[YL] YouthLearn Newsletter, Issue 149

Tue Feb 3 22:41:34 EST 2009

YouthLearn
Newsletter, Issue 149 - February 3, 2009

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 

Teens prepared for math, science careers, yet lack mentors
"American teens are embracing the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with increasingly positive attitudes; yet many lack the necessary encouragement from mentors and role models in these fields, according to this year's Lemelson-MIT Invention Index. The annual survey, which gauges Americans' perceptions about invention and innovation, also reveals teens' altruistic intentions and feelings of preparedness to pursue careers in STEM fields."
URL: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/lemelson-teens-0107.html <http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/lemelson-teens-0107.html> 

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Funding 

Women Helping Others Foundation Invites Applications for Education/Literacy Grants
"The WHO Foundation: Women Helping Others supports grassroots charities serving the overlooked needs of women and children in the United States. WHO Foundation Education/Literacy grants provide funding to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the United States and Puerto Rico to support free after school organizations and for the implementation or expansion of education and/or literacy programs for low-income children of all ages... The maximum request amount per organization is $5,000. Suggested funding requests include healthy snacks, books, educational field trips, etc. The foundation does not provide funding for salaries."
URL: http://www.whofoundation.org/Funding/WHO_FundingEd.asp <http://www.whofoundation.org/Funding/WHO_FundingEd.asp> 
Referred by: Foundation Center

Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program to Recognize Young Volunteers
"Through the Kohl's Kids Who Care scholarship program, the Kohl's Corporation plans to award a total of over $350,000 in scholarships and prizes this year to more than two thousand kids whose volunteer efforts have made a positive impact on their communities. The program recognizes and rewards young volunteers (ages 6 to 18) who help make their communities a better place. To be eligible for an award, the young person's efforts should be above and beyond what is normally expected of a child his or her age. Volunteer efforts should have made a positive impact on others and occurred in the last twelve months. The activity cannot be performed solely to benefit a family member. Creativity, initiative, generosity, leadership, and project reach will be evaluated during the judging process... The program will accept nominations from February 1 through March 15, 2009."
URL: http://www.kohlscorporation.com/communityrelations/scholarship/index.asp <http://www.kohlscorporation.com/communityrelations/scholarship/index.asp> 
Referred by: Foundation Center

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Resources 

Federal Programs & Youth Workers: Opportunities to Strengthen Our Workforce
"Policymakers increasingly view youth development and after-school programs as solutions to a host of problems confronting youth, communities and our country overall. Yet, funds for these programs as a whole are scarce and when resources are devoted to training or workforce development, they appear to be included as afterthoughts or minor priorities. The Next Generation Youth Work Coalition undertook a scan of a broad range of federal programs to determine how federal funds are being used to strengthen, support and retain youth workers and to begin dialogue about increasing policy supports for this workforce that we trust to foster the positive development of our nation's young people."
URL: http://forumfyi.org/node/666 <http://forumfyi.org/node/666> 

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Research 

U.S. school children need less work, more play: study
"Researchers reported on Monday that a growing trend of curbing free time at school may lead to unruly classrooms and rob youngsters of needed exercise and an important chance to socialize. A look at more than 10,000 children aged 8 and 9 found better classroom behavior among those who had at least a 15-minute break during the school day compared to those who did not, Dr. Romina Barros and colleagues at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York reported... 'The available research suggests that recess may play an important role in the learning, social development, and health of children in elementary school,' the research team said in a study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics... The researchers also found that children not getting recess were more likely to be black, from poor families and attending public schools in large cities."
URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090126/hl_nm/us_children_recess;_ylt=AglmIxvTLLOaPZ46n07rSuYDW7oF <http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090126/hl_nm/us_children_recess;_ylt=AglmIxvTLLOaPZ46n07rSuYDW7oF> 

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Activities 

WolfQuest - Online Game and Activities
WolfQuest is a free online game and resource that teaches wolf behavior and ecology through exciting game play and intense social interactions. It is one of the resources highlighted in the Technology Curriculum Database launched last year, which was developed by YouthLearn for the U.S. Department of Education-funded National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at SEDL. Players immerse themselves in a 3-D wildlife simulation that leads to powerful informal learning. In addition to the game, WolfQuest supports an online community where players can post tips and strategies, ask questions of wolf experts, share personal artwork and stories, and test their knowledge of wolves. Having launched at the end of 2007, with an updated version released mid-2008, WolfQuest is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. 
URL: http://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/afterschool/technology.cgi?resource=25 <http://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/afterschool/technology.cgi?resource=25> 

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/> 
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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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