[YL] YouthLearn Newsletter, Issue 117

Tue Aug 28 16:38:40 EDT 2007

YouthLearn
Newsletter, Issue 117 - August 28, 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 

'So You Think You Can Dance' Teams with LA's BEST
"Since August 5th, 100 staff members from LA's BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) have been students in the first-ever "So You Think You Can Dance" Los Angeles workshop. Top choreographers from the hit FOX summer television show are giving back to the community by teaching dance to the staff members, who plan to take their newfound dance skills to students from some of the city's most challenged neighborhoods. The creators, choreographers and judges on the show, including Executive Producer/ Choreographer Nigel Lythgoe, are teaching LA's BEST staff the latest moves in hip-hop, disco and ballroom dance. This six-week workshop will culminate in a grand finale performance by the top LA's BEST staff dancers on September 16."
URL: http://www.lasbest.org/program/events.php#32 <http://www.lasbest.org/program/events.php#32> 
Referred by: Afterschool Advocate

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Funding 

Grants for Afterschool and Community Projects
"Hamburger Helper is sponsoring My Hometown Helper grants to help fund community projects such as books for literacy programs, playground equipment, and tutoring programs. Awards will be based on the merit of the project as well as its impact and support within the community. Applicants can request a one-time award ranging from $500 to $15,000. The application deadline is September 30."
URL: http://www.myhometownhelper.com/LearnMore.aspx <http://www.myhometownhelper.com/LearnMore.aspx> 
Referred by: Afterschool Alliance

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Resources 

Helping Our Children with Disabilities Succeed: What's Broadband got to do with it?
"The second in a series on how broadband benefits children, this issue brief examines how children with disabilities use broadband and other technologies. The report concludes that while technology gives children with special needs new opportunities, they are substantially less likely than their peers without disabilities to have access to computers, the Internet, and accessible and assistive technology." This issue brief by Jessica Rothschuh and April KirkHart with Wendy Lazarus was published in July 2007 by the Children's Partnership.
URL: http://www.childrenspartnership.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Reports1&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=11344 <http://www.childrenspartnership.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Reports1&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=11344> 

Child Trends Reports Assist Out-of-School Time Program Providers
This year Child Trends, a respected nonprofit, nonpartisan research center, has produced a number of reports and research briefs of interest to educators working in out-of-school time programs. They include: "Improving Attendance and Retention in Out-of-School Time Programs"; "Building, Engaging, and Supporting Family and Parental Involvement in Out-of-School Time Programs"; "A 10-Step Guide to Adopting and Sustaining Evidence-Based Practices in Out-of-School Time Programs"; "Assessing the Mental Health of Adolescents: A Guide For Out-of-School Time Program Practitioners"; "Enhancing Cultural Competence in Out-of-School Time Programs: What Is It and Why Is It Important?"; "Logic Models in Out-of-School Time Programs." 
URL: http://www.childtrends.org/_listRB.cfm?LID=4248444D-4BC4-49DB-B9CAE91EF7CCC712#Research-to-Results <http://www.childtrends.org/_listRB.cfm?LID=4248444D-4BC4-49DB-B9CAE91EF7CCC712#Research-to-Results> 

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Research 

Study of Community-Based and Faith-Based Youth Workers
"The National Collaboration for Youth, Search Institute and American Camp Association have been exploring whether there is common ground between how we might prepare youth workers that work in faith-based and youth development organizations. What has emerged is a remarkable degree of alignment around many professional development priorities with important exceptions that leave room for unique accents and learning across differences. And, though there is widespread interest in collaborative learning across sectors, there are also significant barriers, ranging from priorities for youth workers, and most significantly, mistrust and misunderstanding across the sectors. Is There Common Ground shares the learning from two web-based surveys, a series of focus groups and a two-day consultation of thought leaders and recommendations for work that can be dome going forward."
URL: http://www.nydic.org/nydic/staffing/workforce/istherecommonground.html <http://www.nydic.org/nydic/staffing/workforce/istherecommonground.html> 

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Activities 

Digital Place-based Storytelling
"Here's a high student-engagement project being promoted by long-time MiddleWeb friend and teacher-innovator Brenda Dyck, also the author of a popular technology integration column for NMSA's Middle Ground magazine... 'Digital placed-based storytelling (also called StoryMapping) uses an easy online digital mapping tool like Google Maps or Community Walk and combines it with narrative to produce a learning product that helps the student make a connection between the past and present and understand how community shapes who we are.' The student identifies a place that has meaning for them, locates it on a web-based map, adds place markers, and writes short 'memory narratives' for each marker."
URL: http://www.rebooting.ca/place/ <http://www.rebooting.ca/place/> 
Referred by: Middleweb

More Than Just the Facts, Ma'am: YouthLearn's Interviewing Project
Thinking ahead to the new year of afterschool? Check out YouthLearn's interviewing project: There's no better way to learn than by talking to people. Even if you're not a reporter, everyone needs good interviewing skills, whether it's to find the answer to a question or to get a job. Interviewing isn't something you can just rush into, however. Kids need preparation, practice and coaching. This project teaches kids how to conduct an effective interview, then sends them out to talk to people in your center or neighborhood and create a Web page to tell the story. This example covers the entire process once as a model, and we suggest that you do the same. Once you've completed the entire project in the demonstration phase, do another with the same steps, but let the kids pick their own interview subjects and topics, and give them more time to research and create their pages.
URL: http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/activities/thinking/interview.html <http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/activities/thinking/interview.html> 

We welcome your feedback!

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YouthLearn
http://www.youthlearn.org <http://www.youthlearn.org/> 

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/> 
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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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