Youth Venture

*A weekly publication of Youth Service America*

This Week's Stories (Vol. 14, No. 45)

THIS WEEK IS INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK

International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Education and is part of an effort to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.
This year’s theme is “International Education: fostering global citizenship and respect,” and there are numerous ways to get involved. A list of suggestions is available at the IEW web site, http://iew.state.gov/get_involved.htm
To read statements from the U.S. Secretary of State, Secretary of Education, and the Director-General of UNESCO, visit http://iew.state.gov/statements.htm

CELEBRATE GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS WEEK AND PROMOTE GLOBAL AWARENESS

November 11 – 17 is Geography Awareness Week and awareness of global connections; people, their culture, their governments, and environment has never been more important. The National Geographic, “My Wonderful World” Campaign believes that young people need to know geography in order to understand today's world—and succeed in tomorrow's. The goal campaign is to improve the geographic literacy of young people ages 8-17 by motivating parents and educators to expand geographic offerings in school, at home, and in their communities. The interactive My Wonderful World web site has tools and resources for all ages, including a global IQ quiz. To learn more, visit http://www.mywonderfulworld.org

MARK YOUR CALENDAR – GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY 2008 IS APRIL 25-27

Do you want to know what youth around the globe are doing to change the world and address critical global issues like the Millennium Development Goals? Then visit http://www.gysd.org to download the Global Youth Service Day 2007 Final Report. The colorful report details exciting achievements including:
• How Russia mobilized over a million participants under the theme “We are creating our future together!”
• How in China, a public awareness campaign on climate change was covered in the official newspaper, China Environment, as well as in the China Environment Resource Network and
• How Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva officially commemorated Brazil’s GYSD events.

LEARN AND SHARE WAYS TO ADDRESS CRITICAL GLOBAL ISSUES AT THE YOUTH SERVICE INSTITUTE

Youth in the U.S. and around the world increasingly address issues that deeply affect physical survival and the inherent quality of life of persons around the globe. At the Youth Service Institute, December 12-14 in San Diego CA, attendees will learn and share ways to engage children and youth in these “strategic service” projects that address some of our world’s most critical social concerns. Interactive workshops will prepare participants to inspire children and youth to tackle global warming, malaria, human rights, illiteracy, the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals and a host of other issues that affect both their local communities and world. To learn more about the Institute and register, visit http://www.ysa.org/institute

INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING

The Bookings Institution recently published a report titled, “Volunteering for Impact: Best Practices in International Corporate Volunteering (ICV)” According to the report, an estimated 40 percent of major corporations support employee volunteering efforts around the world. To learn more about the growing trend of ICV, visit http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2007/09volunteering.aspx
To learn more about the Brookings Initiative on International Volunteering and Service, visit http://www.brookings.edu/projects/volunteering.aspx

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE NATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CLEARINGHOUSE

The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse has a large selection of links and items that discuss international service-learning, as well as resource organizations. To learn more and tap into valuable service-learning resources, visit http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/hot_topics/international/index.php

EXPLORE WHY “CULTURE MATTERS” WITH THE PEACE CORPS

“Culture Matter's”, Peace Corps' cross-cultural training workbook, was developed to train new Peace Corps Volunteers to enter new cultures with understanding and respect. The online workbook is adaptable to a variety of classroom situations and includes chapters on American culture, intercultural communication, and social relationships. To learn more, visit http://peacecorp.gov/wws/educators/enrichment/culturematters/index.html

REFER A YOUNG PERSON TO SERVE ON THE WOMEN’S COMMISSION FOR REFUGEE WOMEN AND CHILDREN YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Displaced, Out-Of-School Youth Initiative of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is establishing a Youth Advisory Committee. The committee’s purpose is to help guide and inform the overall initiative, including identifying needs and gaps in services for displaced young people and participating in project research and advocacy. Participants must be between 10 and 24 years old, living or with experience of living in a conflict-affected area, able to read, write and speak English, and with regular internet access. The time commitment is 1 to 3 years with quarterly virtual meetings and, budget permitting, travel to one ‘live’ group meeting for training, team building and discussion. To learn more, visit
http://www.womenscommission.org/projects/children/untapped_action.php Referrals should be sent to emilyb@womenscomission.org

ONE WORLD PROGRAM LESSON PLANS AVAILABLE

The One World: Connecting Communities, Cultures, and Classrooms Program teaches students fundamentals in diversity, respect for others, and building communities. The lessons help children develop skills to promote empathy, dialogue, and respect. The program includes a Student Journey Book that provide extensions and a deeper exploration of the lessons topics. All lessons and support tools are available online for download. To learn more, visit http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/one_world/index.asp

INTEGRATING SERVICE-LEARNING IN AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: BEST PRACTICES

There are numerous examples of International Schools that highlight various levels of service work as integral components of their mission plans and curriculums, including:
The United Nations International School in New York, New York offers four different community service tutorials through their office of Student Activities in which students can obtain class credits for their internal and external service work. The aim is to promote socially responsible students who care deeply about their school community and their local and global communities. By promoting service through reflection and learning the hope is that students will learn that their actions can have positives effects. To learn more, visit http://www.unis.org/
The International High School at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, New York offers a variety of “Cluster” groups to their students. One such group entitled Projects and Adventures in NYC highlights a variety of current sociopolitical issues that the students examine such as racial discrimination, biodiversity, genocide, and children’s rights. They also host a student group called Youth Citizens Center in which students perform projects that provide them with leadership training, valuable community service activities and college awareness. To learn more, visit http://ihsnyc.org/
The Washington International School in Washington, DC has a very strong Global Initiatives and Service-Learning program embedded in their School Life. This program is incorporated into both the lower and upper school and aims to encourage students understanding of world citizenship and awareness through strategic service connections in their classrooms and courses. Students learn that they can make a difference by engaging in important service activities relevant to their learning goals. To learn more, visit http://www.wis.edu/schoollife/communityservicepr.aspx

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Stories of Everyday Young Heroes

Kyle Taylor (23), a Youth Venturer from Anaheim California, recently returned from a global tour of five continents, where he visited other members of Youth Venture. Youth Venturers are civic-minded young changemakers who create their own youth-led, youth-initiated community benefiting clubs or organizations all over the world. Called the Dream It. Do It. World Tour., Kyle documented his journey and interaction with youth through video, pictures, and a blog on Youth Venture’s new global community action website, http://www.genv.net

To read Kyle’s blog, visit http://www.genv.net/en us/user/dream_it_do_it_world_tour_with_kyle_taylor
Do you know a young hero who should be profiled in the National Service Briefing?
Nominate a young person between the ages of 5-25, who you think deserves to be profiled as a young hero. To submit a Young Heroes nomination, please send the name, age, city, and state of the young person you are nominating, as well as a brief description of their involvement in service to change their community. Self-nominations are accepted. Send nominations to dhatcher (at) ysa.org with the subject line NOMINATION.
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Job Opportunities

 TAKING IT GLOBAL: Youth Media Challenge Coordinator – New York, NY

 TakingITGlobal (TIG) is a non-profit, international youth organization that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action to improve their local and global communities. TakingITGlobal is seeking a Project Manager and Community Engagement Coordinator to engage a global social network of youth as part of a project that encourages young people to both create digital media and think critically about the role that it plays in their lives. The project will have an initial focus on reaching youth in the United States and several countries in Asia. The project is supported by the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning Initiative. To learn more including roles/responsibilities and qualifications, visit http://www.takingitglobal.org/resources/prof/view.html?ProfID=1485

AMIDEAST: Educational Advisor – Washington, DC

America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST), a private, nonprofit organization that strengthens mutual understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa seeks a part time educational advisor. The position will provide online educational advising services; develop and translate web site content as well as presentations, brochures, and handouts; market advising services to students worldwide; facilitate online chats and moderate listserv; and prepare monthly written and statistical reports. To learn more, visit http://amideast.org/employment/staff/edu_adv_HQ.htm

AIESEC: Internships – Various Locations

AIESEC, the world's largest student organization, is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society. Each year, AIESEC connects thousands of young people with internships around the world in the fields of management, information technology, education, and development.. To learn more about leadership positions with AIESEC, visit http://www.aiesec.org/students/work-abroad/
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Grants

 NATIONAL SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM

The National Security Education Program (NSEP) provides a unique funding opportunity for U.S. students to study world regions critical to U.S. interests (including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and the Middle East). NSEP was designed to provide Americans with the resources and encouragement they need to acquire skills and experiences in areas of the world critical to the future security of our nation in exchange for a commitment to seek work in the federal government. To learn more about this opportunity, visit http://www.iie.org/programs/nsep/default.htm

THE FUND FOR INTERNATIONAL SERVICE LEARNING

The Fund for International Service Learning (FISL) is offering $500 scholarships to aid students who are enrolled (or in the process of enrolling) in an accredited International Service Learning program. Recipients are selected based on their academic and professional goals and accomplishments, as well as financial need. The deadline to apply is November 15. To learn more, visit http://www.fisl.org/home.php 

YOUTH AT THE CENTER GRANT

Youth Service America (YSA) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice are offering $2,000 grants to help organizations that have had a successful youth engagement experience to replicate effective practices to organizations in a broader network or coalition without a youth strategy. Successful applicants will involve youth in addressing the world’s most pressing social issues, such as climate change, hunger, disease, nutrition, literacy, disaster relief, poverty, and more. Applicants should plan to use Global Youth Service Day as a primary vehicle to engage youth in the issue addressed. The deadline to apply is November 30. To learn more about the grant, eligibility, and how to obtain application materials, visit http://servenet.org/Toolkit/ContentManagement/Serv
iceWireNews/tabid/122/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/368/Youth-at-the-Center.aspx

NATIONAL PEACE ESSAY CONTEST

The National Peace Essay Contest promotes serious discussion among high school students, teachers, and leaders about international peace and conflict resolution. Students in grades 9-12 in the U.S., and U.S. territories are eligible to apply. This year’s topic is natural resources and conflict. The deadline is February 1. To learn more about contest rules and guidelines, visit http://www.usip.org/ed/npec/index.html

DOORS TO DIPLOMACY

The U. S. Department of State sponsors the "Doors to Diplomacy" educational challenge to encourage middle school and high school students around the world to produce web projects that teach others about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. Each student team member of the winning "Doors to Diplomacy" Award team receives a $2,000 scholarship, and the winning coaches' schools each receive a $500 cash award. The deadline to apply is February 28. To learn more, visit http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsndoors/
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Conferences & Events

STUDENT CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS – December 5-7 – New York, NY

The theme of the 10th Annual United Nations Student Conference on Human Rights (UNSCHR) is “Recognizing the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”.  The conference supports the goals of the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, which aims to strengthen cooperation for finding solutions to problems faced by indigenous peoples The 2007 UNSCHR conference will unite approximately 60 youth from around the world at the UN Headquarters in New York for discussion, collaboration, and action related to the rights of indigenous peoples. To learn more, visit http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/student/2007/about.asp

NATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CONFERENCE – April 9-12 – Minneapolis, MN

The National Service-Learning Conference is the largest gathering of youths and practitioners from the service-learning field including educators in k-12 and higher education, youth leaders, trainers, policy-makers, grantees, researchers, funders and many others.  Don’t miss keynote addresses by Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa; urban educator Pedro Noguera, author of Unfinished Business: Closing the Achievement Gap in Our Nation’s Schools; and Peace Corp Director Ronald A Tschetter. To learn more, visit http://www.nylc.org

INTERNATIONAL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SUMMIT: August 19-22 – Manchester, UK

The third International Young Professionals Summit will convene young professionals from around the globe to discuss the theme of "How young professionals can help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.” To learn more, visit http://www.iyps.org
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Calendar

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

November 14-17 – Partners of the Americas International Convention – Ouro Preto, Brazil; http://www.partners.net
November 15 - North Adams Public Schools 9th Annual Service-Learning Conference – North Adams, MA; sl_rosselli@yahoo.com
November 9-26 – Youth Encounter on Sustainability – Kenya; http://www.sustainability.ethz.ch/en/activities/africa.cfm
November 30 – National Council on the Social Students Conference – San Diego, CA; http://www.socialstudies.org/conference/
 
December 5 -7 – Transitions Youth Practitioner Summit; http://www.nmforumforyouth.org
December 9-12 – National Youth Court Conference; http://ww.youthcourt.net
December 29-31 – Party for the Presidency – Hollywood, CA; http://www.mobilize.org/inde x.php?tray=topic_list&cid=240&tid=top418
 
January 13-15 – J-SERVE Training Conference; http://www.jserve.org
 
June 1 – 3 - 2008 National Conference on Service and Volunteering; http://www.volunteeringandservice.org
 
August (2008) - World Youth Congress - Quebec City, Canada; http://www.peacechild.org/
August 19 (2008) – International Young Professionals Summit – Manchester, United Kingdom; http://www.iyps.org
 
Does your organization have an upcoming conference/event that it would like advertised in the National Service Briefing? Send a short description to dhatcher (at) ysa.org with the subject line CONFERENCE.
 

SEASONS OF SERVICE

2007
 
November
November (month) – National Runaway Prevention Month; http://www.1800RUNAWAY.org
November (month) – American Indian Heritage Month
November (month) – Prematurity Awareness Month; http://www.marchofdimes.com
November 11-17 - Geography Awareness Week; http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction
November 12-16 - International Education Week; http://iew.state.gov/
November 12-18 - World Kindness Week; http://www.actsofkindness.org
November 13 - National Mix It Up Day; http://www.tolerance.org/
November 13 - National Young Readers' Day; http://www.bookitprogram.com/teachers/nyrd.asp
November 15 - America Recycles Day; http://www.americarecyclesday.org/
November 15 - National Philanthropy Day; http://www.nationalphilanthropyday.org/index.html
November 15 - World's Largest Thanksgiving Dinner; http://www.4allstars.org
November 17 - Family Volunteer Day; http://disney.go.com/disneyhand/familyvolunteers/
November 18-24 - National Family Week; http://www.nationalfamilyweek.org
 
December
December 1 - World AIDS Day; http://www.worldaidsday.org/default.asp
December 9 - International Children's Day of Broadcasting; http://www.unicef.org/videoaudio/video_icdb.html
December 10 – International Human Rights Day; http://www.ohchr.org/
 
2008
 
January
January (month) - National Mentoring Month; http://www.mentoring.org/
January 21 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service; http://www.mlkday.gov
January 21-25 – No Name Calling Week; http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/
 
February
February (month) - National Black History Month - http://www.asalh.org/
February 11-17 - Random Acts of Kindness Week - http://www.actsofkindness.org/
February 17 – PTA Founders Day and Advocacy Week - http://www.pta.org/ap_founders.html
February 21 – International Mother Languages Day - http://days.takingitglobal.org/3
 
March
March (month) – Best Buddies Month: http://www.bestbuddies.org
March (month) – Youth Art Month; http://www.crayola.com/calendar/detail.cfm?event_id=127&year=2008
March (month) - National Nutrition Month; http://www.strength.org/
March (month) - National Women's History Month; http://www.nwhp.org/
March (month) - Red Cross Month; http://www.redcross.org/index.html
March 3 - Read Across America Day; http://www.nea.org/readacross/index.html
March 3-6 - Newspapers in Education Week; http://nieonline.com/
March 8 - International Women's Day; http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
March 9-15 - Girl Scout Week; http://www.girlscouts.org/
March 20 – Absolutely Incredible Kid Day; http://www.campfire.org
March 22 - World Water Day; http://www.worldwaterday2007.org/
March 31 - Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning; http://www.chavezfoundation.org
March 31 - April 6 - Act! Speak! Build! Week; http://www.habitat.org/ccyp/act_speak_build
 
April
April (month) - Keep America Beautiful Month; http://www.kab.org/
April 2 – Tobacco Free Kids Annual Celebration; http://www.kickbuttsday.org
April 4-6 – Areyvut Make a Difference Day; http://www.areyvut.org/Action/make2008.asp
April 7 – World Health Day; http://days.takingitglobal.org/23
April 13-19 - National Library Week; http://www.ala.org/
April 25-28 – Global Youth Service Day; http://www.ysa.org, http://www.gysd.org
April 22 - Earth Day; http://www.earthday.net/

April 27 – May 3 - National Volunteer Week; http://www.pointsoflight.org
 
May
May (month) – National Youth Traffic Safety Month; http://noys.org/YouthTrafSafe/toolkit.html
May (month) – Take 25 Campaign; http://www.take25.org
May (month) - National Foster Care Month; http://www.fostercaremonth.org/Home
May (month) - National Family Month; http://www.familymonth.net/
May 1 – Law Day; http://www.abanet.org/publiced/lawday/
May 2 – National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy; http://www.teenpregnancy.org
May 4-10 - Be Kind to Animals Week; http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer
May 5 - Join Hands Day; http://www.joinhandsday.org/
May 21 – World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development; http://days.takingitglobal.org/11
May 25 – National Missing Children’s Day; http://www.missingkids.com
May 31 – World No Tobacco Day; http://days.takingitglobal.org/13
 
June
June 5 - World Environment Day; http://www.unep.org/wed
June 7 – 14 - National NeighborWorks Week; http://www.nw.org/network/home.asp
June 11 – World Population Day; http://days.takingitglobal.org/43
June 12 – World Day Against Child Labor; http://days.takingitglobal.org/41
June 20 – World Refugee Day; http://days.takingitglobal.org/17
 
July
July (month) - Recreation and Parks Month; http://www.nrpa.org/
 
August
August (month) - Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month; http://mylion.org/
August 9 – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People; http://days.takingitglobal.org/19
August 12 - International Youth Day; http://days.takingitglobal.org/29
 
September
September (month) - National Youth Court Month; http://www.youthcourt.net/
September (month) - Corporate Month of Service; http://www.handsonnetwork.org/home/
September 11 - My Good Deed; http://www.mygooddeed.org/
September 15 - October 15 - National Hispanic Heritage Month; http://www.somosprimos.com/heritage.htm
 
We hope you find the Season of Service Calendar useful, please note that to prevent spam filters from rejecting the National Service Briefing, links in the calendar are not active; please cut and paste links into your browser.
 
Do you know of a service day/event that should be on the Seasons of Service Calendar? Send the date and web site to dhatcher (at) ysa.org with the subject line SEASON.
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For Information about Youth Service America's
National Service Briefing, please contact:

Daniel Hatcher, Editor-in-Chief, Youth Service
America, nsbinfo@ysa.org, 202-296-2992-ext. 118