YouthLearn
Web Roundup, Issue 34 - September 24, 2002

Here's a whirlwind tour of news and information about learning programs
enhanced with technology. We hope this assists you in your important
work! If you like this newsletter, please feel free to e-mail it to a friend.

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News

2002 AT&T Young Leaders Announced
In its second year, the AT&T Young Leaders Program recognizes 18 young
people for their leadership roles in community technology centers around
the country. YouthLearn, which will work primarily with the adult coaches
of the youth, is pleased to join the America Connects Consortium and
YouthNOISE to conduct this 6-month program involving leadership
development, mentoring, and community-building using technology.

http://www.americaconnects.net/new/YLyear2Announce.asp

Young Artists Festival Offers Hope and Inspiration in New York City
Local youth participated in a month-long series of workshops on drama,
dance, music, and art--leading to a performance for friends, family, and
community members in July. This program was designed to help young New
Yorkers work through their feelings post-September 11th. The organization
What Kids Can Do now features photos, sketches, other artwork, and
comments from this special group of teens. [WKCD]

http://www.whatkidscando.org/studentwork/sketchbook.html

Survey Finds Educational Technology Important to Parents
Almost all of the parents polled in a recent survey by Texas Instruments
believe that technology has a role in education and a positive impact on
their children's ability to learn. Further, parents are making significant
investments in technology tools for their children, based in large part on
teacher and/or school requirements. [Middleweb]

http://education.ti.com/us/global/news/release/news39.html

October 10, 2002 Lights on Afterschool! and the Afterschool Alliance
This annual event spotlights afterschool programs as part of an ongoing
public awareness campaign led by the Afterschool Alliance. Visit the site
for more info on how your organization can participate--and find other
helpful resources ranging from a toolkit to an events calendar to funding
sources.

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/

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Grants and Awards

Grants to Do Something Community Service Clubs
Know any service-oriented young people (6th to 12th graders)? Grants
of $500 for community improvement projects are available from the
nonprofit Do Something. Deadline is October 10. [Foundation Center]

http://www.dosomething.com/newspub/story.cfm?id=758&sid=165&cid=11

Technology Gifts from Help Us Help Foundation
Schools and youth organizations in low-income communities may apply
for grants of computer equipment, software, and technology
infrastructure. This program is supported by the Oracle Corporation.
Deadline: Cyclical--see application guidelines.

http://www.helpushelp.org

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Info

Forum for Youth Investment Report on the Afterschool Movement
"Moving an Out-of-School Agenda: Lessons and Challenges across Cities"
summarizes the experiences of 4 communities (Chicago, Kansas City,
Little Rock, Sacramento). Highlights, common challenges, and patterns in
efforts related to collaboration, staffing, assessment, funding, youth
engagement, and other areas are addressed in this indepth set of papers,
available for download. [Connect for Kids]

http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/grasp/movingosagenda.pdf

Community Action Kit for Expanding Afterschool Opportunities
The National League of Cities offers municipal leaders best practices for
developing partnerships, building public awareness, conducting needs
assessments, and improving the quality and availability of afterschool
programs. This kit also features several specific examples from different
cities.

http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/files/reports/afterschool.pdf

Study Compares Children's Emerging Digital Literacy Skills
Both low- and middle-income children are developing significant habits
of computer use, according to findings in a study by the EDC Center for
Children and Technology and Computers for Youth. This paper, published
in The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, draws on a
digital literacy analysis model that can inform educators in curriculum
design.

http://www.bc.edu/research/intasc/jtla/journal/v1n4.shtml

Youth Survey Tool for Evaluating Mentoring Relationships
The free online packet "Measuring the Quality of Mentor-Youth
Relationships," from the National Mentoring Center, features a 20-question
survey for youth and scoring guides for program staff. This easy-to-use
tool indicates the strength of individual relationships and the overall
effectiveness of a mentoring program. [Connect for Kids]

http://www.nwrel.org/mentoring/pdf/packeight.pdf

Technology Activities for Preschoolers
Looking for online resources for young children? Check out this annotated
list compiled by a practitioner in the field and distributed to the America
Connects Consortium discussion list. You can also search through the
archives of this and other ACC lists for many additional resources. [ACC]

http://ctcnet.org/americaconnects/acc2/0463.htm

Global Partnership Summit in D.C., Nov. 20-23
This conference on Learning, Employability and Citizenship is a joint event
of the National Association of Partners in Education and the International
Partnership Network. Policymakers from different sectors will convene to
discuss effective partnership development for technology integration,
afterschool programming, etc. Early registration deadline is September 30.

http://www.partnersineducation.org/Summit/global.html

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Ideas

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2002: Sept. 15-Oct. 15
Family Education Network features facts and information about Hispanic
Americans as a resource for activities during this special month.

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/hhm1.html
Take inspiration from this story of young Hispanic artists in 4 communities
working on outdoor mural projects that honor Latinas in history.

http://www.hispaniconline.com/lstyles/delmonte_murals.html

Capture Images of Learning with Technology
Technology and Learning Magazine is sponsoring a digital photography
contest for K-12 students. Photos must spotlight learning with technology
in some form. Winners get published and receive digital cameras. Hurry!
Deadline is October 1.

http://www.techlearning.com/content/contest/photos/index.html
Another idea is to put on a contest for the kids in your program--or, better
yet, gather all the photos into a computer screen gallery and hold a
photography exhibit for parents, funders, local officials, and members of
the public. This showcases the talents of your young people while
demonstrating the power of technology as a creative learning tool to your
community.


Highlights from the YouthLearn Website

*The 10-Step Guide to Planning a Youth Program
Whether you're launching a new program or revamping an existing one,
these 10 important steps can help you define and attain your goals.
http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/planning/howto.asp

*Things to Look For in a Technical Consultant
Need tech support? This article offers practical advice on finding,
evaluating, and hiring a consultant to serve your technical needs.
http://www.youthlearn.org/techno/consultant.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.

YouthLearn is a project of the nonprofit
Education Development Center, Inc.
Designed for youth-development professionals, teachers, educators, and other
caring adults, YouthLearn provides resources and tools for developing effective
learning programs enhanced with technology, particularly in out-of-school settings.

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Copyright 2002 Education Development Center, Inc. All rights reserved.
YouthLearn was created by the
Morino Institute.