 June 2013
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Catalyst Team
Ravi Shah
Program Associate
Lauren Kay
Communications Manager |
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From the Desk of Paul Vandeventer
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A Nation with Its Bottom Rubbed Raw
A National Public Radio economics commentator noted recently that elected officials are reveling in the fact of a rallying stock market, six-year-high consumer confidence numbers, a stabilizing tax revenue picture, and sustained positive GDP growth, however sluggish by contrast to prior decades. But this celebrative spirit, she also noted, obscures the fact that "we are merely bouncing along the [economic] bottom" and not yet in a true, sustained recovery.
Looking at the right indicators, it is clear we have yet to rebound as a nation from the Great Recession's worst ravages. For example, we have yet to experience vigorous job creation, rising workforce participation by capable workers, robust business and corporate investment in innovation and new productive capacity, increased individual wealth particularly in the mid-quintiles of household income, and fewer household mortgage defaults or more mortgage financing workouts.
To read the entire article, please click here.
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Projects in the Spotlight
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Four Projects Open Doors to College
Caps and gowns. Valedictorian speeches. Beaming parents and restless seniors. It's graduation time across the southland, and thanks to four projects under sponsorship here at Community Partners, those graduation rolls include a growing number of low-income and first generation students heading off to college.
Collectively, College Match, Determined to Succeed and College Bound Today provided critical support and mentoring that this year helped 168 low-income Los Angeles-area students gain acceptance to college. The fourth project -- Southern California College Access Network
-- connects these three and another 50 or so organizations like them, offering support and creating a collective voice in order to expand college access to students who might otherwise be shut out of an increasingly daunting process.
College Bound Today, which focuses its work in the Montebello School District, had its "best year ever," enthused Dan Clement, the project's director. He called the students'achievements through his program this year "staggering," and was thrilled to report that nearly all of the 80 students who participated in the program this year will attend four-year colleges. A full 70 percent of those kids are the first in their families to attend college.
At the Stadium Club, overlooking the field at Dodger Stadium, 88 seniors from 12 inner-city high schools gathered recently for College Match's 9th annual 'graduation' ceremonies. The project, which focuses on helping high achieving low-income students get into the country's top colleges, counts four recipients of the elite Gates Millennium Scholars Program among this year's participants and a recently named Fulbright scholar among its alums. Applause were hearty as each senior came forward to claim a free laptop - and gift linens for their dorm rooms -- as their college acceptances were announced: Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale; nearly every College Match student is accepted to a top tier college or university, according to founder and project leader Harley Frankel.
Guillermo Beltran, a student at the Environmental Science and Technology charter school near Glassell Park, said he was already a good student who probably would have applied to one of the UC's. "But College Match took us on an East Coast tour and that really opened my eyes to what was possible for me," he said. "They really helped me spread my wings." He'll be heading to Brown in the fall.
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Project News
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In the historic genocide trial of former Guatemalan leader General Efrain Rios Montt, Patrick Ball, the executive director of Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG), served as an expert witness and provided vital testimony, which was cited in the recent guilty verdict. Ball and HRDAG, a project of Community Partners, have long worked to collect and analyze data about human rights violations during Guatemala's protracted civil war. To learn more about their analysis of human rights violations in Guatemala and elsewhere, please click here.
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In an election-day report on KPCC, Denny Zane of MoveLA -- a project of Community Partners -- talked about his hopes for the new mayor, including his desire to see an expansion of Metros' Crenshaw line. Zane also comments on Villaraigosa's legacy on transit.
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Welcome Our Newest Projects
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Bike San Gabriel Valley
Project Leader: Javier Hernandez
Makes the San Gabriel Valley a safer, healthier, and more enjoyable place for cycling.
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Urban Scholar Athletes
Project Leader: Alexis Coleman
Prepares urban youth to become transformative leaders in the community through academic enrichment, athletics, and community service opportunities.
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Events and Learning Opportunities
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 | Boyle Heights Primavera Festival
Saturday, June 15 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Boyle Heights Primavera Festival promotes a healthy, sustainable community through the celebration and exploration of gardening, fitness, and nutrition. There will be free fitness and children's activities, educational workshops, a farmers market, healthy food, and live performances. | |
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Women's Leadership Summit
Friday, June 21
8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Celebrate women's leadership and discover what the latest research shows about the difference in how men and women lead, and how it impacts our work in the nonprofit sector. This Center for Nonprofit Management summit is a great opportunity to hear from some inspiring and high-powered voices for change and network with your peers.
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| Building a Pro Volunteer Culture
Friday, July 19 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Hosted by the Los Angeles Chapter of Directors of Volunteers in Agencies, this interactive workshop will offer an overview of the impact and value of a pro-volunteer culture and offer strategies for creating a collaborative pro-volunteer culture at your organization.
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On-Demand Social Media and Technology Webinars
Looking to learn more about social media, communications, and nonprofit technology, but can't find a training or webinar that fits your schedule? Heather Mansfield, principal blogger at Nonprofit Tech 2.0, now offers on-demand webinars that are available for purchase. Topics include nonprofit storytelling, setting up your social media strategy, successfully using Twitter and Facebook, and more.
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About Us
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Community Partners works with social entrepreneurs, grantmakers and civic leaders to imagine possibilities, design solutions and see them through to results. Our work includes fiscal sponsorship, grantmaker partnerships, thought leadership and knowledge sharing..
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1000 N Alameda St, Suite 240 Phone 213.346.3210 info@CommunityPartners.org
Los Angeles, CA 90012 Fax 213.808.1009
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