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News
Brown v. Board of Education Fifty Years Later
May 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of
Education decision that declared separate educational facilities to be
inherently unequal and unconstitutional. Fifty years later, much has
changed but much remains to be done. The crucial role of CTCs in bridging
the digital divide and creating equal opportunity for students in
disadvantaged areas is all the more evident as this anniversary nears.
Many special reports address various aspects of the ruling and its legacy.
National Public Radio's All Things Considered has run indepth pieces on
"Fifty Years After 'Brown v. Board of Education'."
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1751945
Education Week has published a series of related stories entitled "Brown at
50: The Promise Unfulfilled" (free registration required).
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/special_reports_article.cfm?slug=brown.htm
The American School Board Journal has published a special edition:
"Bending Toward Justice: Unfinished Legacy of Brown v. Board." [PEN]
http://www.asbj.com/BrownvBoard/index.html
The U.S. Department of Education established the Brown v. Board of
Education 50th Anniversary Commission to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the Supreme Court decision.
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/brownvboard50th/index.html
New NIOST Report on High School Afterschool
"It's About Time! A Look at Out-of-School Time for Urban Teens" has
recently been produced by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time.
Commissioned by the Time Warner Foundation, this report investigates
"afterschool opportunities and experiences for high school age youth in 21
major cities" and discusses some key issues and challenges, citywide
collaboration, and capacity-building strategies.
http://www.niost.org/AOLTW.pdf
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Grants and Awards
RGK Foundation Grants for Education, Health, and Community
The RGK Foundation "endeavors to be a catalyst for progressive change in
humanitarian concerns." Nonprofits in the U.S. may propose projects
targeted to the Foundation's primary interests in the areas of health,
education, human services, and community affairs. Most awards will be less
than $25,000. Letters of inquiry are accepted year-round. [Innonet
GrantStation Insider]
http://www.rgkfoundation.org
Home Depot Foundation Grants for At-Risk Youth
Nonprofits in the U.S. and Canada may submit proposals for programs focused
on under-served youth, ages 12 to 18. The Foundation is especially interested
in
programs that "help to develop leaders and encourage young people to
become contributing community citizens through job readiness training,
leadership development and volunteerism." Most grant awards range from
$5,000 to $25,000. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. [PPAS]
http://www.homedepotfoundation.org/hfus/enus/apply.html
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Barron Prize annually honors young leaders ages 8 to 18 "who have
made a significant positive difference to people and our planet." Ten
national winners will each receive $2,000 for their service project or higher
education. Nominations from adults for the 2004 awards are currently being
accepted. Deadline: April 30. [PEN]
http://www.barronprize.org
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Info
New Promising Practices Brief on Project-Based Learning
Prepared especially for CTC practitioners, this informational brief highlights
the benefits of using project-based learning (PBL) in informal settings and
identifies strategies for facilitating successful projects. Other features
include case studies of programs that integrate PBL and technology, and
additional resources for sample projects, curriculum development, etc.
http://www.americaconnects.net/research/PBL.pdf
Search Institute Insights & Evidence Research Briefs
Known for its framework of 40 developmental assets that young people need
to thrive, the Search Institute offers a new series of web-based publications
"that presents the latest research from Search Institute on healthy children,
youth, and communities in a format that is useful to community leaders and
policy makers." Past issues include "Tapping the Power of Community:
Building Assets to Strengthen Substance Abuse Prevention"; "Unique
Strengths, Shared Strengths: Developmental Assets Among Youth of Color";
and "Boosting Student Achievement: New Research on the Power of
Developmental Assets."
http://www.search-institute.org/research/Insights/
New Fact Sheet on Children and Youth in Out-of-School Time
The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) has recently released
its 2004 update of "Making the Case: A Fact Sheet on Children and Youth in
Out-of-School Time." The information is organized into categories including
Children and Youth Today, Children and Youth Benefit from Participation in
Afterschool Programs, The Out-of-School Time Workforce, and Public
Support Continues to Grow. Complete with citations for the various facts
that are presented in a user-friendly format, this fact sheet may be
extremely useful for proposal development in particular.
http://www.niost.org/publications/Factsheet_2004.pdf
Pointers on Recruiting and Selecting Youth Workers
The National Youth Development Learning Network (NYDLN) has published a
newsletter on the recruitment and selection of youth development workers,
the latest in its professional development series. A project of the National
Collaboration for Youth, the NYDLN developed these tips on recruiting,
interviewing, and selecting staff based on surveys of youth workers. [PPAS]
http://www.nydic.org/nydic/documents/Prof_Series%232_3-19.pdf
ASPIRA College Search Engine and Financial Aid Resources
ASPIRA, a "national organization working to further the interest of Hispanic
youth," features tools on their website to help students search colleges by
location and major, find scholarships and other financial aid information, and
access test preparation support, among other resources.
http://www.aspira.org/college_resources.htm
CTCNet Annual Conference
This year's conference, Building Connected Communities: The Power of
People & Technology, takes place June 11-13 in Seattle, WA. Featuring over
40 sessions divided into tracks such as "Community Development and
Community Technology," "Organizational Capacity and Leadership," "Policy,
Advocacy and Organizing," "Program Design and Content," "Research and
Evaluation" and "Technology," the conference will also provide highly
valuable and structured networking time to all conference participants,
including CTC practitioners and others from the community technology field.
http://www2.ctcnet.org/conf/2004/index.htm
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Ideas
Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling is an increasingly popular and easily accessible way for
people of all ages to create multimedia products. Engaging students in
multimedia production is an exciting method of empowering them to find a
personal voice through technology, as well as building technical skills and
increasing their motivation for learning. Below you will find resources on
how to implement a digital storytelling project in your program.
"Digital Storytelling Finds Its Place in the Classroom"
This indepth article covers all aspects of digital storytelling from the initial
idea to finished product, including tips on using iMovie in the classroom.
http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan02/banaszewski.htm
Tech Head Stories Digital Storytelling Resource Page
Check out this comprehensive list of digital storytelling web sites, including
articles about digital storytelling, digital stories and journals archive,
educational and community projects, and many other related categories.
http://tech-head.com/dstory.htm
The Digital Storytelling Festival
This is an annual meeting where practitioners share creations and best
practices for using digital storytelling in their work. Offerings include Digital
Storytelling Bootcamp for beginners and screenings of sample works.
http://www.dstory.com/dsfsedona_04/
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.
To subscribe or unsubscribe:
Go to http://www.youthlearn.org/join/subscribe.html
To send a message to the YouthLearn discussion
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Copyright 2004 Education Development
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YouthLearn was created by the Morino
Institute.