5 YSA Resources to Help
YouTH Serve This Summer

Summer is here, and YSA has several resources available to help youth make it a summer of service. www.YSA.org/resources  

1. Disney Friends for Change Resources

From YSA and Disney, a brand new action kit to help young people make a difference for people, communities, and the planet. The Friends for Change Action Kit includes 5 easy-to-use tipsheets designed for youth:
- - Sparking an Idea
- - Making It Happen
- - Finding Friends for Change
- - Get the Word Out
- - What Comes Next?  

2. No Kid Hungry Resources  

YSA's No Kid Hungry Guide helps youth create and organize a service project addressing childhood hunger in their community. The Guide also provides tips and suggestions on how youth can get others involved.  (Also, check out Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry 2 for more ideas and USDA's Summer Food Service Program.)    

3. We Serve to Remember

As we approach the 11th anniversary of 9/11, we are challenged to explain the significance of the event to  America's young people - many of whom have no first-hand memory of the occasion. YSA offers ten lessons learned and related ideas for service-learning projects. 

4.  Semester of Service Strategy Guide

Summer programs can use the new 2013 Semester of Service Strategy Guide to plan summer-long service-learning programs or teachers can use their summer to plan for a Semester of Service during the 12-13 school year.

5.  10 Ways to Get Ur Good On This Summer

Kids and teens, join Miley Cyrus and her friends at YSA, and use your extra free time to do good with with these 10 Ways to Get Ur Good On this Summer.  

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YSA Funding Partners

News From the Field

AmeriCorps: Getting Things Done

CNCS Names AmeriCorps Director

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) named William C. Basl as Director of the AmeriCorps program today.  Basl is a highly accomplished national service leader and manager of complex human service projects.  He joins CNCS following an eighteen-year tenure as the Executive Director of the Washington Commission for National and Community Service. http://bit.ly/Mnk86x 

AmeriCorps Grants Will Support 46,000 New Members Across U.S   

CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer announced $213 million in new AmeriCorps grants to strengthen the impact of more than 275 organizations across the country in tackling the most pressing challenges facing communities and the nation. The grants will support more than 46,000 new AmeriCorps members. http://bit.ly/My4PtW  

High-Impact Volunteering

Volunteers Honored for Impact at National Service Conference

The Corporation for National and Community Service presented nine outstanding volunteer programs and participants with the National Service Impact Award at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. http://bit.ly/NfuFjF

Cities of Service Launches New Grant Program for Cities to Implement High-Impact Strategies  

Cities of Service today launched the Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund, a new grant opportunity to help more cities use "impact volunteering" to tackle pressing local challenges. Grant sizes will range from $25,000 to $100,000 with larger amounts reserved for cities with multiple initiatives. Any mayor whose city is a member of the Cities of Service coalition is eligible to apply on behalf of the city and its partners.  http://bit.ly/MEP2Wm     

Service Field Commits to Serving Veterans & Military Families

Community Blueprint

With 3,000 service members separating from the military every day, it is more important than ever before to unite alongside our military, veterans and their families to do everything we can to ensure their reintegration is a successful one. The Community Blueprint is a roadmap for local communities across America to address the most common challenges facing veterans, returning service members and their families by transforming goodwill into service. http://bit.ly/MaS7mg  

GOOD Maker Competition 

Points of Light and its Military Community Blueprint partners are looking for innovative solutions for how communities can better meet the needs of service members, veterans, and their families. These solutions should target a local military or veteran population, and utilize volunteers as a strategy to meet the need. Submit your idea here, and the top-voted entry will receive a $1,000 grant. Submissions are open from June 18th to July 17th. http://bit.ly/KCgtVr  

More National Conference on Volunteering and Service Highlights

Plenary Session Videos

More than 5,000 leaders from the service sector came together this week to create new ideas for service, discuss challenges and work together to create solutions through the power of people at the 2012 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Chicago. Building on the turning point created in Chicago, we announced that the 2013 Conference will be held in Washington, D.C.  Watch videos of the four plenary sessions at: http://bit.ly/imz3h4  

Service Superstars - 2012 Awards Overview  

Honorees for 9 award programs were either announced or recognized at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, including Corporate Engagement Awards of Excellence, National Service Impact Awards,  Eli J. Segal AmeriCorps Alums Entrepreneurship Award, George W. Romney Excellence Award,  Daily Point of Light Award, generationOn Excellence in Leadership and Service Awards, Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year Award, Corporate Volunteer Council Fast Start Award, Hasbro Community Action Heroes. http://bit.ly/MaTykB      

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                 

Sodexo Foundation School Engagement Grants

Deadline: July 15

Sodexo Foundation School Engagement grantees will engage teachers and students, grades K-12, in learning about and addressing childhood hunger in their community through a service-learning Semester of Service. The Semester of Service™ framework is designed to engage students in a minimum of 70 hours of service and learning over a period of at least 10 - 14 weeks. This program focuses on the subject areas of civics, social studies and language arts, but may also incorporate other academic areas. The $5,000 grant can be used to support professional development in service-learning (including required training at YSA's Youth Service Institute), project planning and implementation, and demonstration/sharing of outcomes. www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoschool    

State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grants

Deadline: July 31

YSA and State Farm™ are proud to offer grants of up to $1,500 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. The State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grant requires a 12-to-14 week Semester of Service™ starting on MLK Day of Service (January 21, 2013) and ending on Global Youth Service Day, (April 26-28, 2013). The grant also includes participation in a regional training to introduce grantees to the elements and expectations of the program as well as the suite of tools, resources, and support that YSA will provide. www.YSA.org/goodneighbor  

KaBOOM! Let's Play Challenge

Deadline: July 11

Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. National non-profit KaBOOM! believes there should be a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Odds are good that there's a playground in your neighborhood that could use a little TLC, and KaBOOM! and Let's Play - a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to get kids and families active nationwide- would like to help you fix that. Share your great idea for improving a playground in your neighborhood and you could win $1,000 to help make your playground dream come true. Two runners-up will receive $750 each for their projects. http://bit.ly/PEGNxL          

Resources & Trainings

NYLC Webinar: Learn, Serve, Succeed: Tools and Techniques for Youth Service-Learning 

Friday, June 29 at 12:00pm Central

Join NYLC and Kate McPhereson, Director of Project Service Leadership on June 29, 2012 for this webinar to learn about the "Learn, Serve, Succeed: Tools and Techniques for Youth Service-Learning" guide. This practical handbook takes a step-by-step approach through every stage of a service-learning project: from choosing the appropriate assignment to planning, organizing, and evaluating results upon completion. Twenty reproducible handouts and instructions make it easy to lead students through the service-learning world while reflection exercises ensure that they will contextualize the importance of their work and that the lessons learned will stick with them. http://bit.ly/KoOGDe      

Service-Learning After Learn and Serve America Report

The recently released "Service-Learning after Learn and Serve America" report, by the Education Commission of the States' National Center for Learning and Citizenship, raises and informs vital questions as forward-funded Learn and Serve America (LSA) programs end this August. By interviewing lead service-learning staff at five state education departments (Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin), the report also collects and shares vital information shortly before these LSA-funded positions expire.

Download the report: http://bit.ly/La08Cl  

Read an analysis and response to the report from NYLC at: http://bit.ly/Ln3432   

Service Sampler: Finding Your Place to Serve

part of Seasons of Service: Engaging Youth in Service-Learning Throughout the Year

This sampling of 11 different three-to-four hour experiences within the community provides options with thorough instructions as well as inspiration for creating service-learning experiences that best fit your youth, your organization, and your community.  Part of the Seasons of Service: Engaging Youth in Service Throughout the Year curriculum, you can download it for free at: http://bit.ly/JoXbjs   

Fault Lines in Our Democracy

Civic Knowledge, Voting Behavior, and Civic Engagement in the United States

With the presidential election approaching, a new study from Educational Testing Service (ETS) shows that weak civics knowledge among young people is linked to less voting, less volunteering and greater distrust in government. The report calls for sustained efforts on the part of parents, the public, the educational system, and local and national leaders to address these fault lines in our democracy that threaten our nation's civic well-being. http://bit.ly/MniFQk  

Service Calendars

Conferences & Events

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

People to People International Global Youth Forum
November 7-11, 2012 - Chicago, IL 

Seasons of Service

June 2012
Gay and Lesbian Pride Month - June   
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

Foo Fighters - "My Hero"

The Editor