What's New in Civic Education and Youth Civic Engagement Work .... (July/August 2006 Archive Section)

January 29, 2007

• The 6th Global Annual Conference Environmental Justice and Global Citizenship
  
  This inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary conference will be held July 2 -7 at Mansfield College in Oxford, England. It aims to explore the role of ecology and environmental ideas in the context of contemporary society and international politics, and assess the implications for our understandings of fairness, justice and global citizenship.
  
  The 6th Global Conference on Ecological Justice and Global Citizenship will explicitly explore the relationships between environments, sustainability and technology, the role of technology in creating possibilities for sustainable resources for the future, the inherent problems and dangers which accompany that role and related issues of civil society, human rights and the teaching of citizenship, identity and ethics.

  For further details about the conference or to submit a proposal, go to: http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/ptb/ejgc/ejgc6/cfp.htm.

  January 29, 2007

• The Forum for Youth Investment announces the following:

  - Bartholomew County/Columbus and Georgetown Divide/Black Oak Mine -- both Ready by 21 local partners -- have been named by America 's Promise as two of the 100 Best Communities for Young People.

  Georgetown Divide/Black Oak Mine was selected, in part, because of the broad-based Georgetown Divide (Black Oak Mine) Ready by 21 Coalition, which includes school and community leaders, local business owners, district staff and parents.

  Bartholomew County/Columbus community leaders began convening parents, service providers and advocates in 2004 to review data about young people in their community. The Ready by 21 model, demanding community supports for young people, resonated and became the framework for their leadership group.

  The Forum congratulates both Georgetown Divide/Black Oak Mine and Bartholomew County/Columbus on their dedicated efforts to adopt the Ready by 21 model to create and sustain positive communities for young people. They look forward to using the model to build the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement in more communities throughout the country, fulfilling the goal of Ready by 21: to prepare young people for college, work and life by age 21. Learn more about Ready by 21!

  Also, visit the America 's Promise at www.americaspromise.org for more about the 100 best.

  January 25, 2007

• The following has been added to Pew Charitable Trust's Youth Civic Initiatives (Pew Prospectus 2007):

  - The Civic Initiatives program seeks to educate the American public about the concepts of liberty and individual freedom that are tightly bound up in Philadelphia's early history.

  For more go to: http://www.pewtrusts.org/ideas/ideas_item.cfm?content_item_id=3895&content_type_id=17&issue_name=Civic%20initiatives&issue=41&page=17&WT.mc_id=01/22/2007.

  January 24, 2007

• Service-Learning United announces the following:

  “The President will submit his budget for Fiscal Year 2008 to Congress on February 5th. Given the current fiscal realities, and despite ongoing efforts to make the case for Learn and Serve America (LSA), we are preparing ourselves for the President's FY2008 budget to recommend a flat or reduced level of funding for LSA and other programs at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

  While the continuing resolution for FY2007 is expected to maintain LSA funding at $37.1 million, this is still a 15% decrease from its traditional funding level. And, last year both the President's request and the bills reported by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees called for further funding cuts to LSA. Therefore, our advocacy efforts for FY2008 will be critical, and your input and support will be needed more than ever.

  The political process allows each of us many opportunities to weigh in over the next year as important decisions are made on how our federal government allocates its resources. We strongly believe that by working together, we can increase our visibility and influence with key decision makers in the White House, Congress, and Statehouses to increase quality service-learning across the country and reverse the trend of declining funds for service-learning and national service.

  We are fortunate that with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the National Service-Learning Partnership is providing funding for Service-Learning United to strengthen advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels. With the start of the 110th Congress, and many new elected officials at every level of government, we believe that this is an opportunity to expand our education of all officials, regardless of political affiliation, and we hope that you will join us in this endeavor.

  We also believe that with limited resources, we need a focused strategy that will strengthen and expand state coalitions to ensure that advocates receive the tools and support they need to build champions for service-learning. To that end, please join a conference call to discuss how we can best support your efforts, engage others in our work, and ultimately, to move from strategy to reality. Please see the conference call information below:

  Date: Monday, February 12, 2007

  Start Time: 3PM eastern, 2PM central, 1PM mountain, 12PM pacific

  Dial-in Number: 1-605-725-3600

  Participant Access Code: 37125

  Please e-mail info@servicelearningunited.org to let us know if you're able to participate in the call. We will send out a reminder email the week of Feb. 5 with the agenda and supplementary documents. We look forward to hearing your voice.”

  Visit the Partnership or Service-Learning United online for regular updates on policy developments.

  January 23, 2007

• The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) has released the following two working papers:

  - The Civic Gap by Meira Levinson
  - Civil Rights Activists in the Information Age: The Development of Math Literacy Workers in the Young People's Project by Roderick J. Watts and Omar Guesseous

  To read these papers and access other working papers, fact sheets, newsletters, literature reviews and more information on the civic and political participation of young people go to: http://www.civicyouth.org/.

  January 22, 2007

• Florida Campus Compact announces the 7th International Research Conference on Service-Learning and Community Engagement to be held October 7-9, 2007 in Tampa Florida.  The theme for this year's conference is "Sustainability and Scholarship: Research and the K-12 Continuum" and is being hosted by the University of South Florida and co-hosted by Florida State University, Miami Dade College, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Miami.
  
  To be considered, all proposals must be received via electronic submission by 5:00 p.m. (EST) March 15, 2007.  All proposals will be evaluated by at least two reviewers. 
  
  This conference will convene scholars and practitioners from around the world to present new study findings, methodological and theoretical advances, and developing research agendas related to service-learning and community engagement in K-12 through higher education.  The conference sessions will explore a broad range of research issues in the study of service-learning and community engagement, including:

  - The impacts, implementation, and institutionalization of service-learning and related community engagement strategies (i.e. community-based research)
  - Theoretical and/or methodological understandings of the study of service-learning and community engagement
  - Scholarly work on the relationship between service-learning and related aspects of community engagement and educational reform
  - Studies on building a continuum of service-learning and other engagement strategies across educational sectors
  - Academically tested methods for student, faculty, and/or community development
  - Methodological issues and challenges; innovations in research design, analysis, and implementation
  - Advancements in engaged scholarship and advanced issues in research
  
  For more information contact: IRSL@floridacompact.org or call 850-488-7782.

  January 18, 2007

• 2007 Civic Change Award – Community-Wide Efforts to Reduce Dropout Rates – Nominating Process
  
  - Honored by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, the 2007 Civic Change Award will recognize organizations or individuals that demonstrate long-term concern for their community's odds of success by implementing collaborations specifically aimed at reducing the high school dropout rate. Potential nominees include the art museum that's coordinating annual events and training for emerging young artists, the locally operated business organizing summer internships for youth, or the church that runs a program matching senior citizen mentors with young people. In order to qualify for the award the nominee must be able to demonstrate community collaboration, innovative implementation, and evidence of effectiveness.
  
  The Blue Ribbon Commission will judge the campaign. The commission will convene to review all nominations and choose one community-wide effort for recognition. Established in 1995 by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, the award has recognized the work of individuals and organizations committed to improving civic life including Alma Powell, William Winter, Paul Aicher, John Gardner, Public Allies, and the League of Women Voters of the United States .
  
  Applications for the award and information on previous recipients are available on the Pew Partnership website ( www.pew-partnership.org ). Nominations for the 2007 Civic Change Award will be accepted anytime until March 31st, 2007.
  
  The Pew Partnership for Civic Change collaborates with communities, nonprofits, and foundations to identify and implement strategic approaches to civic challenges. Emphasizing broad-based civic leadership the Pew Partnership has helped communities thrive since 1992 by employing original research and tested solutions.

  January 17, 2007

• Congressional Research Awards: The Dirksen Congressional Center

  - The Dirksen Congressional Center invites applications for grants totaling $30,000 in 2007 to fund research on congressional leadership and the U.S. Congress. The competition is open to individuals with a serious interest in studying Congress. Political scientists, historians, biographers, scholars of public administration or American studies, and journalists are among those eligible.

  The Center encourages graduate students who have successfully defended their dissertation prospectus to apply and awards a significant portion of the funds for dissertation research. The awards program does not fund undergraduate or pre-Ph.D. study. Organizations are not eligible.

  Research teams of two or more individuals are eligible. There is no standard application form. Applicants are responsible for showing the relationship between their work and the awards program guidelines. Applications are accepted at any time. Incomplete applications will NOT be forwarded to the screening committee for consideration.

  All application materials must be received no later than February 1, 2007. Awards will be announced in March 2007.

  Complete information about eligibility and application procedures may be found at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_grants_CRAs.htm . For more information contact Frank Mackaman, program officer, at: fmackaman@dirksencenter.org .

  January 16, 2007

• Nelda Brown, Executive Director of the National Service-Learning Partnership has announced a cadre of 22 Service-Learning Emerging Leaders for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. According to Brown, “In the spirit of Dr. King's work and teachings, the National Service-Learning Partnership at the Academy for Educational Development, along with the National Youth Leadership Council are pleased to announce the selection of 22 young professionals and organizations for participation in the Service-Learning Emerging Leaders Initiative.  The Emerging Leaders Initiative is a two-year intensive experience designed to elevate and prepare a new, culturally diverse generation of service-learning leaders committed to working with traditionally under-served populations, schools, and communities.  This effort is made possible by the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation…” The individuals and their host organizations (in alphabetical order) include:

  California Campus Compact , Cathy Avila-Linn; San Francisco, California ( Mentor: Nadinne Cruz)

  Camp Fire USA , Sonia Cruz; Kansas City, Missouri (Mentor: Kelita Bak) 

  Center for Community Health & Service-Learning (Morehouse School of Medicine) , Bahati Banks; Atlanta, Georgia (Mentor: Meryl McNeal)

  Center for Innovative Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) , Abby Kiesa; College Park, Maryland (Mentor: Peter Levine)

  Cesar E. Chavez Foundation , Julie Chavez Rodriguez; Los Angeles, California (Mentor: Sonia C. Hernandez)

  City Year National, Inc. , Marc Morgan; Boston, Massachusetts (Mentor: Robert Gordon)

  Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio , Angela Lariviere; Columbus, Ohio (Mentor: Jocelyn Travis) 

  Congreso de Latinos Unidos , Ana Echeverria; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Mentor: Nicholas Torres)

  Constitutional Rights Foundation , Gregorio Medina; Los Angeles, California (Mentor: Susan Philips)

  Elementary Institute of Science , Andrea Yoder; San Diego, California (Mentor : Doris Anderson)

  Front Range Earth Force , Tashmesia Mitchelle; Denver, Colorado (Mentor: Lisa Bardwell)

  Leadership Public Schools Hayward , Omar Wandera; Hayward, California (Mentor: Stephen Wesley)

  Logan Square Neighborhood Association , Juliet de Jesus Alejandre; Chicago, IL (Mentor: Joanna Brown)

  National Youth Leadership Council , Bernard Gill; Saint Paul, Minnesota

  Peace Jam , Rudolfo (Rudy) Balles ; Lakewood, CO ( Mentor: Kate Cumbo)

  State Education Agency K-12 Service-Learning Network at the Academy for Educational Development (SEANet) , Seung Yu; District of Columbia (Mentor: Kenny Holdsman) 

  Resource Center , Shannon Tolbert; Flint, Michigan (Mentor: Dale Weighill)

  RMC Research Corporation ; Denver, Colorado

  Rural School & Community Trust , Veniayetta Aikens; Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Mentor: Daisy Slan)

  Urban Indian Health Institute , Mairead Widby ; Seattle, Washington (Mentor: Alice Parks)

  YMCA of Greater Seattle--Metrocenter Branch , Shalom Cook; Seattle, Washington (Mentor: David Kelly-Hedrick) 

  Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice , Jose Dobles; Bronx, New York (Mentor: Alexie Torres-Fleming)

  For more, or to join the Partnership go to: http://www.service-learningpartnership.org.

  January 12, 2007

• Citizenship, civil rights and other free resources are available through the U.S. Department of Education's website at http://www.free.ed.gov/. For example:
  
  - Citizenship education and resources provides civics flash cards, civics lessons, and study questions for the naturalization test. Test your civics knowledge: take the online "naturalization self-test." A guide provides practical information to help immigrants settle into everyday life in the U.S. - finding a job, learning English, paying taxes, and more.  Resources are available in multiple languages. Go to: http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=1833.
  
  - For Martin Luther King day... Listen to King's "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial (July 1963). See the neighborhood where he grew up, photos and documents from the civil rights movement in the U.S., and more. Go to: http://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=201.

  January 11, 2007

• Educating for Democracy

  Educating for Democracy, the California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools is an effort sponsored by the California Coalition for Civic Renewal, a group of concerned California individuals and organizations seeking to enlist support of education, business, law, veterans, labor, parents, and service groups around the state to promote civic education in California.
  
  Convened by Constitutional Rights Foundation, a Los Angeles-based, non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York , the goal of the coalition is to strengthen civic education in California 's public schools consistent with the recommendations in the Civic Mission of Schools report.
  
  Joining Constitutional Rights Foundation in this effort is the Center for Civic Education, which is also a member of the Alliance for Representative Democracy, a national partnership, involving the Congress of the United States, working to strengthen representative democracy in America. The two organizations will be cooperating in all phases of the project, including the creation of the project steering committee and will jointly publicize project activities through their program networks. Constitutional Rights Foundation and the Center for Civic Education have each provided programs and materials and been represented on statewide committees and commissions promoting the civic mission of schools.
  
  For more information go to: http://www.cms-ca.org/.

  January 10, 2007

• The Coalition for Community School's recent online newsletter “Education in the Spotlight” highlights the following:

  - Civic Mission of Schools Needs to Be Revitalized. American democracy is at risk because civic education has been downplayed amid a decade's-long push for more testing and accountability in reading, math, and science, according to a new study released by the National Association of State Boards of Education. Schools need to re-emphasize citizenship as a fundamental mission of public education, the study concludes, and state boards of education must promote civic learning to prepare students for their responsibilities as engaged citizens. For more, go to: http://www.nasbe.org/publications/Civic_Ed/civic_ed1.html. To subscribe to the free newsletter, email: ccs@iel.org.
  

  January 9, 2007

• The most recent issue of Critique is now available. Critique provides a forum for graduate and undergraduate students of politics to express and exchange diverse ideas and to imagine new possibilities for democracy and justice.
  
  This volume has 8 articles. Topics include patriotism debate in Israel , internet liberalization policies in Ethiopia, Canadian foreign policy after 9/11, and electoral reform in the United States. Critique is published twice a year. The next issue will be published in Spring 2007. For submission guidelines and to access the latest issue, go to: http://lilt.ilstu.edu/critique/current.htm.

  January 8, 2007

• The Public Education Network's (PEN) online newsletter announces:

  “Reconnecting Education and Foundations” -- Foundation leaders are pessimistic about the intentionality of educators when the assessment and improvement of teaching and learning are on the table. When it comes to probing deeply, being analytical, mobilizing follow-through and, most of all, tackling problems in ways designed to have field-wide payoff -- those in foundations are often skeptical and occasionally cynical about educators' commitment to such work. Educators, for their part, think that foundations are too distant in their understanding of how schools and colleges work and that they are looking for speedy solutions to long-germinating problems and indifferent to academic priorities. In this month's Carnegie Perspectives, Ray Bacchetti and Tom Ehrlich, introduce the concept of "educational capital." They call for both foundations and educational institutions to build their programs around the goal of increasing educational capital through more open and accountable forms of education grantmaking and educational activity. For more go to: http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/perspectives/sub.asp?key=245&subkey=2123.