Happy Summer from the PSLA! June 2012
While things may be winding down in your schools and classrooms, opportunities to improve service-learning across the commonwealth are heating up! Here’s what you’ll find in this email:
Get Connected – Information about networks that connect with you with other service-learning folks across the state and across the country
Training/PD Opportunities – Workshops, training, seminars, and other PD opportunities in PA related to service learning.
Grants – Links and info on funding for service-learning projects and programs
Resources – The newest or best resources to download or order to support high quality service-learning practice.
Awards – Know a service-learning super star? Nominate them for one of these awards.
Miscellaneous – It’s service-learning related but doesn’t exactly fit anywhere else!
Please pass this email along to a friend and invite them to join the Pennsylvania Service Learning Alliance! Click here to join the PSLA today!
Get Connected!
- Join the PSLA group in “The Generator Schools Network” membership is free and open to any adult educator interested in utilizing service-learning resources in their work with students. The Generator School Network is a community that links educators who are passionate about service- learning. Together they assess, share, and refine their practice ? online or in-person ? learning from each other while accessing resources rooted in research. Whether you are a service-learning novice or advanced practitioner, you will find a supportive community and useful resources to guide your work with students. Check-out the professional development calendar and register for some of our upcoming event! www.gsn.nylc.org
- Service Learning group on SAS! (the Pennsylvania Standards Aligned System) We are currently setting up a group on SAS specifically for folks dedicated, committed, and interested in service learning! Keep watching SAS and the next PSLA newsletter!
Training/PD Opportunities!
The Pennsylvania Service Learning Alliance is offering a professional development webinars in July:
- Putting Critical & Creative Thinking to Work Through Reflection
This webinar will explore the Service Learning Standard for Quality Practice – Reflection. Reflection is a critical part of service projects and programs because it allows participants to “digest” what they have learned and experienced throughout their involvement. It is important that reflection be cognitively challenging. The reflection process and reflection tools should not be superfluous activities that do not challenge participants. Creating rubrics or criteria for reflection gives participants direction and focus while it allows facilitators to measure the depth and breadth of reflection.
Tuesday July 24th 11:00 AM & Thursday July 26th 2:00 PM
Each call will be no more than 1 hour. You will receive a power point presentation to follow during the call along with the toll-free call in phone number and pass code.
Sign Up for the Free Reflection Webinar here!
- Q & A With YSA – Tips and Information Successfully Submitting A Strong YSA Grant Proposal
Friday July 6th 10:00 -11:00 AM
The PSLA is pleased to host Scott Ganske, Director of Education at Youth Service America as he shares tips and answers questions from PA’s service-learning practitioners interested in applying for any of the State Farm, Sodexo, MLK Day, or Global Youth Service Day grants administered by YSA.
Sign up here for the Q & A with YSA webinar!
Grants!
· Sodexo Foundation School Engagement Grants – $5,000 http://bit.ly/M28wrv
Deadline: July 15
· Global Youth Service Day Lead Agency Grants www.YSA.org/grants/leadagency
Deadline: July 15
· Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizer Grants www.YSA.org/grants/SodexoLeadOrganizer
Deadline: July 15
· MLK Day Lead Organizer Grants www.YSA.org/grants/MLKDay
Deadline: July 15
· State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grants www.YSA.org/goodneighbor
Deadline: July 31
Resources!
· Ready-Set-Go Resource Guide: Increasing Capacity to Engage Youth & Family Volunteers
Download this guide from generationOn for ideas, best practices, and strategies on building your organization’s capacity to engage youth and family volunteers. These concrete strategies are the result of a five-city Ready-Set-Go! pilot and bring together the expertise of more than 20 volunteer managers. http://bit.ly/M8MCky
- The YMCA Center for Asset Development is proud to announce that their new Seasons of Service: Engaging Youth in Service-Learning Throughout the Year curriculum is now available!
This offers a 3-in-1 curriculum package to engage and equip youth as change agents in the community. With step-by-step guidance, youth-serving agencies and schools can easily incorporate this curriculum into their programs and put it into the hands of youth for them to lead service-learning experiences. http://theassetedge.net/seasons-of-service.pdf
Awards!
- The Harris Wofford Youth Award will be given to a young person (ages 5 -25) who is a legal resident of the U.S. who demonstrates exemplary commitment and action to involve his or her peers in service, youth voice, service-learning, or civic engagement activities. The recipient will receive a $500 award for him/herself and $500 to give to a nonprofit of his or her choice to support program activities as well as travel to the Youth Service Institute. www.YSA.org/grants/harris-wofford-award-youth
- World Summit Youth Award Deadline: July 16
World Summit Youth Award is seeking nominations for the 2012 Youth Award. This award recognizes young people under the age of 30 from UN member states working to tackle issues in six categories: Fight Poverty, Hunger and Disease; Education for All; Power 2 Women; Create your Culture; Go Green; and Pursue Truth. The jury will honor up to three winners and two runners-up per category. Finalists will be invited to attend and be honored at the 18th World Congress on Information Technology in Montréal, Canada, from October 22-24. http://bit.ly/M28wrv
Miscellaneous:
- Best Buy Geek Squad Summer Academy in Philly – New Foundations Charter School is hosting the ONLY Best Buy Geek Squad Summer Academy (GSSA) in Pennsylvania on July 11-12 for students entering 7th through 11th grade. During this 2 day camp, youth will be engaged in interactive learning about various types of technology, including video production, music composition, photography, collaborative learning, computer troubleshooting and more! The cost for the 2 day event is $40, and this cost includes lunch both days, a t-shirt, backpack and memory stick.
Students can sign up online at http://geeksquadacademy.com/summeracademy/ and click on the ‘registration’ button on the top and pick the Philadelphia event. (There is NO requirement to pay online at the time of registration, this payment will happen after a registration). Organizations who wish to send and pay for youth to attend the event can have students register online (or register them yourself), and then email Shira Woolf-Cohen – swoolf@nfcs.k12.pa.us the list of students and she will invoice your organization.
- Service Learning After Learn & Serve America: How Five States Are Moving Forward
The loss of federal support coupled with state budget shortfalls has prompted a transition period for the service-learning field. 5 Advocates across the country are choosing to move beyond the devastating budget cut and seize the opportunity to refocus efforts to expand high-quality service-learning. This set of case studies aims to highlight policy and practice in several states where service-learning experts are designing and implementing agendas to maintain and advance statewide service-learning initiatives with no federal aid and no new state aid.
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/01/02/87/10287.pdf
Do you have information or ideas to share with service learning practitioners across the state? Send the info to Joan Liptrot at JLiptrot@igesl.org
Stay cool!
Joan
Joan L. Liptrot
Executive Director
Institute for Global Ed & Service Learning
Home of the Pennsylvania Service Learning Alliance
