Friday, December 19, 2008

The 2008-2009 Improving the Lives of Children Essay Contest

The New America Foundation is looking to draw attention to the needs of children and for the next generation of policy ideas to help kids. We are inviting all public and private high school seniors in the United States to voice your opinions by writing and submitting an essay that answers the question, "You have just been elected the President of the United States. What is the most important thing you will do to improve the lives of America's children?"

This contest provides a unique opportunity for students to articulate their hopes for improving children's lives. It is your turn to tell your parents, teachers, and Washington policymakers what you think America's priorities should be.

Essays must be no longer than 600 words and must also be accompanied by the Official Entry Form. The Official Entry Form must be signed by the student, a parent or guardian, and a teacher from your school certifying that this is an original essay. Please do not write your name or school on the essay itself.

The top 25 essays as chosen by our staff will receive recognition as semi-finalists. Ten finalists will receive special recognition on the New America Foundation website. The winning essay will be selected from the finalists by a panel of distinguished judges based on clarity of thought, creativity, practicality, potential to improve the lives of children and potential to draw attention to policies that help young people. The winner will be announced in June 2009 and will receive a $2,500 prize. The winner's essay will be published and distributed by the New America Foundation.

Contest Deadline: February 20, 2009

How to Enter:

  1. Read the Rules and Regulations
  2. Write your essay
  3. Download and complete the entry form, with signatures
  4. Mail essay and entry form to address below

Essay Contest, Workforce and Family Program
New America Foundation
1630 Connecticut Ave., NW

7th floor
Washington, D.C., 20009.

A PDF copy of the Official Entry Form is available for download. For complete contest rules and regulations, please click here.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Volvo Adventure Competition

The Volvo Adventure - in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme - is an educational programme that rewards environmental activities and the decision-makers of the future.

To enter, form a team of 2 to 5 members, aged 13 to 16 years, and perform an environmental project in your local community. Submit the project via the online submission tool before January 31st 12pm, 2009 deadline (CET).

Projects are judged during February / March and the best projects are selected for an all expenses paid trip to Göteborg, Sweden, for a chance to win a grand prize.
  • 1st place = $10,000 USD
  • 2nd place = $6,000 USD
  • 3rd place = $4,000 USD

See the registration details and guidelines for more information.

ExchangesConnect Online Video Contest

Enter your 3-minute video about what "My Culture + Your Culture" means to you for a chance to win an international exchange program!

Entries must be submitted by January 26, 2009.

Contestants must be 14 years or older at the time of their submission.

The Contest is open to individuals of all countries worldwide.

For complete contest rules and guidelines, visit http://exchanges.state.gov/news/ovc.html.

This contest is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in partnership with Adobe Youth Voices.

Afterschool Innovator Awards

The Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation are partnering to develop and disseminate a series of Issue Briefs that address topics related to older youth (both middle and high school aged kids) and afterschool programs. They are currently seeking nominations to identify innovative programs to both feature in the Issue Briefs, and to recognize with MetLife Afterschool Innovator Awards.

Nominations must be received by Wednesday, December 31, 2008. You can nominate your own program, or any other program you think may be eligible.

The four topics for the issue briefs and innovator awards:
  1. Afterschool: A Promising Dropout Prevention Strategy
  2. Recruiting and Retaining Older Youth in Afterschool Programs
  3. Afterschool: Opening Doors to Work and Careers
  4. Mentor and Be Mentored in Afterschool Programs

If you manage, work for, serve on the board of, or otherwise know about an afterschool program that serves older youth that is excelling in any of the topic areas, you are encouraged to submit a nomination form. There will be at least one award given in each issue area, and the awardee and additional select nominees will be spotlighted in the related Issue Brief and in the final compendium of briefs. Awards will be given out in conjunction with Lights On Afterschool 2009. Each recipient of the MetLife Afterschool Innovator Award will receive a $5,000 stipend to be used to expand or improve upon the highlighted program.

The nomination process is intended to reveal highly effective, potentially lesser-known, innovative programs serving older youth. A committee of representatives from the Afterschool Alliance, various partner organizations and MetLife Foundation will review the nominated programs and recommend award recipients.

Questions/Comments? Email miversen@afterschoolalliance.org or call (866) KIDS-TODAY ext. 27.

California Climate Champions Competition

The California Air Resources Board announces the 2009 California Climate Champions Competition!

In partnership with the British Council, the California Air Resources Board is once again sponsoring a competition to identify California Climate Champions. This program will engage young people as communicators who will help to influence and educate their peers, as well as the general public, on the urgency of climate change.

Entries are due Jan. 19, 2009.

Visit the program website for more information and to apply.


Who Can Apply?

Young Californians in grades 9-12 can apply to become California Climate Champions for 2009.

What Will the Champions do?

California Climate Champions will develop and implement an individual project to raise awareness of climate change, and they will participate in a wide range of other activities between February 2009 and August 2010, including:
  • California Climate Champions Orientation Day in April 2009,
  • "climate camp" in June 2009,
  • online peer networking,
  • talking with the media about their activities,
  • attending/speaking at various climate change meetings and
    events.
In addition, two of the champions will represent the United States at a project planning workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, February 23-27, 2009, where they will meet international champions from across the globe and help shape ideas for global projects in addition to learning more about each other's individual work.

For more information:

Please contact climatechampions@arb.ca.gov or call
Annalisa Schilla at 916-322-8514.

Download the Competition Flyer.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Knight Foundation Grant

Thanks to the generosity of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The LEAGUE has its very own white Knight. This Knight doesn’t wear much armor or ride a white horse, but definitely knows a thing or two about the importance of helping those in need. Through the support of the Knight Foundation, The LEAGUE has established a brand new scholarship to be awarded to high school seniors who share their passion for communicating the need to help others.

This spring, three high school seniors will write their way to become the first recipients of the Knight Scholarship Award. The award will recognize excellence in writing and reflecting upon civic experiences. Students may apply in one of three categories:

  • Persuasive Essay (building awareness and inviting action for change in your school, community or the world)
  • Personal Narrative (experiencing service and volunteerism)
  • News Story (creating newspaper articles that reports acts of service and volunteerism by young people)

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (www.knightfoundation.org) promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities. Since 1954, the foundation has given more than $300 million in journalism grants.

The Knight Scholarship is open to all high school seniors nationwide. Even students who are not part of The LEAGUE can apply! Scholarship applications will be posted at www.theleague.org beginning January 5, 2009, and are due by March 6, 2009. For more details about The LEAGUE and the Knight Scholarship please visit www.theleague.org.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Teachers Collect $125 - Share Your Wisdom

Deadline: December 30

Teachers can collect $125 for sharing their wisdom about service learning with classes. Any K-12 teacher can participate and it needs to be done by 12/30. To get all the details see the blog post.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Scholarships for Spring Break S-L Courses

Amizade Global Service Learning is offering three, week-long Spring Break courses with academic credit through West Virginia University. Each faculty-led course incorporates community-driven service-learning, academic class work, cultural events, and recreational activities.

The scholarship application deadline is December 31, 2008.

"Globalization: A Jamaican Case Study," in Petersfield, Jamaica, (March 7-14). The two-credit course focuses on the sugar and tourism industries in Jamaica, allowing students to observe the effects of globalization on small communities firsthand.

"International Educational Issues," in Petersfield, Jamaica, (March 14-22). This course integrates service-learning in rural schools and intensive academic coursework to explore the complexity of education and challenges of economic development.

"Journey with Indigenous Cultures: Psychological Issues and Self-Awareness," in Crownpoint, New Mexico, in the Navajo Nation (March 14-22). This three-credit psychology course explores the psychological and social processes involved in cross-cultural contact.

Amizade is a nonprofit organization. Visit www.amizade.org for more information.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Congressional Research Awards

DEADLINE: All proposals must be received no later than February 1, 2009.

The Dirksen Congressional Center invites applications for grants to fund research on congressional leadership and the U.S. Congress. A total of up to $30,000 will be available in 2009. Awards range from a few hundred dollars to $3,500.

The competition is open to individuals with a serious interest in studying Congress. Political scientists, historians, biographers, scholars of public administration or American studies, and journalists are among those eligible. The Center encourages graduate students who have successfully defended their dissertation prospectus to apply and awards a significant portion of the funds for dissertation research. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who reside in the United States.

The awards program does not fund undergraduate or pre-Ph.D. study. Organizations are not eligible. Research teams of two or more individuals are eligible. No institutional overhead or indirect costs may be claimed against a Congressional Research Award.

There is no standard application form. Applicants are responsible for showing the relationship between their work and the awards program guidelines. Applications are accepted at any time. Applications which exceed the page limit and incomplete applications will NOT be forwarded to the screening committee for consideration.

All application materials must be received on or before February 1, 2009. Awards will be announced in March 2009.

Complete information about eligibility and application procedures may be found at The Center's Web site: http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_grants_CRAs.htm. PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY. Frank Mackaman is the program officer -- fmackaman@dirksencenter.org.