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PSLA Newsletter - Winter 2007
by the Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance
- I. Pennsylvania Service-Learning Update
- II. Upcoming Events
- III. Service-Learning Resources
- IV. Grant Resources
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I. Pennsylvania Service-Learning Update
A. Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance: What We Do
Greetings. I hope you are all having a wonderful school year. We are so glad you are a part of the Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance network!
The PSLA has been undergoing many changes in the past six months. Some changes are bitter-sweet. Last summer, we bid a fond farewell to Director Cindy Belliveau and Digital Divide Coordinator Jon Zemanek. Cindy and Jon are greatly missed. Happily, they continue to be involved in the education and service-learning world (once involved, always involved!). Cindy is now a full time faculty member at Temple University’s College of Education. Jon is an Information Technology Technician at Bucks County Technical High School.
In an exciting way, service-learning is permeating all corners of Pennsylvania. This year our state has 21 Learn and Serve grantees. In January, during two grantee meetings, I had the opportunity to meet the teachers behind these programs. What a wonderful group! Teachers who are new to the program brought enthusiasm and energy to the meetings, and our seasoned grantees generously offered their expertise and wisdom to others. Several of PSLA’s Peer Consultants were also on hand to provide resources and support, which was much appreciated by all. I came away from the meetings very inspired, and grateful to be able to work with such talented educators.
PSLA is becoming involved with introducing service-learning to other programs that are funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Our staff regularly works with 21st Century Community Learning Center after school sites. Service-learning is a nice fit with these academically rich programs that boast innovative and experiential teaching methods. PDE has also been successful in encouraging dropout prevention initiatives and programs that support refugee students to embrace service-learning methodology.
I encourage you to visit our website, www.paservicelearning.org, often to keep abreast of funding opportunities, upcoming workshops, and more. We are always looking for resources to share with the service-learning community, and your suggestions and ideas are welcome. In the near future, we plan to add a service-learning project corner, with an online submission process to make it easier to your programs and students to publish on the world wide web.
Thank you for your support!
Faith Goldstein
Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance
B. Philadelphia Educator Edison Freire Receives 2007 Alec Dickson Servant Leader Award
PSLA is very proud of Philadelphia Educator and PDE Peer Consultant Edison Freire. Mr. Freire received the prestigious Alec Dickson Servant Leader Award at the 18th Annual National Service Learning Conference last month. Congratulations! Read more about this-- http://www.nylc.org/happening_newsarticle.cfm?
oid=5601&null=1176137887195
II. Upcoming Events
Certificate of Excellent Practice in K-12 Service-Learning (May 21)
NYLC offers a program for service-learning practitioners to receive graduate credits, improve their service-learning practice, and earn a Certificate. This year's cohorts start: May 21, 2007 (Pre-Application Deadline: May 7, 2007). For details, including costs and a downloadable pre-application visit www.nylc.org/cep. Forward questions to: Tony Byers, tbyers@nylc.org, (651) 999-7378.
C. April 20-22: National & Global Youth Service Day
National & Global Youth Service Day, the largest service event in the world, is April 20-22, 2007. Resources are available to help you plan your service project: Order or download free planning resources: Planning Tool Kits, Service-Learning Curriculum Guides, posters are available at http://www.ysa.org/nysd/resource/planning.cfm.
The Planning Tool Kit is a comprehensive guide to help project planners identify their projects, recruit volunteers, generate media attention, raise funds, and more. The Service-Learning Curriculum Guide contains eight lessons to develop students' project management skills while planning projects for National & Global Youth Service Day. Classroom Posters are colorful tools to recruit volunteers and decorate project sites. The back of the poster contains a guide for teachers and activity sheets for students.
Register your National & Global Youth Service Day project: Registering your service project at http://www.YSA.org/nysd enables Youth Service America to highlight your project through our national media campaign.
III. Service-Learning Resources
A. New Book: Engaging the Whole of Service-Learning, Diversity, and Learning Communities
Service-learning, diversity, and learning communities, amongst today's most prominent higher education innovations, are integrated at the University of Michigan's Michigan Community Scholars Program. Voices included in the book are those of national leaders, and faculty, students, staff, and community partners of this living-learning program.
http://www.umich.edu/~mjcsl/
B. Community-based Service-Learning in Juvenile Justice Settings
This innovative, new juvenile-justice approach applies principles of school-based service learning, balanced and restorative justice, and law-related education to update and improve traditional, court-ordered, mandatory community service. By Charles Degelman Carolyn Pereira and Scott B. Peterson. In an effort to reduce recidivism and build civic awareness, juvenile-justice agencies have begun to rethink the way they approach court-ordered, mandatory community service. Called community service learning (CSL), this new, justice-oriented, community-service model borrows from school-based service learning. The results have been surprising.
http://www.crf-usa.org/network/network12_1/Net_12_1_leadart.html
C. The Resource Center’s Effective Practices for Service Projects
http://nationalservice.gov/resources/
OUR NEWEST EFFECTIVE PRACTICES
Analyzing quantitative data from program beneficiaries
(Project STAR) http://snipurl.com/EPC_1182Building successful partnerships with faith-based organizations
(National Crime Prevention Council) http://snipurl.com/EPC_1151Working with faith-based organizations: challenges and benefits
(National Crime Prevention Council) http://snipurl.com/EPC_1150Preparing people with disabilities for evacuation, shelter, and recovery during national emergencies
(Institute for Community Inclusion ‹ University of Massachusetts) http://snipurl.com/EPC_1144Planning and implementing a successful statewide service event
(Stephanie Sullivan, Tennessee Commission on National and Community Service) http://snipurl.com/EPC_1143
D. State level performance reports for AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve programs The Corporation for National and Community Service has released performance reports for its AmeriCorps State and Learn and Serve America programs. The release of these reports follows the unveiling of "Volunteering in America: State Trends and Rankings 2002-2005," a first-ever federal study to give a detailed breakdown of America's volunteering habits and patterns by state and region. Both the AmeriCorps State Commission Performance Report and the Learn and Serve America Performance Report are at http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/role_impact/performance_reports.asp
IV. Grant Resources
A. SAGE-Youth Venture Grants (ongoing)
Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship and Youth Venture offer Social Enterprise grants for young people, ages 12-20. A venture can be any youth-created, youth-led organization designed to provide a positive lasting benefit in a school, neighborhood, or community. Contact Curtis DeBerg at CDeBerg@csuchico.edu or visit http://www.csuchico.edu/sage/2006-2007/about/our_partners/youth_venture.html
B. Pay It Forward Mini-Grants (Apr 15)
For one-time youth-identified service projects that benefit their schools, neighborhoods or greater communities. Projects must based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with ever-expanding results. Funder: Pay It Forward Foundation. Eligibility: Schools, churches and community youth groups (with an adult sponsor). Youths or adults may write the application. Deadline: April 15, Oct. 15 and Jan. 15 of each year. Amount: $500. Contact: http://payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/grant.html
C. RGK Foundation (Rolling)
Grants for community, education and health projects, including human services, community improvement, abuse prevention and youth development/educational enrichment programs.
Eligibility: Nonprofits must first submit letters of inquiry.
Deadline: Open.
Amount: Under $25,000 each.
Contact: http://www.rgkfoundation.org
D. NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (Jun 1)
[posted from RFP Bulletin]
The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (http://www.neafoundation.org/) is accepting applications for its Learning & Leadership and Student Achievement Grants Programs.
Learning & Leadership Grants provide opportunities for teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and lead their colleagues in professional growth. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study.
Student Achievement Grants provide $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. (These grants replace the foundation's Innovation Grants program, which has been discontinued.)
Applicants for both programs must be practicing U.S. public school teachers in grades K-12, public school education support professionals, or faculty and staff at public institutions of higher education. Preference will be given to members of the National Education Association (http://www.nea.org/). The NEA Foundation encourages grant applications from teachers with less than seven years of experience in the profession and education support professionals.
Visit the NEA Foundation Web site for complete program guidelines.
RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10006441/neafoundation
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The Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance dissolved as of June 30, 2007. The website will stay posted for one more year, so please share the resources. We are sorry that we will not be able to answer any questions you may have. Good luck with all your future service-learning endeavors!