[YL] YouthLearn Newsletter, Issue 116

Tue Aug 7 18:00:01 EDT 2007

YouthLearn
Newsletter, Issue 116 - August 7, 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 

Public wants more tech in classrooms
"Americans understand that fundamental changes must be made to the U.S. educational system if the country is to remain competitive in the 21st century, a report released July 26 by Cisco Systems finds. Americans especially realize the importance of adopting information technology to upgrade schools, connect communities, and improve educational content, the report suggests--but they're often conflicted about how to implement these changes. Zogby International conducted the survey of more than 7,000 Americans, titled 'Education Attitudes 2007,' back in May. The majority of respondents said technology is an important factor in connecting schools to their communities, as well as in leveling the playing field among more and less affluent schools by providing equal access to educational content."
URL: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7268&page=1 <http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7268&page=1> 

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Funding 

The Disney Minnie Grants 2007 - 2nd round
"The Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America are pleased to announce grants of up to $500 to support youth-led service projects. These grants support youth (ages 5-14) in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Teachers, older youth (15-25), youth-leaders, and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to apply, provided that they that engage younger youth... Service can take place between October 1 and November 26, 2007. Projects can address themes such as the environment, disaster relief, public health and awareness, community education, hunger, literacy, or any issue that youth identify as a community need.... Applications are welcome from all countries, though applications will only be accepted in English." Receipt deadline: August 30, 2007.
URL: http://ysa.org/AwardsGrants/DisneyMinnieGrant20072ndRound/tabid/244/Default.aspx <http://ysa.org/AwardsGrants/DisneyMinnieGrant20072ndRound/tabid/244/Default.aspx> 

YouthPower Grants
"The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and Youth Service America (YSA) are pleased to announce YouthPower grants of up to $1,000 to support youth-led service projects. These grants support youth in foster care (ages 5-18) and youth who have recently transitioned out of foster care (ages 19-25) in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Youth-serving organizations that have prior experience in working with youth in the foster care system are eligible to apply, provided that they that engage foster youth in planning and implementing a service project. Service projects will take place as part of Global Youth Service Day on April 25-27, 2008.... Receipt deadline: October 1, 2007." 
URL: http://www.YSA.org/awards <http://www.ysa.org/awards> 

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Resources 

Beats the Heck Out of School: Producing Music - and Entrepreneurs
"A former industrial building in San Francisco's Mission District is headquarters for the DJ Project, an after-school and summer program for teenagers and young adults sponsored by the San Francisco youth-development organization Horizons Unlimited. Every year since 2000, about one hundred students have passed through these halls to their classes in audio production, DJ-ing, and break dancing. The program, funded primarily through the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Inhalant Prevention Program, uses hip-hop as a means to teach students critical-thinking, technology, and business skills; nurture their passion for music; and, most importantly, help them steer clear of drugs and other pitfalls of an inner city childhood.... administrators at the DJ Project aim to do more than simply teach music skills. It is, in effect, a vocational program -- an artistic one, but a vocational program nonetheless. Administrators and instructors believe students should graduate thinking of themselves not just as artists but as entrepreneurs as well."
URL: http://www.edutopia.org/producing-music-entrepreneurs <http://www.edutopia.org/producing-music-entrepreneurs> 
Referred by: Edutopia News

Interview with Youth of the Global Challenge 2007 Winning Team
"Team Innovatech, the 2007 winner of the Global Challenge competition, identified a technology that converts factory emissions into energy and devised a plan to take that technology global." In Global Challenge, "teams of US high school students collaborate with international counterparts from October to May to address global climate change and compete for over $60,000 in awards. Students strengthen skills in math, science, engineering, and critical thinking, while learning about global business practices." The young people on Team Innovatech field questions about the science and their experience at the Cogito website. Global Challenge is now an ITEST (Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) project, funded by the National Science Foundation.
URL: http://www.cogito.org/Interviews/InterviewsDetail.aspx?ContentID=16791 <http://www.cogito.org/Interviews/InterviewsDetail.aspx?ContentID=16791> 

Making an Impact Through Youth Media
"Helping young people express themselves through media -- including new technologies -- can be a powerful strategy for youth development. The latest Youth Worker News from the National Youth Development Information Center offers case studies of programs using youth media, curricula and guides, and funding tools for programs. "
URL: http://www.nydic.org/nydic/programming/MakinganImpactThroughMedia.htm <http://www.nydic.org/nydic/programming/MakinganImpactThroughMedia.htm> 
Referred by: Connect for Kids

Afterschool Can Support Teacher Recruitment, Retention
"While student enrollment is rising, schools across the country are facing a critical shortage of teachers. A new MetLife-Afterschool Alliance issue brief, 'Afterschool: A Powerful Path to Teacher Recruitment and Retention,' explores this vital issue and the role that afterschool programs can play in bringing new teachers to the field and keeping those already in the classroom. The issue brief is one of a series sponsored by the MetLife Foundation that will address the benefits afterschool programs provide to children, families and communities."
URL: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_briefs/issue_teach_recruit_28.pdf <http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_briefs/issue_teach_recruit_28.pdf> 
Referred by: Afterschool Advocate

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Research 

Low-income Children Need Summer Learning, Study Finds
"New research underscores the importance of the summer learning programs that many afterschool programs organize and run. In 'Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap,' released this spring, Johns Hopkins University sociologists Karl Alexander, Doris Entwisle and Linda Steffel Olson find that the difference in children's academic success can be explained, in large part, by their summer activities. The study concludes that two-thirds of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities."
URL: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/advocate/PDFS/Issue_8-7_FINAL.pdf <http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/advocate/PDFS/Issue_8-7_FINAL.pdf> 

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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