Apply for a YSA Grant Today! Deadlines Approaching

Get Ur Good On Grants
Deadline: May 27 

If you're ready to make a positive impact in your community, Miley Cyrus and her friends at YSA want to help! With $500 Get Ur Good On Grants, you'll have the inspiration, project support, and necessary funding to turn your idea into a reality. Kids and young adults ages 5-25 worldwide are eligible to apply for a $500 Get Ur Good On Grant to support youth-led projects. Projects must address a demonstrated community need or issue, and must take place during June, July and/or August 2012.  www.YSA.org/grants/gurgo           

State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grants
Deadline: May 31 

State Farm™ is proud to team up with YSA to offer grants of up to $1,000 for programs enhancing student achievement through service-learning in K-12 public schools in all fifty US states, the District of Columbia, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. Each grant engages participating teachers and students in a service and learning program that promotes academic achievement, workplace readiness, and stronger communities. The State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grant requires a 12 to 14 week Semester of Service™. www.YSA.org/goodneighbor  

Up to 15 of these grants will be reserved for projects addressing the issue of teen driver safety.  Apply today! 

Connect with YSA

YSA Funding Partners

News From the Field

YSA List: 25 Most Powerful and Influential Young People

Sponsored by: 

All of the 25 members of the inaugural YSA List of the 25 Most Powerful and Influential Young People in the world have now been announced on The Huffington Post. Read blog posts from each of the honorees at: http://huff.to/K93I1g  

The final honorees announced in the last week include: Maren Johnson from South Dakota, Valens Ntamushobora from Rwanda, Marita Cheng from Australia, and Mohammed Barry from South Africa.
This summer, YSA will select and announce 5 of the honorees to attend and speak at the Youth Service Institute in Houston, TX on October 17-19.

Take Part: 30 Ways in 30 Days

Fighting Childhood Cancer One Cup at a Time: Lemonade Days - June 8-10

Thousands of volunteers, young and old, help put a squeeze on childhood cancer. With stands and events from coast to coast, National Lemonade Days is a meaningful fundraiser that allows people of all ages and all walks of life to make a difference in the battle against childhood cancer. This three day event takes place annually and raises over $1 million for childhood cancer research.   Be a part of this annual June tradition, and hold an Alex's Lemonade Stand in your community! Anyone can participate, simply pick which of the days you plan to hold your stand and register.  You will get your very own fundraising page and receive a box of materials to help with your stand. http://bit.ly/JWg9zl  

Together for Tomorrow Challenge

The Together for Tomorrow School Improvement Challenge invites schools, national service programs, higher education institutions, and community-based organizations to work together to propel improvement of our lowest-performing schools by raising key measurable student outcomes: Attendance, Behavior, Course performance and College access, known as the ABCs. Plans can be submitted to catalyze new partnerships as well as spotlight and expand exemplary initiatives already working to raise student achievement and strengthen a community culture of educational success. The Challenge is not a new grant program, but rather an approach to better coordinate  resources and efforts. http://bit.ly/JlNxBN  

Grants & Awards 

Disney Friends for Change Grants - United Kingdom

Deadline: June 21

Disney Friends for Change Grants offer young people across the United Kingdom an opportunity to receive a £750 grant to help make a lasting, positive change in the world. Whether you are passionate about protecting the planet, providing meals to those who need them, or giving kids just like you the resources to star in their own play, be an athlete or an artist, you can be a Friend for Change!  Whatever your interests, a Disney Friends for Change Grant can help you make a difference for people, communities and the planet. Youth ages 5-18 located in  the United Kingdom are eligible to apply for the £750 grants. http://bit.ly/JzNduh   

Disney Amigos por el Mundo Grants - Latin America

Deadline: July 1

Disney Amigos por el Mundo Grants offer young change-makers the chance to receive a $1,000 USD grant to help make a lasting, positive change in the world. Whether you want to protect the planet, feed the hungry, or develop a road safety campaign in your community, you can be a Friend for Change!  Whatever your interests, a Disney Amigos por el Mundo Grant can help you make a difference for people, communities and the planet. Youth ages 5-18 located in Latin America are eligible to apply for a $1,000 USD grant. http://bit.ly/wYeWdb 

 

Best Buy Community Grants

Deadline: July 1

Through the Community Grants program, Best Buy teams across the United States select non-profit organizations that give teens access to opportunities through technology to help them excel in school and develop 21st century skills. This year, the Best Buy Children's Foundation will give $2.8 million in Community Grants. Grant amounts will average $4,000 - $6,000 and will not exceed $10,000. Best Buy seeks applications from 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and public agencies that have tax-exempt status. Location must be with 50 miles of a Best Buy store or other Best Buy center of operations (e.g., corporate headquarters) to allow for Best Buy employee volunteers. http://bit.ly/JzSi5S    

Home Depot Community Impact Grants

Deadline: August 13

Grants, up to $5,000, are available to registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, public schools, or tax-exempt public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their community.  Grants are given in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services. More competitive grant proposals will specifically identify projects for veterans and will include housing repairs, modifications, and weatherization work. Once grant applications are reviewed, all applicants will receive a written response within six weeks of receipt of a request. http://bit.ly/eIis5T     

Resources & Trainings

National Youth Leadership Training Application Deadline Extended to 5/25

For youth, the National Youth Leadership Training is a life-changing week of adventure, self-discovery, cultural exchange, leadership-building, and service. Adult mentors gain the skills needed to support these youth in creating a year-long plan of action. Throughout the week, participants learn leadership skills they can use back home to tackle pressing issues in their communities. Both youth and their adult mentors explore and practice these skills with trained facilitators using NYLC's Smart. Youth Solutions to the Achievement Gap™.  This innovative training first builds a framework for understanding educational inequity, then empowers youth with strategies to take ownership of this issue. Equipped with tools and adult allies, youth leave inspired to become the solution. http://bit.ly/h5pZKy

GenerationOn Webinar: Here Comes the Sun! June Moments of Service

This month, join generationOn and Alex's Lemonade Stand for a free, live webinar based around June Moments of Service that will highlight service and service-learning opportunities and ideas for National Lemonade Days and World Refugee Day. Through this webinar, participants will hear about Alex's Lemonade Stand, a national foundation supporting youth engaged in fundraising for childhood cancer research, and learn how to participate in National Lemonade Days - a nationwide event that has raised more than $1 million for childhood cancer research one cup at a time. Additionally, service-learning lesson plans will be discussed from generationOn's partnership with UNHCR to share ideas with how to get youth involved in World Refugee Day on June 20th. http://bit.ly/JzRYc1

Civics in a Minute Videos

TakePart LLC, a digital media organization and cause services agency, has created a series of 1-2 min. videos that aim to show viewers how various government and elections processes work. Find quick hits on topics like SuperPACs, the Electoral College, and who picks the Vice President. http://bit.ly/Jk9Irh   

Students at the Center: "Motivation, Engagement, and Student Voice"

What motivates students to engage in learning and achieve academic success? The authors synthesize research on achievement motivation, school engagement, and student voice, concluding that the more educators use student-centered approaches to reinforce student agency, the more motivation and engagement are likely to rise. http://bit.ly/LgWz3q   

Service Calendars

Conferences & Events

National Faith-Based Service-Learning Conference 

May 31 - June 2, 2012 - Grantham, PA    

National Conference on Volunteering & Service 

June 18-20, 2012 - Chicago, IL    

International Conference on Service-Learning in Teacher Education 

June 21-23, 2012 - Durham, NC  

International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement Conference 

September 23-25, 2012 - Baltimore, MD

YSA's Youth Service Institute 

October 17-19, 2012 - Houston, TX  

Summer Changes Everything National Conference 

October 22-24, 2012 - Pittsburgh, PA

Seasons of Service

 
May 2012 

National Foster Care Month - May
Older Americans Month - May
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - May
Global Youth Traffic Safety Month - May
National Preservation Month - May  
National Family Month - May 13-June 17 (Mother's Day-Father's Day)
World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development - May 21
National Missing Children's Day - May 25
World No Tobacco Day - May 31  

Song of the Week

Fleetwood Mac - "Don't Stop" 

The Editor