[YL] YouthLearn Newsletter, Issue 109

Tue Apr 17 22:37:21 EDT 2007

YouthLearn
Newsletter, Issue 109 - April 17, 2007

The YouthLearn Newsletter compiles the latest entries to the
YouthLearn News Blog. This innovative service to the YouthLearn
community highlights youth, education, and technology news, tools,
and resources. We hope this assists you in your important work.
Please feel free to share this resource with friends and colleagues,
and visit the News Blog often! http://news.youthlearn.org <http://news.youthlearn.org>  

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News

Youth Service Day Resources 
"National and Global Youth Service Day will be held on April 20-22, 2007. It's
not too late to get involved! Here are some tools.
National & Global Youth Service Day Materials - Find toolkits, tips for getting
involved or getting something started locally, and curriculum guides online.
Leveling the Path to Participation: Volunteering and Civic Engagement
among Youth from Disadvantaged Circumstances ... A new Corporation
for National and Community Service study finds that low-income youth
volunteer at a rate of 43 percent, compared to 59 percent for other youth.
For all young people, volunteering brings benefits... The report recommends
ways to engage young people from disadvantaged communities using schools,
faith-based groups, and youth corps." 
URL: http://www.connectforkids.org/node/5306#LETTER.BLOCK9 <http://www.connectforkids.org/node/5306#LETTER.BLOCK9>  

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Funding

Mattel Offers Grants for Programs Serving Children in Need 
"Mattel and the Mattel Children's Foundation have announced the third year
of the company's Domestic Grantmaking Program. Through the program, U.S.
charitable organizations that can demonstrate they directly serve children in
need may be eligible for one-year grants of $5,000 to $20,000 each.... Two
types of grants will be considered: 1) program-specific grants for the launch
of new programs or the expansion of existing programs; and 2) core operating
support." Deadline: June 15. 
URL: http://www.mattel.com/About_Us/Philanthropy/ci_mcf_philanthropy_grantmaking.asp <http://www.mattel.com/About_Us/Philanthropy/ci_mcf_philanthropy_grantmaking.asp> 
Referred by: Foundation Center 

History Channel Save Our History Grant Program
"The History Channel Save Our History Grant Program inspires youth to
become the preservationists in their communities. Museums, historic sites,
historical societies, preservation organizations, libraries, and archives are
invited to partner with a local school or youth group and apply for funding
to help preserve the history of their communities. Maximum Award: $10,000.
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) history organizations. Deadline: June 1, 2007."
URL: http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=51650&display_order=3&mini_id=51103 <http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=51650&display_order=3&mini_id=51103> 
Referred by: PEN Weekly NewsBlast 

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Resources

WireTap Blog: Mourning and Reflection
As one of many active youth media outlets, WireTap is a prime example of
how young people are using technology tools, such as blogs, to discuss and
reflect on current issues of the day. A new post on the WireTap Blog links
to information sources and student responses, and addresses the tragic
events at Virginia Tech: "As more details of what happened become available,
WireTap is working on a series of features on the rise of youth violence on
our campuses and our neighborhoods. From Blacksburg, Virginia to the streets
of Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Oakland, our country loses more youth to
violent deaths than any other industrialized nation." 
URL: http://www.wiretapmag.org/blogs/wiretap/#43078 <http://www.wiretapmag.org/blogs/wiretap/#43078> 

Youth Leadership Online Panel - from the Archives
Before blogs, there were email exchanges, sometimes organized around a
particular topic, like the online panels once hosted by the America Connects
Consortium at EDC. In light of the horrific events at Virginia Tech, I was
compelled to look back at the Panel on Youth Leadership that I facilitated -
the online dialogue commenced on September 10, 2001. Because this panel
coincided with 9/11, the youth panelists were thrown into a public forum at
an extraordinarily difficult time, a time just like the WireTap Blog (above)
notes about today, for "mourning and reflection." It may be of interest to
review the thoughts this group of teens shared at that time, and to consider
how much more - dramatically more since then - young people use online
spaces to come together, to talk, to explore issues, and to create media
and their own messages. 
URL: http://www.ctcnet.org/ctc/americaconnects/panel8/index.htm <http://www.ctcnet.org/ctc/americaconnects/panel8/index.htm> 

Earth Day Technology Toolkit
In this TechSoup Wiki, "Learn more about how you can make greener choices
through your everyday technology practices and purchases - and share some
tips of your own - in this toolkit, which anyone can add to." Topics covered
include Eco-Friendly Office Practices, Responsible Computer Use, E-Waste
and its Impact, etc. 
URL: http://articles.wiki.techsoup.org/Earth+Day <http://articles.wiki.techsoup.org/Earth+Day> 
Referred by: TechSoup By the Cup 

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Research

New Publications on After-School Program Quality 
"The William T. Grant Foundation announces two important new publications
by one of its grantees, the Forum for Youth Investment. 'Measuring Youth
Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools' discusses and compares nine
tools for assessing the quality of youth programs. This compendium will
provide valuable information to practitioners, policymakers, researchers,
and evaluators about the content, ease of use, and technical properties of
these instruments. The report was written by Nicole Yohalem and Alicia
Wilson-Ahlstrom of the Forum for Youth Investment with Sean Fischer and
Marybeth Shinn of New York University... 'Building Quality Improvement
Systems: Lessons from Three Emerging Efforts in the Youth-Serving Sector,'
the second publication, provides three case studies from after-school
networks around the country that are working to improve after-school
programs. The report, written by Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom and Nicole Yohalem,
uses the case studies to illustrate important choices that must be made in
any quality improvement effort." 
URL: http://www.wtgrantfdn.org/newsletter3039/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=470199 <http://www.wtgrantfdn.org/newsletter3039/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=470199> 

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Activities

Using Community-Building Activities: Getting Kids to Work Together
Community builders are short activities that help break up the day. They
can be used as follows: To get kids to feel more like they are part of a
community by interacting with each other; to transition between larger
activities; to gain control or focus in a class that is starting to stray or
act out. This resource page on the YouthLearn website describes a few
community builders you can try; many great ideas are available elsewhere
as well. Collect them from colleagues and write them on index cards to
add them to your repertoire. 
URL: http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/teaching/community.asp <http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/teaching/community.asp> 

We welcome your feedback!

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YouthLearn
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This newsletter is produced by the YouthLearn Initiative at EDC especially for
members of the YouthLearn discussion group. Every two weeks, the newsletter is
compiled from the entries in the YouthLearn News Blog <http://news.youthlearn.org/> , including summaries
from various sources that YouthLearn staff periodically review.

Past newsletters are archived at http://www.youthlearn.org/resources/newsletter/index.html <http://www.youthlearn.org/resources/newsletter/index.html> . 

YouthLearn is a project of the nonprofit Education Development Center, Inc. <http://www.edc.org/> 
Designed for youth development professionals, teachers, educators, and other
caring adults, YouthLearn provides resources and tools for developing effective
learning programs enhanced with technology, particularly in out-of-school settings.

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