The National League of Cities has created a City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth. Grounded in real examples, this document is designed to help city leaders thoughtfully plan and sustain how they can better support children, youth and families. They provide sample resolutions, how to form a Mayor's Youth Council and outline other important tasks.
For those of you who are seeking to strengthen your relationship with your local officials, this resource may offer an important blueprint for action.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
School Children in Queens Talk to Astronaut in Space as Part of Afterschool Program
Michael Meenan of New York 1 reported that NASA made arrangements for astronaut Garrett Reisman to speak to students in a Queens afterschool program and from a California school recently. NASA is encouraging young people to think about future careers in space exploration.
"If anyone is going to the moon in 2020 and then Mars in 2030, it's not gonna be me or you. It's going to be someone sitting in an elementary or middle school classroom,” said Frank Scalzo of NASA. “So we're trying to teach the kids to reach for the stars."
Read Michael Meenan's piece further for more information.
"If anyone is going to the moon in 2020 and then Mars in 2030, it's not gonna be me or you. It's going to be someone sitting in an elementary or middle school classroom,” said Frank Scalzo of NASA. “So we're trying to teach the kids to reach for the stars."
Read Michael Meenan's piece further for more information.
Governor's Office Seeking Youth to Serve on Statewide Youth Council - Applications Due May 30, 2008
Governor Patrick's Office is seeking 28 youth (2 youth from each of the 14 counties in the Commonwealth) to serve on the Governor's Statewide Youth Council. "The Governor’s Statewide Youth Council is one part of Governor Patrick's commitment to engaging all citizens of the Commonwealth in their communities and their government. The Youth Council initiative will encourage and motivate young people to be involved in their communities and to participate in problem solving through assuming leadership and planning roles. Once established, the Youth Council will focus on the Governor’s priorities of education, economic development, civic engagement, and community outreach, advising the Governor as representatives of all Massachusetts young people. Young people ages 14-20 are encouraged to apply by May 30, 2008."
* Learn more about the Statewide Youth Council
* Apply to be a Youth Council member
* Contact the Youth Council
For those of you who work with young people ages 14-20, this might be a great opportunity for them to help advise the Governor's office on how best to support their needs.
Some text courtesy of the Governor's Office website.
* Learn more about the Statewide Youth Council
* Apply to be a Youth Council member
* Contact the Youth Council
For those of you who work with young people ages 14-20, this might be a great opportunity for them to help advise the Governor's office on how best to support their needs.
Some text courtesy of the Governor's Office website.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Seeking Young People ages 12 - 25 to Participate in an International Survey on Spirituality
I received an e-mail today from a colleague who heads up the New England Network on Children, Youth and Families. The Search Institute has contracted with them to help conduct an international survey on youth and spirituality. (See description below.) They need a lot of young people, ages 12-25, to fill it out in the next six weeks. The survey is not being confined to young people who attend afterschool or other programs, but even your own kids can participate!
I've been informed that the survey is long -- but it’s interesting. It can be done individually/ electronically, or printed out on paper and done in a group setting. They need 250 kids and they are reaching out to everyone to help gather data on this compelling topic.
If you can help them, please contact Melanie Wilson, mwilson@nenetwork.org. To view the survey, click here:
MEANING, PURPOSE, JOY: ARE YOUR YOUNG PEOPLE FINDING IT?
Where are you on your lifelong journey toward meaning, joy and hope? Where are the young people in your care? As someone who has contact with young people, we are asking for your help in involving them in an international research effort that investigates how young people ages 12-25 think about and use spirituality in their daily lives. Research shows a clear connection between spiritual development and pro-social behaviors in young people, and child development experts now consider spiritual development to be a critical part of the journey to maturity.
The project, led by the Minneapolis-based Search Institute, is aimed at understanding spiritual ideas and development in young people across cultures. Search Institute is one of the country’s leading researchers on child- and adolescent well-being. It also has a long history of work with faith communities; two years ago it launched a Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence.
In this new project, Search treats spirituality as a broad concept that includes both religious and non-religious beliefs. The survey is meant to capture many different cultural concepts, beliefs and attitudes, meaning that all youth, religious or not, are welcomed and encouraged to take it. The survey will be administered to thousands of youth in the US, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Ghana, Ukraine and other countries, making it the largest effort of this sort ever undertaken. The New England Network (NEN) also has a national reputation for its research on spirituality and young people. NEN has published three groundbreaking studies on spirituality and at-risk youth, and offers trainings youth-serving organizations and congregations to help integrate this and related research into their youth development work.
Search has contracted with NEN to be one of several research partners in this study. We are asking you to administer the survey to young people who participate in your programs. The survey can be taken online or on paper, individually or in groups, and makes an excellent springboard for group discussions. NEN will sponsor a pizza party for groups of five or more young people who take the survey. To arrange "pizza money" and/or to receive paper surveys, contact Melanie Wilson at mwilson@nenetwork.org or (603) 778-6010.
I've been informed that the survey is long -- but it’s interesting. It can be done individually/ electronically, or printed out on paper and done in a group setting. They need 250 kids and they are reaching out to everyone to help gather data on this compelling topic.
If you can help them, please contact Melanie Wilson, mwilson@nenetwork.org. To view the survey, click here:
MEANING, PURPOSE, JOY: ARE YOUR YOUNG PEOPLE FINDING IT?
Where are you on your lifelong journey toward meaning, joy and hope? Where are the young people in your care? As someone who has contact with young people, we are asking for your help in involving them in an international research effort that investigates how young people ages 12-25 think about and use spirituality in their daily lives. Research shows a clear connection between spiritual development and pro-social behaviors in young people, and child development experts now consider spiritual development to be a critical part of the journey to maturity.
The project, led by the Minneapolis-based Search Institute, is aimed at understanding spiritual ideas and development in young people across cultures. Search Institute is one of the country’s leading researchers on child- and adolescent well-being. It also has a long history of work with faith communities; two years ago it launched a Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence.
In this new project, Search treats spirituality as a broad concept that includes both religious and non-religious beliefs. The survey is meant to capture many different cultural concepts, beliefs and attitudes, meaning that all youth, religious or not, are welcomed and encouraged to take it. The survey will be administered to thousands of youth in the US, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Ghana, Ukraine and other countries, making it the largest effort of this sort ever undertaken. The New England Network (NEN) also has a national reputation for its research on spirituality and young people. NEN has published three groundbreaking studies on spirituality and at-risk youth, and offers trainings youth-serving organizations and congregations to help integrate this and related research into their youth development work.
Search has contracted with NEN to be one of several research partners in this study. We are asking you to administer the survey to young people who participate in your programs. The survey can be taken online or on paper, individually or in groups, and makes an excellent springboard for group discussions. NEN will sponsor a pizza party for groups of five or more young people who take the survey. To arrange "pizza money" and/or to receive paper surveys, contact Melanie Wilson at mwilson@nenetwork.org or (603) 778-6010.
National League of Cities Announces Afterschool Policy Advisors Network - May 21 Web Seminar Scheduled
The National League of Cities' Youth, Education and Families Institute has created a new on-line community for municipal leaders. "The Afterschool Policy Advisors Network (APAN) is an interactive, online resource center to help municipal leaders find, share, and discuss knowledge on how to build citywide systems of high-quality out-of-school time programs. The YEF Institute will host a web seminar on May 21, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time to demonstrate how city officials can use the APAN Online Community to improve their afterschool efforts."
Click here to register for the APAN Online Community and the May 21 Web Seminar.
For those of you who have strong relationships with your local elected officials, this could be a valuable tool to help support their efforts to support you.
Some text courtesy of The National League of Cities.
Click here to register for the APAN Online Community and the May 21 Web Seminar.
For those of you who have strong relationships with your local elected officials, this could be a valuable tool to help support their efforts to support you.
Some text courtesy of The National League of Cities.
Youth Development Approaches to Youth Violence Prevention Conference - June 2 at Holy Cross
Youth Development Approaches to Youth Violence Prevention Conference
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hogan Center, College of the Holy Cross
1 College Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
Conference Overview
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Youth Violence Prevention Program, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Coalition for Youth Violence Prevention, will be hosting the 1st Annual Youth Development Approaches to Youth Violence Prevention conference on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.
Conference Goals
This statewide conference will provide a forum for a diverse array of practitioners and stakeholders from the intersecting arenas of youth development promotion and youth violence prevention to share ideas, network with one and other, learn about innovative prevention strategies and promising practices, and identify opportunities for future collaboration. The conference will include prevention practitioners representing a broad spectrum of youth violence including community violence, teen dating violence, gang violence, workplace violence, school violence, sexual violence, witnessing violence, and bullying and harassment. Workshop presenters will include representatives from mentoring programs, after school and out-of-school time programs, employment readiness programs, conflict resolution programs, street outreach workers, and other youth development centered programs. It will also include a number of workshops focusing on innovative approaches to violence prevention currently underway in Massachusetts.
There is no fee for this conference. A continental breakfast and lunch are included. To sign up, click on this
conference registration button.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hogan Center, College of the Holy Cross
1 College Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
Conference Overview
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Youth Violence Prevention Program, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Coalition for Youth Violence Prevention, will be hosting the 1st Annual Youth Development Approaches to Youth Violence Prevention conference on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.
Conference Goals
This statewide conference will provide a forum for a diverse array of practitioners and stakeholders from the intersecting arenas of youth development promotion and youth violence prevention to share ideas, network with one and other, learn about innovative prevention strategies and promising practices, and identify opportunities for future collaboration. The conference will include prevention practitioners representing a broad spectrum of youth violence including community violence, teen dating violence, gang violence, workplace violence, school violence, sexual violence, witnessing violence, and bullying and harassment. Workshop presenters will include representatives from mentoring programs, after school and out-of-school time programs, employment readiness programs, conflict resolution programs, street outreach workers, and other youth development centered programs. It will also include a number of workshops focusing on innovative approaches to violence prevention currently underway in Massachusetts.
There is no fee for this conference. A continental breakfast and lunch are included. To sign up, click on this
conference registration button.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
NIOST Wins $2.1M Grant Over 5 Years to Continue Important Work
$2.1 Million Awarded for 5-Year Afterschool Matters Initiative to National Institute on Out-of-School Time at Wellesley Centers for Women
WELLESLEY, Mass., April 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) is pleased to announce that the Robert Bowne Foundation is awarding more than $2.1 million over five years to the Centers' National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) for the National Afterschool Matters Initiative which will promote research and professional development for the out-of-school time industry.
"The Wellesley Centers for Women is committed to making the world a better place for women and their families through our research and action programs. NIOST's careful evaluation programs, comprehensive trainings, and advocacy for professional standards are examples of how we do this," says Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D., WCW executive director. "Expanding the Afterschool Matters Initiative through NIOST advances both the field of out-of-school time and our organizational mission."
The primary objective of this award is to ensure the continuation of the well-established Afterschool Matters Initiative, which includes a Practitioner Fellowship Program; the production of the Afterschool Matters publications; the Edmund A. Stanley, Jr. Research Grantee program; and the Research Roundtables, as forums for connecting research and practice.
"Out-of-school time remains a critical issue for working families in the U.S. and I am proud that the Robert Bowne Foundation is entrusting this important initiative to us - it is an ideal fit," says Ellen Gannett, M.Ed., director of NIOST. "For more than three decades now, NIOST has broken ground to move this industry forward and our work with the National Afterschool Matters Initiative will only further enhance the quality of OST programming and the preparation of staff who support our children and youth."
The Practitioner Fellowship Program for out-of-school time professionals emphasizes reflection on practice towards improved program quality and outcomes for children and youth. Its goals include identifying and disseminating effective practice and strategies for program improvement; building a network of practitioners, scholars, educators, and policymakers working in and studying out-of-school time programs; and contributing to basic knowledge and the improvement of practice and policy in the area of out-of-school time programs.
NIOST is excited to be partnering with the National Writing Project (NWP) in the national expansion of the Practitioner Fellowship program. Additionally, Sara Hill, Ed.D., who has directed this project for the Robert Bowne Foundation for the last five years, will continue to bring her expertise to the Initiative.
The Afterschool Matters Journal is a high quality, peer reviewed journal which will continue to be a vehicle for disseminating cutting-edge research in the field of out-of-school time and also provide a forum for practice and program improvement findings from the Practitioner Fellowship program.
The existing Edmund A. Stanley, Jr. National Research Grant program of the Afterschool Matters Initiative will also continue under NIOST's direction. Currently, four grants of $10,000 are awarded to support research about community-based youth programs during out-of-school time hours. The grantees join with the practitioner fellows to present their work at Research Roundtables.
"We need to continue to examine the many facets of out-of-school time - environments, professional development, programming, engagement, funding - so that we may recommend best practices and policies that will not only improve outcomes for kids, but also further improve the industry benefits for youth workers and educators," stresses Georgia Hall, Ph.D., senior research scientist at WCW and Afterschool Matters project co-director. "The National Afterschool Matters Initiative allows us to expand practitioners' opportunity to reflect on and improve program practices which we know can make a real difference to these professionals and to youth outcomes."
Since 1974, the Wellesley Centers for Women has helped shape a better world through its research and action programs. Work at the Centers addresses three major areas: the status of women and girls and the advancement of their human rights both in the United States and around the globe; the education, care, and development of children and youth; and the emotional well-being of families and individuals. Issues of diversity and equity are central across all the work as are the experiences and perspectives of women from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.
For almost 30 years, the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), formerly known as the School-Age Child Care Project, at the Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College, has successfully brought national attention to the importance of children's out-of-school time. Through research, training, evaluation, and program development, NIOST has continued to be at the forefront of advances in the field, and has acted as a leader in many areas of out-of-school time policy development, increased quality standards, professional recognition, and community action.
The Robert Bowne Foundation supports the development of quality programs that offer literacy education to children and youth of New York City, in the out-of-school hours, especially for those living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Afterschool Matters serves as this initiative name and a statement of the Foundation's belief: to children, adolescents, families, and communities, afterschool and other out-of-school-time programs matter a lot.
- - - -
CONTACT: Donna Tambascio, WCW Communications, 781-283-2552, dtambasc@wellesley.edu
WELLESLEY, Mass., April 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) is pleased to announce that the Robert Bowne Foundation is awarding more than $2.1 million over five years to the Centers' National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) for the National Afterschool Matters Initiative which will promote research and professional development for the out-of-school time industry.
"The Wellesley Centers for Women is committed to making the world a better place for women and their families through our research and action programs. NIOST's careful evaluation programs, comprehensive trainings, and advocacy for professional standards are examples of how we do this," says Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D., WCW executive director. "Expanding the Afterschool Matters Initiative through NIOST advances both the field of out-of-school time and our organizational mission."
The primary objective of this award is to ensure the continuation of the well-established Afterschool Matters Initiative, which includes a Practitioner Fellowship Program; the production of the Afterschool Matters publications; the Edmund A. Stanley, Jr. Research Grantee program; and the Research Roundtables, as forums for connecting research and practice.
"Out-of-school time remains a critical issue for working families in the U.S. and I am proud that the Robert Bowne Foundation is entrusting this important initiative to us - it is an ideal fit," says Ellen Gannett, M.Ed., director of NIOST. "For more than three decades now, NIOST has broken ground to move this industry forward and our work with the National Afterschool Matters Initiative will only further enhance the quality of OST programming and the preparation of staff who support our children and youth."
The Practitioner Fellowship Program for out-of-school time professionals emphasizes reflection on practice towards improved program quality and outcomes for children and youth. Its goals include identifying and disseminating effective practice and strategies for program improvement; building a network of practitioners, scholars, educators, and policymakers working in and studying out-of-school time programs; and contributing to basic knowledge and the improvement of practice and policy in the area of out-of-school time programs.
NIOST is excited to be partnering with the National Writing Project (NWP) in the national expansion of the Practitioner Fellowship program. Additionally, Sara Hill, Ed.D., who has directed this project for the Robert Bowne Foundation for the last five years, will continue to bring her expertise to the Initiative.
The Afterschool Matters Journal is a high quality, peer reviewed journal which will continue to be a vehicle for disseminating cutting-edge research in the field of out-of-school time and also provide a forum for practice and program improvement findings from the Practitioner Fellowship program.
The existing Edmund A. Stanley, Jr. National Research Grant program of the Afterschool Matters Initiative will also continue under NIOST's direction. Currently, four grants of $10,000 are awarded to support research about community-based youth programs during out-of-school time hours. The grantees join with the practitioner fellows to present their work at Research Roundtables.
"We need to continue to examine the many facets of out-of-school time - environments, professional development, programming, engagement, funding - so that we may recommend best practices and policies that will not only improve outcomes for kids, but also further improve the industry benefits for youth workers and educators," stresses Georgia Hall, Ph.D., senior research scientist at WCW and Afterschool Matters project co-director. "The National Afterschool Matters Initiative allows us to expand practitioners' opportunity to reflect on and improve program practices which we know can make a real difference to these professionals and to youth outcomes."
Since 1974, the Wellesley Centers for Women has helped shape a better world through its research and action programs. Work at the Centers addresses three major areas: the status of women and girls and the advancement of their human rights both in the United States and around the globe; the education, care, and development of children and youth; and the emotional well-being of families and individuals. Issues of diversity and equity are central across all the work as are the experiences and perspectives of women from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.
For almost 30 years, the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), formerly known as the School-Age Child Care Project, at the Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College, has successfully brought national attention to the importance of children's out-of-school time. Through research, training, evaluation, and program development, NIOST has continued to be at the forefront of advances in the field, and has acted as a leader in many areas of out-of-school time policy development, increased quality standards, professional recognition, and community action.
The Robert Bowne Foundation supports the development of quality programs that offer literacy education to children and youth of New York City, in the out-of-school hours, especially for those living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Afterschool Matters serves as this initiative name and a statement of the Foundation's belief: to children, adolescents, families, and communities, afterschool and other out-of-school-time programs matter a lot.
- - - -
CONTACT: Donna Tambascio, WCW Communications, 781-283-2552, dtambasc@wellesley.edu
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