Over $285,000 in YSA Grants Available for Organizations

YSA is currently accepting applications for our 2012-2013 Lead Partner programs, including:

• Global Youth Service Day Lead Agencies - Program to engage at least 10 partners and 600 youth volunteers in service or service-learning on Global Youth Service Day (April 26-28, 2013). 100 $2,000 grants available. 
• Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizers - Program to engage at least 10 partners and 600 youth volunteers in service or service-learning around the issue of childhood hunger during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and on Global Youth Service Day. 12 $2,000 grants available.   
• MLK Day Lead Organizers - Program to engage at least 10 partners and 3,000 youth and adult volunteers in service or service-learning on MLK Day with an emphasis on engaging and serving veterans and military families. Up to 16 $4,000 grants available, based on available funding.  
• YSA Community Organizers - Program to engage at least 5 partners and 100 youth volunteers in service or service-learning on Global Youth Service Day. No financial assistance.   

Learn more about all of these programs, and access the Lead Partner programs application at www.YSA.org/grants   

Whether you're a kid, teen, educator, or adult mentor, YSA Grants power youth-led service and service-learning projects with funding, training, and resource support. Through YSA Grants, you can harness the creativity, energy and unique perspective of young people to grow stronger communities, foster student achievement, and build workplace readiness skills. Each year, YSA supports youth-led service with over $1 million in YSA Grants.  

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YSA Funding Partners

News From the Field

National Summer Learning Day - June 21

Join communities across the country in celebrating the importance of summer learning on June 21. Summer Learning Day is supported by elected officials and policymakers, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, universities, museums, libraries and summer camps across the country. 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!  Don't forget to put your Summer Learning Day event on the national map at http://bit.ly/jSellK   

"National Service Ignored In 2012 Candidates' Discussion Of Jobs Crisis"

Read Amanda Terkel's hard-hitting piece chronicling President Obama and Governor Romney's track record on national service: http://huff.to/KNYUzs
National service is facing a number of threats, but ambiguity from our top elected officials shouldn't be one of them. Do you want to hear more from the 2012 presidential candidates about where they stand on national service?  If so, help spread the word about this article: please Like or ReTweet this article to your followers and ask them to do the same.

Commencement Speeches

It's commencement season, and the call to serve and do great things is a common theme.  

Fareed Zakaria shares "Reasons for optimism in today's world": "So, when we look at the problems we face - economic crises, terrorism, climate change, resource scarcity - keep in mind that these problems are real, but also that the human reaction and response to them will also be real. We can more easily map out the big problem than the thousands of individual actions governments, firms, organizations, and people will take that will constitute the solution." http://bit.ly/M31gvi   

For more, check out "The 18 Best Commencement Speeches of 2012" compiled by ABC News at http://abcn.ws/L1MBO6 or "2012's 'best' commencement speeches. So far." compiled by The Guardian at http://bit.ly/KCkMzk        

ServeNext and Our Time Launch One Million New Jobs Campaign

Tell the candidates and Members of congress: Create one million new jobs by expanding national service.  

Dear President Obama and Governor Romney:

Our country needs nurses, teachers, disaster relief workers, park restoration, infrastructure repair, and more. Yet 1 in 2 young Americans are currently jobless or underemployed.

A generation is a terrible thing to waste. Pledge to create one million new national service positions by expanding programs such as AmeriCorps, VISTA, City Year, Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, and others so we can serve and rebuild our country now.

Sincerely,

[Your Name] Sign at: http://bit.ly/L129Ai   

Grants & Awards 

Global Youth Service Day Lead Agency Grants

Deadline: July 15

YSA and State Farm are proud to support up to 100 Global Youth Service Day Lead Agencies for GYSD 2013 (April 26-28, 2013). GYSD Lead Agencies are local, regional, or statewide organizations across the United States, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, or New Brunswick that lead GYSD in their city, region, or state. Lead Agencies convene a coalition of at least 10 partner organizations that collectively engage at least 600 youth volunteers in service on GYSD, engage local media and elected officials, and plan a high profile signature project or celebration of service. GYSD Lead Agencies will receive a $2,000 grant provided by State Farm, a travel stipend to attend the Youth Service Institute, and ongoing training and technical assistance from YSA.  www.YSA.org/grants/leadagency   

Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizer Grants

Deadline: July 15

Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizers will work with 10 or more partner organizations to engage at least 600 youth volunteers in learning about and addressing the issue of childhood hunger in their communities, beginning during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, November 10-17, 2012, and continuing through Global Youth Service Day, April 26-28, 2013. Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizers will also build new partnerships in their community and increase public awareness about the issue of childhood hunger and young people's role in solving the problem. Up to 12 organizations will receive $2,000 grants as well as travel and lodging expenses for the Youth Service Institute provided by the Sodexo Foundation. www.YSA.org/grants/SodexoLeadOrganizer   

MLK Day Lead Organizer Grants

Deadline: July 15

YSA and CNCS  are proud to support up to 16 MLK Day Lead Organizers to coordinate Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 21, 2013) activities. The goal of the MLK Day Lead Organizers program is to engage youth and adult volunteers on Martin Luther King Day of Service by encouraging families to serve together. MLK Day Lead Organizers will convene a coalition of at least 10 partner organizations that collectively engage at least 3,000 youth and adult volunteers in service on MLK Day, including projects that both engage and serve veterans and military families. MLK Day Lead Organizers will receive a $4,000 grant as well as ongoing training and technical assistance from YSA. www.YSA.org/grants/MLKDay                 

Environmental Solutions for Communities Grant Program

Deadline: July 2

Wells Fargo and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation seek to promote sustainable communities through Environmental Solutions for Communities by supporting projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. Eligible applicants include: non-profit 501(c) organizations; state, tribal, provincial and local governments; and educational institutions working in states and communities where Wells Fargo operates. Grant awards will typically range from $25,000 to $250,000. http://bit.ly/LjLJ7Y   

Resources & Trainings

NYLC Webinar: Activating Youth to Tackle Big Issues with YSA

Tuesday, June 5 @ 12:00pm Central

Join NYLC and YSA (Youth Service America) on June 5, 2012 for this webinar to learn about YSA's model for youth leadership through service and how you can get involved. Since 1986 YSA (Youth Service America) has been mobilizing youth, teachers, and community organizers in service.  Through mobilizing campaigns, service-learning grants, and resources YSA engaged more than 550,000 young people in 2011. Participants in this webinar will learn more about YSA's global programs and how you and your youth can get more involved. http://bit.ly/Ket7bL  

YSA at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service

Going to NCVS? Visit YSA at Booth #504 in the exhibit hall for info about open and upcoming YSA Grants, YSA Resources, and other service and service-learning opportunities for youth. Plus, don't miss YSA Presentations, including:
Best Practices for Service-Learning Programs: Engaging the Learner

Presented by Susan Abravanel, YSA Vice President of Education, and Shelley Billig, RMC Research

Service-learning can be enormously successful, but only if the experiences are meaningful for the learner. In this session, several projects with the highest outcomes will be presented.  http://bit.ly/LLvznk  

Dr. Jill Biden Coming to National Conference on Volunteering and Service; Early Bird Registration Ends Friday

Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States, will join us in Chicago for the National Conference on Volunteering and Service.  In keeping with her work to promote resources and support for veterans and military families, she will speak at the opening general session on Joining Forces as well as provide remarks to open the Veterans and Military Families track of the conference. There's still time for national and community service leaders to make plans to attend the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, sponsored by the Points of Light, June 18-20, 2012, in Chicago. If you sign up by June 1, you can still get early bird rates. http://bit.ly/imz3h4        

Youth Summit & Workshops at NCVS

During the annual National Conference on Volunteering and Service, generationOn will host two exciting opportunities for youth ages 13-18. On Sunday, June 17 from 1 to 4pm, gather at the generationOn Youth Summit with 250 young people for an afternoon of civic dialogue and service-learning including a panel discussion with notable youth leaders! The event is free, but requires preregistration. Get even more involved by registering for the Youth Workshops held on Monday & Tuesday, June 18-19, 2012  from 9am - 4:30pm. During seven sequential sessions, hear from stars in the service field and learn to plan projects, speak publically, and raise big bucks for service work. For additional information on both events, please visit http://bit.ly/L6GgVN  

Service Calendars

Conferences & Events

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

June 2012
Gay and Lesbian Pride Month - June
World Environment Day - June 5
World Day Against Child Labor - June 12
World Blood Donor Day - June 14
World Refugee Day - June 20
National Summer Learning Day - June 21

July 2012
Park and Recreation Month - July
World Population Day - July 11

August 2012
National Kids Day - August 5
National Night Out - August 7
International Day of Worlds' Indigenous Peoples - August 9
International Youth Day - August 12 

Song of the Week

Jason Mraz - "I Won't Give Up" 

The Editor