[YL] YouthLearn Newsletter, Issue 111

Tue May 22 17:03:11 EDT 2007

YouthLearn
Newsletter, Issue 111 - May 22, 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 

American Idol Casts Big Vote for Afterschool
"On April 24 and 25, the hit television show 'American Idol' held a special prime time charity fundraising event, 'Idol Gives Back.' Select organizations that provide or support afterschool programs are among the organizations that will benefit from funds raised - according to initial reports, more than $60 million.... Charity Projects Entertainment Fund will administer the funds, and recipients include the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Save the Children and America's Second Harvest - all of which work with afterschool programs.... In partnership with Scholastic, 'Idol Gives Back' has created an interactive educational website to help students and teachers learn more about the issues discussed during the show and to raise youth awareness about 'global citizenship.'" 
URL: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/idolgivesback/ <http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/idolgivesback/> 
Referred by: Afterschool Advocate

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Funding 

Ezra Jack Keats Accepting Applications From Public Schools and Libraries
"The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, created by the children's book author and illustrator, is accepting applications from public schools and libraries anywhere in the United States and its protectorates for program or event mini-grants of $500 each." Deadline: September 15, 2007
URL: http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/programs/minigrant.html <http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/programs/minigrant.html> 
Referred by: Foundation Center

Union Pacific Foundation Offers Funding for Community Programs
"The Union Pacific Foundation accepts grant applications from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations based in communities served by Union Pacific Railroad. Municipalities located on Union Pacific lines may apply for one-time programs/projects provided the program/project benefits the entire community. The foundation has a strong interest in promoting organizational effectiveness among nonprofits. To that end, the foundation will dedicate the majority of these grants to help nonprofit organizations build their capacity, increase their impact, and operate more efficiently and effectively. The foundation will be particularly receptive to proposals that fall within the following categories: Community and Civic; Fine Arts; Health and Human Services." Deadline: August 15, 2007
URL: http://www.up.com/found/grants.shtml <http://www.up.com/found/grants.shtml> 
Referred by: Foundation Center

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Resources 

What Works in Youth Media: Case Studies from Around the World
"This publication grew out of the International Youth Foundation's (IYF) core focus on promoting active youth participation in the communities where they live." Written by Sheila Kinkade and Christy Macy, with a foreword by Christiane Amanpour, this is part of IYF's 'What Works' series of publications. "Our goal through this publication is to profile a diverse range of youth media projects operating internationally in the hope their experiences and lessons learned will help inform and guide the work of others contemplating or undertaking similar activities."
URL: http://www.iyfnet.org/uploads/WW%20-Youth%20Led%20Media.pdf <http://www.iyfnet.org/uploads/WW%20-Youth%20Led%20Media.pdf> 

Five-Year-Olds Drive Their Own PBL Projects
"At this award-winning kindergarten learning center, shared with a special-education preschool, the students decide what projects they want to tackle, and teachers guide them to resources, on the Internet and in books, that help them create something from what they learn. Whether they're building an airplane or a cruise ship, or conducting a funeral for the class praying mantis, AEEC students are learning more than basic facts and skills. They are acquiring a taste for the process of lifelong learning... Although the project-based curriculum generates much of the enthusiasm for learning here, a recent infusion of technology -- putting interactive whiteboards in every classroom -- has raised the bar for students and teachers."
URL: http://www.edutopia.org/node/4103 <http://www.edutopia.org/node/4103> 

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Activities 

YouthLearn's Introduction to Photography Techniques
Some Basic Vocabulary for Teaching Kids How to See... There's obviously much more to photography than the few aspects described in this resource, but introducing the basics will teach the kids a fundamental understanding of how to think before taking a picture. This introduction will also give you a platform to move further into the aesthetics with older kids. If you have already had kids taking pictures while introducing the camera and the camera's basic features, you have been stressing the importance of looking, seeing the big picture and making conscious decisions. Now you're ready to get into the core decision factors: angle, pan, distance, level, focus and framing. 
URL: http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/activities/multimedia/photo3.asp <http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/activities/multimedia/photo3.asp> 

Photo, Essay and Poetry Contest Celebrates Our Sense of Wonder and Love of Nature
"To honor the late preservationist and ecologist Rachel Carson, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Generations United, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., announce a photo, essay, and poetry contest 'that best expresses the sense of wonder that you feel for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife, and all that is beautiful to your eyes.' In the book, The Sense of Wonder (written in the 1950s and published in a magazine in 1956), Carson used lyrical passages about the beauty of nature and the joy of helping children develop a sense of wonder and love of nature. Maximum Award: publication on the websites of EPA, Aging Initiative, Generations United, and Rachel Carson Council, Inc. Eligibility: entries must be joint projects involving a person under age 18 and a person age 50 or older. Deadline: June 15, 2007."
URL: http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/thesenseofwonder/index.htm 
Referred by: PEN Weekly NewsBlast

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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