 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
|
![[logo]](../img/logo.gif){kind=logo} |
|
| ||||||||||||||
|
 |
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
|
 |
 |
| ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
 | ||||||||||||||
 |
|
 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
August
31, 2007 The People Speak is sponsoring a series of Global Debates for high school students. During ten day periods in October 2007 and March 2008, students across the globe will be organizing public debates in their high schools and coordinating a global vote on the debate topics. October's debate topic is on the best way to lower carbon emissions and March will focus on water rights - both serious issues facing the US and the world. The
one pager provides
information on the debates. The website http://www.thepeoplespeak.org
provides even more information, including how to register schools
to participate in the Global Debates. August
30, 2007 Park University President Dr. Beverley Byers-Pevitts has declared Tuesday, November 6, "Democracy Day" as a major civic literacy effort. The theme of this year's Democracy Day is the U.S. Constitution, supporting federal legislation proclaiming September 17 as Constitution Day. To celebrate the Constitution, Park University is sponsoring its 4th annual high school essay contest and has selected the topic of "Propose and Defend a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution." Park University is once again joined by their partner and co-sponsor, Presidents Park in Williamsburg, Virginia for the event. The contest is open to high school seniors. The grand prize winner of the contest will receive a $2,000 Park University scholarship or a $1,000 scholarship to the college or university of their choice. Five first place winners will receive $250 each. The winners' essays will be posted on the Park University and Presidents Park http://www.presidentspark.org web sites. Essays will be judged by a distinguished panel of scholars and public officials. In addition, Park University will offer 2,000 free printed copies of The U.S. Constitution and Fascinating Facts About It (edited by Terry L. Jordan) to all participating schools for distribution to their seniors. These will be available on a first-come, first served basis. Essays must be word processed, may not exceed 250 words, must be free of spelling and grammatical errors, adhere to standards of academic integrity, and must be submitted via e-mail to democracyday@park.edu or mailed to: Erik Bergrud, Special Assistant to the President, Park University, 8700 NW River Park Dr., Campus Box 100, Parkville, MO 64152. All high school essays must be submitted by the student's teacher or principal, along with a statement affirming the student's senior status at the high school, and permission to publish the essay if it is selected as a winner. The submission due date is October 5, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. Winners will be announced on Democracy Day: November 6, 2007. For
more information, please call Erik Bergrud directly at (816) 584-6412.
For more about go to the Democracy Day web site at http://www.park.edu/democracyday. August
29, 2007 America's Founding Fathers features biographies of delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. The 55 delegates had been sent by the 13 states to revise the Articles of Confederation, but they ended up drafting an entirely new plan of government. They ranged in age from 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton to 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, who had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair. (National Archives and Records Administration). For more go to: http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=1917 August
28, 2007 Citizenship Matters, released by the National Center on Learning and Citizenship at Education Commission of the States, highlights the following: - A
new measurement tool is available for evaluating adolescent civic
engagement, CIRCLE Working Paper #55, provides measures that tap aspects
of adolescents' civic behaviors, opinions, knowledge and dispositions. - Cathryn
Berger Kaye has two new publications: "A Kids' Guide to Hunger
& Homelessness" and "A Kids' Guide to Helping Others
Read and Succeed." Each book is designed to help kids in grades
6 and up develop their skills, knowledge and abilities while having
a successful service-learning experience. Teachers, parents and group
leaders can use these workbooks in classrooms, youth-serving organizations,
after-school settings or at home. - "Leadership
and Governance," the second in a series of "Essential Guides"
to Pilot Schools, is now available free from the Center for Collaborative
Education. Pilot Schools are unique public schools within school districts,
with negotiated union contracts, yet with autonomy from the district
and the union in matters of budget, staffing, governance, schedule,
curriculum and assessment. They place students at the center of learning,
always involving families, the school staff and the community in planning
their education. August
9, 2007 Pay It Forward Service-Oriented Mini-Grants Pay
It Forward Mini-Grants fund one-time-only service-oriented projects
identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit
their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain
a "pay it forward" focus - that is, they must be based on
the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do
favors for others, with the results growing exponentially. Maximum
Award: $500. Eligibility: K-12 youth. Deadline: October 15, 2007.
For more go to: http://payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/grant.html. August
8, 2007 Reminder: The Advanced registration deadline for the 7th International Research Conference on Service-Learning and Community Engagement is just a few days way -- August 10. This conference will be held October 7-9, 2007 in Tampa, Florida. The theme for the 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. For
more information go to: http://www.floridacompact.org/%7Efloridac/irsl/register.html. August
7, 2007 Citizenship Matters, released by the National Center on Learning and Citizenship at Education Commission of the States, highlights the following: - David Beaumont Smith is the founder and executive director of Mobilize.org, an all-partisan nonprofit dedicated to educating, empowering and energizing youth to become more involved in politics. In this excerpt from his keynote address to the Education Leadership Colloquium on July 10, 2007, he calls upon members of the Millennial Generation to not only contribute to, but build the democracy they hope to inherit. - The
Nevada Youth Legislative Issues Forum was created when Governor Jim
Gibbons signed into law Senate Bill 247. The Forum, consisting of
21 students grades 9-12, must hold at least two public hearings each
school year, review issues of importance to youth in the state and
submit an annual report of the activities of the Forum. - In
Maine, Governor John Baldacci signed HP 133 which adds a student member
to the State Board of Education. The student's term of membership,
which is nonvoting, is two years. - Maryland
Governor Martin O'Malley signed into law House Bill 2787 creating
the Maryland Commission on Civic Literacy. Among commission members
specifically mentioned are two students. August
6, 2007 A new service-learning toolkit is now available and edited by CCPH and published by Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (http://www.servicelearning.org), the toolkit is divided into 10 units designed to aid faculty in every step of planning, designing, and implementing service-learning programs into their curriculum and institutions as well as program evaluation and assessment. Visit the toolkit at: http://www.servicelearning.org/filemanager/download/HE_toolkit_with_worksheets.pdf Visit
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/servicelearningres.html
for additional service-learning resources. To join the free service-learning
in higher education listserv, visit: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/faq.html#Listservs. August
3, 2007 The Public Education Network's (PEN) online NewsBlast announces the following: "Grants
to Mobilize Youth for Service-Learning and Community Service" August
2, 2007 The American Political Science Association has issued a call for paper and workshop proposals for the it's 5th Annual APSA Teaching and Learning Conference in Political Science to be held in San Jose, California on February 22-24, 2008 Paper
Proposals: The meeting will consist of tracks constructed around such themes as: Program Assessment; Simulations and Role Play; Graduate Education; Diversity and Inequality; Teaching Research Methods; Internationalizing the Curriculum; General Education; Civic Engagement; and Teaching Across the Discipline Professional Development Workshop
Proposals: The meeting will consist of workshop constructed around such themes as: Integrating Technology in the Classroom; Classroom and Program Assessment; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; Teaching Sessions for Graduate Students; and Open Call. Deadline:
For more information please visit the Teaching and Learning Conference webpage at http://www.apsanet.org/section_602.cfm or email teaching@apsanet.org. August
1, 2007 The
Battle of Ideas Proposal: A national public service academy "Think
West Point or Annapolis, with mandatory community service in place
of rifle drill and course loads heavier on civics than Clausewitz.
Students attending the academy would receive a free four-year undergraduate
education in return for agreeing to spend five years after graduation
working for federal, state or local government. The
idea is the brainchild of a pair of former Teach for America volunteers,
Chris Myers Asch and Shawn Raymond, who were moved to action by the
anemic government response to Hurricane Katrina. Too many young people
interested in public service, they say, are being lured into the private
sector because it pays better or to nonprofit groups because they
seem more dynamic than government…" by Alec MacGillas, August
1, 2007, The Washington Post. July
31, 2007 The Center on Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) announces the following: Joint Youth Mapping Project - On June 25th, CIRCLE began an exciting five-week program for teenagers from Prince George's County who will be using software, especially mapping software, to address community problems of their choice. This is part of a large project, funded by the US Department of Education, to develop and test educational software for service-learning and social studies. For more information on the project, please email CIRCLE's Youth Coordinator, Abby Kiesa at akiesa@umd.edu. Quick Facts About Young Voters by State: The Midterm Election Year 2006 - CIRCLE has released state-by-state facts sheets which examine voter turnout rates from 1978-2006, turnout rates by subgroup, and partisanship (where available from the National Election Pool, Exit Poll surveys). In 2006, the three states with the highest level of youth voter turnout were Minnesota (43 percent), Wisconsin (40 percent), and South Dakota (39 percent). In contrast, the three states with the lowest voter turnout rates among young people were West Virginia (16 percent), Texas (17 percent) and Utah (17 percent). It is likely that differences in electoral participation among young people across states was driven by high profile gubernatorial and Congressional races and statewide initiatives on the ballot in midterm years. For
more on state turnout rates see: http://www.civicyouth.org/?p=169 July
30, 2007 Nelda Brown, Executive Director of the National Service-Learning Partnership, has recently distributed the following: The
Make
It Your Own Awards, a new initiative from the Case Foundation,
launched in June, is about giving grants, tools, and recognition to
people who are coming together to discuss what matters, form solutions,
and take action. Twenty semi-finalists will each receive $10,000 grants
to start bringing their ideas to life. Four final grant recipients
will then be chosen by the public using an online voting system. These
finalists will each be awarded an additional $25,000 grant. This kind of "citizen-centered" approach represents a subtle, yet powerful, shift that encourages people to create new spaces where they can come together, become connected to each other, and make a difference as a community working toward a common vision and real action. All applicants welcome, ages 14 and up. Application deadline: August 8th. July
27, 2007 The
William T. Grant Foundation announces the 2007 Request for Proposals
(RFP) for Intervention Research to Improve Youth-Serving Organizations. July
26, 2007 Bill Recognizes Worth of Youth Vote "The Michigan House of Representatives is looking to increase voter turnout among young people in elections. The bill would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 by the time of a general election. The plan is a great one in theory, because primary elections are a very important component of the entire electoral process, and more people need to participate in elections in general. If 17-year-olds vote in primary elections, they'll be more likely to come out for the general elections in November. Citizens
ages 18-24 have the lowest voter turnout rate of any age group, and
the numbers have only recently begun to increase. Michigan saw a 54
percent young voter turnout in 2004 for the presidential election,
up from a 37 percent turnout for the 2000 presidential election, according
to At this point, anything that encourages young people to vote is great, but efforts need to be made on a broader scale than merely allowing 17-year-olds to vote a little early. It is likely the proposed bill won't affect too many young people because the age stipulations are so particular and not all 17-year-olds will actually fit the category…" July 12, 2007, The State News. July
25, 2007 The CIRCLE's Web site Gets a New Look and Improved Functionality Please
visit CIRCLE's newly re-designed Web site! The URL is the same (http://www.civicyouth.org)
but the new site has an improved look and much improved functionality.
For those who are interested in the technical details, the Web site
has been rebuilt so that it runs off a database and is no longer simply
a set of hand-built html web pages. Every document that has been published
is now an entry in the database, which should make it much easier
to search our site. Feedback on the new site is welcome! July
24, 2007 The
CIVICUS Civil Society Index Global Survey of the State of Civil Society: The
Global Survey on the State of Civil Society focuses not only on July
23, 2007 Reminder: Vermont Community Works announces its Summer Institute on Service-Learning, July 24-29, 2007, at Shelburne Farms, Vermont. Service-learning is the focus, with an emphasis on education for sustainability. The Institute supports K-16 and community educators -- beginner to advanced -- at the classroom, program and site level. For
more go to: http://www.vermontcommunityworks.org/. July
20, 2007 The U.S. Department of Education announces: Grant Competition to Improve Public Knowledge of and Support for Democracy (Federal Register: July 11, 2007 [CFDA# 84.929C]) Purpose
of Program: Eligible
Applicants: Additional Information: Applicable regulations, priorities, and other information are available in the Federal Register notice. Additional
information is available online at: http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2007-3/071107b.html July
19, 2007 Analysis of Census Data Confirms Increase in Youth Voting in 2006 Nearly two million more young Americans under the age of 30 voted in the 2006 midterm elections as compared to the 2002 midterm elections, according to CIRCLE analysis of the recently released 2006 Census Current Population Survey (CPS), November (Voting) Supplement data. The data confirms early estimates by CIRCLE that 10.8 million young Americans voted in the 2006 midterm elections. The youth turnout rate or percentage of young eligible voters who cast votes also jumped from 22.5 percent in 2002 to 25.5 percent, an increase of three percentage points. This was the greatest percentage point increase in turnout for any age group for the second election in a row. The turnout rate for all voters rose only 1.7 percentage points, while the rate for voters over the age of 45 rose one percentage point. Voters under the age of 30 accounted for 11.2 percent of all voters in 2006, which is an increase of one percentage point compared to the 2002 midterm elections. For
more information see: http://www.civicyouth.org/?p=168 July
17, 2007 The U.S. Department of Education announces the following free resources: - Maps
in Our Lives - National
Register Travel Itineraries - Thomas
Jefferson July
16, 2007 The Journal for Civic Commitment, a twice-yearly, online journal dedicated to service-learning and civic engagement, is currently accepting articles for possible publication in the fall issue of The Journal for Civic Commitment. Deadline for submission for the Fall 2007 issue is July 31st. For
more, go to: http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/engagement/Journal
or contact the journal's editor, Elizabeth Larson-Keagy at elizabeth.larson-keagy@asu.edu
or July
11, 2007 The U.S. Department of Education announces the following free resources: - Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 2009 - Charters
of Freedom July
10, 2007 New in the NACE Special Focus Section: In
The Future of Democracy: Developing the Next Generation of Citizens (University of Press of New England) "A nonpartisan clarion call for civic renewal to restore American democracy We need young people to be civically engaged in order to define and address public problems. Their participation is important for democracy, for institutions such as schools, and for young people themselves, who are more likely to succeed in life if they are engaged in their communities. In The Future of Democracy, Peter Levine, scholar and practitioner, sounds the alarm: in recent years, young Americans have become dangerously less engaged. They are tolerant, patriotic, and idealistic, and some have invented such novel and impressive forms of civic engagement, as blogs, "buycott" movements, and transnational youth networks. But most lack the skills and opportunities they need to participate in politics or address public problems. Levine's timely manifesto clearly explains the causes, symptoms, and repercussions of this damaging trend, and, most importantly, the means whereby America can confront and reverse it...." For
more see the NACE
Special Focus Section. July
9, 2007 In today's Washington Post: D.C. Region's Volunteer Ethic Stronger Than U.S. Average "Residents of the Washington region volunteer at a rate higher than the national average despite grueling commutes and fast-paced lives, according to a federal study of volunteerism in major metropolitan areas to be released today. The wide-ranging study by the Corporation for National and Community Service -- the federal agency that administers volunteer programs such as AmeriCorps -- is the first comprehensive look at volunteering rates in cities since the Census Bureau began collecting such data in 2002. Research found that among the nation's 50 largest metro areas, those with well-educated, affluent homeowners had higher volunteer rates; those with longer commuting times had less participation. Locally,
however, it belied the notion that Washington area residents are becoming
more isolated and cut off from civic life as they spend more time
in their cars, struggling through the second-longest commutes in the
country…" By Annie Gowen, July 9, 2007, The Washington
Post. July
6, 2007 Citizenship Matters, released by the National Center on Learning and Citizenship at Education Commission of the States, highlights the following: The
ECS National Forum on Education Policy takes place July 10-13, in
Philadelphia. An outstanding group of presenters will engage ECS constituents
in dialogue on cutting edge education policy issues. Early-bird registration
and hotel deadline is June 8. Teams
from 10 states are preparing to attend the 2007 Education Leadership
Colloquium (ELC) on the Civic Mission of American Education, July
10-11, 2007 in Philadelphia. The theme of this year's ELC is "Key
Stakeholders: Involving Youth in Decisionmaking and Governance." The
National Service-Learning Partnership will provide State Farm-funded
grant awards of $2,500 to a school or a community-based organization
working with a school to support the implementation of service-learning
activities designed to promote academic learning and financial literacy,
with a strong emphasis on understanding credit and credit cards. July
5, 2007 Proposals for papers, panels, and round tables are now being accepted for the Civic Education Section of the 2008 Southern Political Science Association annual meeting program. The meeting will be held at the Hotel Intercontinental in New Orleans, LA Jan. 10-12, 2008. Proposals may address civic education topics in the most inclusive sense, including but not limited to content of civic education programs, methods and strategies of civic education, assessment of civic education needs and efforts, impact of civic education, consequences of civic education, etc. Volunteers to serve as panel chairs and discussants are also invited. For
more information contact: James F. Sheffield, Civic Education Section
Chair, Dept of Political Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman,
OK 73019 at sheffield@ou.edu, or 405.325.5532 (ph.); 405.325.0718
(fax). July
3, 2007 Reminder: The Center for Social and Emotional Education's (CSEE) 10th Annual Summer Institute "Educating Hearts and Minds: Creating the foundation for learning, citizenship education and positive youth development" focuses on how K-12 schools can use measuring and improving school climate to further social, emotional, ethical citizenship and academic education. Their web site includes detailed information about the institute, the presenters as past institute ratings and commentary. For more information go to: http://www.csee.net/climate/programsservices/summer_institute.html. July
2, 2007 CIRCLE announces the release of a new book: The Future of Democracy: Developing the Next Generation of American Citizens is a manifesto for youth civic engagement, based on a critical review of recent research. CIRCLE's director, Peter Levine, is the author of this book, but it draws heavily on work by our staff, grantees, and advisory board, among others. All proceeds will benefit CIRCLE. The book was commissioned by Tufts University Press/University Press of New England for its Civil Society Series and was published in June 2007. A book signing and reception will be held on Thursday, July 26 from 4:30- 6:00 PM at the Council for Excellence in Government (1301 "K" St, NW, Washington, DC 20005). If you are interested in attending, please contact Dionne Williams at dwillia8@umd.edu or (301) 405-2790.
|
| |||||||||||||
 |
|
 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
|
©2002 NACEAbout NACE | Join Nace | Contact Us | Member Directory | In the States | Civic Requirements & Guidelines | Resources |
| |||||||||||||||
