. http://bit.ly/pjrNoL
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Everyday Young Heroes
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Meghan O'Malley
Spring Lake, NJ
YSA recognizes Meghan O'Malley of Spring Lake, New Jersey as one of our Everyday Young Heroes for her work to honor those killed on 9/11 and to raise money for a 9/11 tribute in New Jersey. Meghan was just seven years old on 9/11/01; because of her proximity to New York City, she was deeply impacted by the stories of the many New Jersey residents killed, especially parents who left behind children of her generation. This past year, she decided to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 by creating a project to honor the 746 New Jersey residents lost. Her goal was to draw attention to each of these people as individuals by having them remembered "one on one." Meghan created a project called Common Threads. Her goal was to make 746 individual bracelets, to be worn to commemorate the 9/11 tenth anniversary. Each handmade bracelet was different, but included the "common threads" of red, white, and blue. Meghan offered the bracelets for free, and accepted donations for Empty Sky, New Jersey's tribute in Liberty State Park, overlooking Ground Zero. She raised over $1300. Meg expected challenges, realizing she had to make and distribute all of the bracelets by the beginning of September. However, she didn't anticipate her biggest hurdle. In late August Hurricane Irene struck the East Coast, flooding her home and forcing her family to relocate for her senior year of high school. As they evacuated, grabbing their most prized possessions, Meghan calmly took boxes and bags of bracelet supplies with her. Despite spending the next ten days bouncing from one place to another, Meghan stayed focused on her task. Because of her tenacity, 746 wrists sported bracelets on September 11. For her efforts to honor lives lost on 9/11 through philanthropy, we honor Meghan 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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NYLC Webinar: Service-Learning and Education for Sustainability
November 10, 2011 at 4:00 Central
The U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development is pleased to offer this FREE webinar about how to engage students in relevant learning. This webinar will be offered during National Sustainability Education Week in collaboration with NYLC and will highlight promising practices that can be integrated into any classroom's present activities. The presenters, which include current teachers, will be sharing examples of service-learning as an exciting teaching strategy to meet curricular goals while helping students understand and move towards sustainability. http://bit.ly/v4z5Ym
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New Issue of NYLC's The Generator: Conduct Meaningful Service
With this issue of The Generator, NYLC explores "conduct meaningful service," the sixth step of the service-learning cycle. Learn how one southwestern Kentucky middle school was able to increase summer camp attendance and academic interest by engaging students in hands-on STEM projects. Also read how students in central Michigan are creating teen driver safety changes by rallying support for the Graduated Drivers Licensing Law and educating their peers on what these stronger restrictions mean. Also included - a Teacher Tool: Enhancing Meaning Through Documentation. Download this issue at: http://bit.ly/tMUbcx
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MLK Day Webinar: Recruiting Volunteers
The next MLK Day webinar, Recruiting Volunteers, on Wednesday, November 9 at 3:00-4:00 p.m. EST, will cover:
- Generating New Volunteers - Where to Look
- Engaging Diverse Populations (youth, students, seniors, etc...)
- Volunteer Management
- Online Resources for Volunteer Management
- Tips for Team Leaders
- Maintaining Volunteers Beyond the Day of Service
Register at: http://1.usa.gov/qH6axE
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WKCD's Kids on the Wire
For ten years, WKCD has searched the newswires for stories about adolescents making a difference, speaking up and out, contributing to their communities, and forging innovation. WKCD posts these articles, several times a week, on the "Kids on the Wire" feature of wkcd.org. Teachers might periodically bring them to their students to read and analyze: How does the article answer the "Five W's" of journalism? If they were a reporter and had been assigned the story, what questions would they ask? How might the youth in the story take their project to the next level? Teachers might also challenge students to ferret out a story about youth making a difference in their own school and community, and write about it. Check out "Kids on the Wire"--and send WKCD your ideas for classroom use. http://bit.ly/vBsUFC
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Quote of the Week
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"This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease."
- Robert F. Kennedy
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The Editors
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 Mike Minks Director of Outreach
and Innovation
Editor-in-Chief @michaelminks |  Danielle Miranda Manager of Outreach
Associate Editor |  Mike Man Manager of Outreach
Associate Editor |
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