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YouthLearn Updates

YMLN at NAA
As part of our new project, the Youth Media Learning Network, YouthLearn
will be offering a workshop entitled "Youth Media, Civic Engagement and
Critical Thinking" at next week's National Afterschool Association conference
in Phoenix, Arizona. YouthLearn Director Tony Streit and YMLN Project
Director Tim Dorsey will be co-facilitating. The session is scheduled for
Thursday March 22nd at 10:00 AM. EDC will also have a booth in the exhibit
area if you'd like to stop by and visit.
URL: http://www.naaconference.org/index.htm

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News

Kids produce video for TV shows
"Inspired by the YouTube model of user-created content, a growing number of
television networks are soliciting video contributed by viewers--and many of
these efforts involve children and teens. Last month, CNN debuted a new series
called 'Children of the Storm,' featuring video from 11 New Orleans high school
students as they share their experiences in life after Hurricane Katrina. Directed
by Spike Lee, the show is hosted by Soledad O'Brien, co-anchor of CNN's
American Morning. Also last month, Nickelodeon debuted a two-hour programming
block called 'ME:TV,' featuring contributions from 10-year-olds. And TLC last
week began a six-part documentary series, 'My Life as a Child,' where children
were given cameras to videotape their lives."
URL: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6930

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Funding

Grants to Support Education, Child Advocacy, Medical Research & the Arts
"The Charles Lafitte Foundation Grants Program awards funds to help groups
and individuals foster lasting improvement on the human condition by providing
support to education, children's advocacy, medical research and the arts.
Maximum Award: varies. Eligibility: 501c-3 institutions." Letters of inquiry
preferred as preliminary step. Applications accepted throughout the year.
URL: http://www.charleslafitte.org/default.html
Referred by: PEN Weekly NewsBlast

AmeriCorps VISTAs for Community Media & Technology Projects
"AmeriCorps*VISTA programs place full-time capacity building volunteers with
organizations that are serving low-income communities. The CTC VISTA
Project places its VISTA members (50 a year) with community technology
centers and other organizations that are using technology to address the
needs of low-income people. The Project is currently accepting applications
from organizations that want a VISTA to work on one of the following types
of projects: Community Networking; Technology Assistance to Non-profits;
Digital Media; Access and Inclusion.... It takes time to recruit a VISTA so
please submit your Intent to Apply as early as possible and by April 13th
at the latest."
URL: http://www.ctcvista.org/guidelines

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Resources

Community Schools: Bolstering the American Dream
"How can American schools, where more than half the students are children
of color, who speak little English, and come from poor families defy the odds
and begin to thrive? One example is Stevenson-YMCA Community School in
Long Beach, Calif. It's open early and late, evenings and weekends; it
provides for all students and their families high-quality teaching, tutoring,
before- and after-school programs, counseling, health services, parent
engagement and leadership programs, arts and recreation, community and
business partnerships, and additional opportunities at or near the school.
It's a community school by design -- a hub of productivity for the
neighborhood.... People seem to have purpose and feel safe, writes Lisa
Villarreal for 'Our Children' PTA's national magazine. What Stevenson does
is not a new intervention or strategy; it's actually a return to the historical
idea of schools as the center of community."
URL: http://www.pta.org/pr_magazine_article_details_1171481435031.html
Referred by: PEN Weekly NewsBlast

Open-content learning portal debuts
Open Educational Resources (OER Commons)--"A new online resource gives
teachers and students free access to more than 8,000 digital learning
materials. Educators and students can add tags, ratings, reviews, and
comments to help others quickly find what they're looking for. The site's
mission is to provide a single point of access through which educators,
students, and all other types of learners can search for, browse, evaluate,
and discuss these free learning materials..."
URL: http://www.oercommons.org/
Referred by: eSchool News

Life in New China: Photo Essays by Beijing Youth
"Everywhere you look today, China is in the news. But how much do we know
about daily life there? In April 2006, WKCD, with the support of the Asia
Society, spent two weeks with students at Beijing No. 12 High School
creating a series of photo essays about life--and school--in New China.
Younger students added a postscript: an audio Chinese-English dictionary
in their own voices." Visit the website for their "remarkable images and
words in a series of 15 multimedia presentations. Look and listen to what
these Beijing youth have to say--in Chinese as well as English."
URL: http://www.whatkidscando.org/china_site/index.html

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Activities

Internet Photo Essays - a YouthLearn Project
"Internet Photo Essays," comprising lesson plans for 8 sessions, introduces
12- to 14-year-olds to tools and techniques that can be used to create
original digital content about issues, trends and happenings that are important
to them. This project is targeted to 12- to 14-year-olds because at that age,
current events, social issues, politics and history are common themes in
students' schoolwork, in the literature and media they are exposed to, and in
their personal lives. The emphasis on multimedia and Internet skills is intended
to help youth gain the advanced technology skills they need to pursue higher
education and employment.
URL: http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/activities/inter/photo_essay/overview.html

We welcome your feedback!

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YouthLearn
http://www.youthlearn.org

This newsletter is produced by the YouthLearn Initiative at EDC especially for
members of the YouthLearn discussion group. Every two weeks, the newsletter is
compiled from the entries in the YouthLearn News Blog, including summaries
from various sources that YouthLearn staff periodically review.

Past newsletters are archived at http://www.youthlearn.org/resources/newsletter/index.html.

YouthLearn is a project of the nonprofit Education Development Center, Inc.
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