Youthlearn News Archive

"Partnerships between schools and community organizations have existed for years, but the model is getting renewed attention from policymakers, writes Christina Samuels in Education Week.

Adobe Youth Voices invites you to enter your young creative producers' best work into the Aspire Awards. Those who created media that demonstrate imagination, expression, and clarity of thought to help inspire positive change will be awarded.  Prizes will be given to the top honorees, and their work will be showcased online, at partner film festivals, and other exhibitions.

Call for Entries is open from now until close, April 20, 2012.

"Wouldn't It Be Cool If...is a new contest jointly presented by Time Warner Cable's Connect a Million Minds and i.amFIRST,founded by artist will.i.am.

The contest challenges kids in two age categories -- 10-12 and 13-15 -- to dream up the coolest invention idea to make their lives, communities and even the world more AWESOME.

From PBS, Design Squad Nation presents "27 hands-on challenges to teach 9-12 year-olds about engineering design. Includes step-by-step instructions in both English and Spanish....

Engage kids in hands-on engineering!  Use DESIGN SQUAD NATION activities, animations, video profiles, and episodes in classrooms and afterschool programs, in libraries and museums, at events and at home."

Topics include: Electricity, Green, Health, Simple Machines, Sports/Games, Technology/Materials, and more.

"The Coalition for After School joined school districts, community based organizations, service providers and policy makers who care about quality after school programming at Beyond School Hours in Burlingame, CA.... Many of the educators we spoke to at our booth expressed their desire to do more science with the youth in their programs, but were somewhat unsure about where to begin. Luckily our presentation at BSH was crafted with providers like these in mind.

The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) brings together organizations throughout the United States that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Collaboration Conference, in Alexandria, VA, is an opportunity for you to connect, collaborate with others, and learn from innovative national experts. Deadline to register: March 25!

Target Early Childhood Reading Grants promote a love of reading and encourage young children to read together with their families by supporting programs such as afterschool reading events and weekend book clubs.   Eligibility: Schools, libraries, nonprofits.  Target Arts & Culture in School Grants help schools and nonprofits to bring arts and cultural experiences directly to K-12 students.  These programs must have a curriculum component. Eligibility: Schools and nonprofits.  For both types of grants, Maximum award: $2,000. Deadline: April 30, 2012.

Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, officially launched the Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) on Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre. "Lady Gaga will be joined by some very special guests as she personally unveils BTWF before a crowd of policy makers, non-profit organizations, foundation leaders and youth themselves who are working to create a kinder and braver world." 

Education Blog Award Winner, Jose Picardo shares A-Z Internet resources: "some of the best free internet resources for education. This page is constantly updated; every time I come across a new piece of software or an exciting website, I list it here."  Resources include everything from an audio blogging site, Glass Giant for making pictures, Hot Potatoes for making interactive exercises, JamGlue for recording and mixing tracks, Mahara for creating online portfolios, Pen.io for simple online publishing, and so many more!

Developed and recently updated by the Afterschool Alliance, "The Campaign Toolkit contains step-by-step instructions on rules of engagement for nonprofits, how to make the case to candidates that voters care about increasing access to high-quality afterschool programs, developing talking points, targeting key audiences, and post-election follow-up.