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NFC: Fw: Youth-Corporate Connections Update #11 (May 1999)
To: State 4-H Leaders, County Extension Offices, Foundation Directors,
National Program
Leaders, 4-H volunteers, Associates of National 4-H Council, and
other professionals in the
youth development and education fields
Youth-Corporate Connections Update Number 11 May
1999
This Update includes information on programs and grant opportunities
offered by the
Youth-Corporate Connections team of National 4-H Council. It also
includes information from other organizations and agencies that focus
on youth and the five issue areas of the Youth-Corporate Connections
team: workforce preparation, environmental stewardship, health and
wellness, discrimination, and family life/work life relationships.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1) One More Week to Apply for a 1999 Community Tree Planting Grant
2) Youth Grants Photo Essays on the Web
3) Youth Involvement in Creating Sustainable Communities
4) The Great Curriculum Give-Away Continues
5) Innovative Program Urges Students to Sniff Out Environmental
Issues
6) Fireworks Safety for the Millennium - How You Can Make a
Difference
7) See What's Going On Under the Water with the Native Fish
Conservancy
8) Grant Information
9) Workforce of the Future Conference
10) Kids Count 1999
1) ONE MORE WEEK TO APPLY FOR A 1999 COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING GRANT
Applications for the 1999 Community Tree Planting Grant Program must
be received at National
4-H Council by Monday, May 24, 1999.
This grant program provides community action grants of $200 to $1,000
to stimulate community
tree planting and/or reforestation projects nationwide. Grants will
be awarded to communities in
support of ongoing community tree planting and/or reforestation
projects or to stimulate new and
creative youth-led projects. The role of adults is to provide
guidance to young leaders in the tree
planting and/or reforestation projects.
The entire application can be found on National 4-H Council's Web
site at:
http://www.fourhcouncil.edu/ycc/treeplant.htm
2) YOUTH GRANTS PHOTO ESSAYS ON THE WEB
Check out three new photo essays on National 4-H Council's website
at
http://www.fourhcouncil.edu/ycc/photoindex.htm
These photo essays highlight projects from our Youth in
Action/Community Service and
Literacy Education/Youth Leadership grant programs.
3) YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN CREATING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
The President's Council on Sustainable Development defines
sustainable communities as those
in which people work together to create healthy communities where
natural and historic
resources are preserved, jobs are available, sprawl is contained,
neighborhoods are secure,
education is lifelong, transportation and health care are accessible,
and all citizens have
opportunities to improve the quality of their lives. The President's
Council defines civic
engagement as creating full opportunities for citizens, businesses,
and communities to participate
in and influence the natural resource, environmental, and economic
decisions that affect them.
National 4-H Council is developing strategies to increase youth
involvement in the public policy
process around sustainability issues. We are looking to engage youth
and adults in this effort. If
you are interested in partnering with us, please contact David
Carrier by June 15, 1999, by
E-mail at <carrier at fourhcouncil_edu> or by Fax at (301)961-2894.
4) THE GREAT CURRICULUM GIVE-AWAY CONTINUES
National 4-H Council is offering the following FREE educational
materials:
Critical Issues/Critical Thinking Series:
These curriculum and poster sets contain lessons for furthering
understanding of several key
environmental issues through critical thinking/decision-making
exercises. They are geared to
young people 12-14 years old but can easily be adapted for use with
younger or older youth.
ES0027 Water Quality
ES0028 Recreational Trails
ES0029 Wetlands
ES0030 Endangered Species
Collaborations in Action: Three Case Studies on Land Use Issues:
This 30-page self-study guide (ES0024) helps people learn skills to
foster collaborations and is
geared to young people 12-14.
The above items are free of charge while supplies last. The only
cost to you is shipping and
handling by UPS Ground, plus a $5 administrative charge. We ship in
minimum quantities of 25
per item and cannot estimate the shipping costs due to the time
involved in acquiring an estimate.
An invoice for the shipping and handling fees will be included with
your shipment.
If you would like to place an order for these free materials, please
contact Paula McPhee by
E-mail at <mcphee at fourhcouncil_edu>, by Fax at 301-961-2894 or by
mail at National 4-H
Council, Attn: Paula McPhee, 7100 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD
20815-4999.
5) INNOVATIVE PROGRAM URGES STUDENTS TO SNIFF OUT ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES
Earth Dog, a fun, furry, global cartoon crusader designed to teach
environmental awareness to
children of all ages is now challenging students to become "Earth Dog
Reporters." Students
taking the challenge will need to identify environmental problems and
develop possible
solutions. "Become An Earth Dog Reporter" is part of an environment
curriculum sponsored by
the U.S. Department of Energy, Yahoo!, Weekly Reader, Sony
Electronics, PSINet and MSNBC.
"Earth Dog makes learning about the environment a fun, educational
and interactive process.
The key to this project is involving children in all stages of
reporting environmental problems:
identification of the problem, evaluation of relevant issues and
development of potential
remedies or solutions," said Gene Freeze, one of Earth Dog's
creators. "Participation in this
contest will help children develop important problem-solving skills
as well as cultivate an
appreciation for environmental issues."
Students can enter the contest by visiting Earth Dog's Web site at
www.earthdog.com, which also
includes environmental information and research resources. Contest
booklets are free to schools
that subscribe to Weekly Reader or by contacting the Dept. of Energy
at 1-800-363-3732.
6) FIREWORKS SAFETY FOR THE MILLENNIUM - HOW YOU CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE
Fireworks and celebrations go together, especially during the Fourth
of July and the upcoming
millennium. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an
official partner of the
White House Millennium Council, has undertaken an initiative to
promote fireworks safety and
prevent fireworks-related injuries and deaths throughout the nation
during millennium
celebrations. CPSC's fireworks safety campaign will begin with the
July 4, 1999 holiday and
continue through New Year's Eve 2000 millennium celebrations.
The goal of the fireworks safety initiative is to raise public
awareness of the need for safety
during this period, when the use of fireworks is expected to be at an
all-time high. CPSC has
developed a list of Fireworks Safety Tips for the Millennium. The
tips are posted on CPSC's web
site and hard copies are available from CPSC.
In order to maximize the reach of this safety effort, CPSC is
partnering with a broad range of
national organizations, including National 4-H Council, and state
health, fire, consumer, and
safety agencies . Through our joint efforts, we hope to reach the
entire population with fireworks
safety messages, in an effort to reduce preventable injuries and
deaths.
To get a hard copy of Fireworks Safety Tips, write or e-mail CPSC for
this free CPSC
publication. Ask for # 013 for the English version and/or #013S for
the Spanish version: Publication Request, Office of Information and
Public Affairs, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington,
DC 20207. E-mail: info at cpsc_gov
For more information, check out CPSC's website at
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/july4/intro.html
7) SEE WHAT'S GOING ON UNDER THE WATER WITH THE NATIVE FISH
CONSERVANCY
The Native Fish Conservancy (NFC), a kid-friendly conservation group,
has put together a
unique program for clubs like 4-H, schools, and libraries. On their
website, they have put up a
special page for kids to hang out, chat, leave messages and learn.
Among its highlights are an
E-mail list where you can join and post questions to other people all
around the world. This list is
monitored by adults and is kept appropriate at all times. So if you
want to talk about youth
activities, how to motivate other kids, conservation activities and
particularly native fish stuff
then you should join this list. To join the E-mail list just send a
note with no message or subject
to subscribe-conservationkids at listbot_com
Go to the NFC website at http://nativefish.interspeed.net and see
what's going on under the
water.
8) GRANT INFORMATION
Toshiba America Foundation
The Toshiba America Foundation will award up to 50 grants for
projects to be conducted
between November 22, 1999 and May 15, 2000. The grants of up to
$1,000 are for science- and
mathematics-education projects for students in grades K-6.
Contact the Foundation for an official application form. TAF, 126
East 56th Street, New York
10022, E-mail: foundation at tai_toshiba.com
***************************************
National Home Library Foundation Grants
The foundation awards grants to assist in the purchase of books and
some computer hardware
and software for libraries and community groups in order to support,
promote, and develop
programs with the goal of combating illiteracy and/or encouraging an
interest in reading and the
literary arts among all ages; to encourage new techniques in the
operation of libraries; to
facilitate the collection and distribution of printed and audiovisual
materials; and to encourage
the development of programs relating primarily to literary or
cultural topics that utilize various
means of communications. Grants in the past have supported the
purchase of reference materials
for libraries, African American history books, books and magazines
for low-level readers and
children's books, and Girl Scouts activities. Applications are
accepted at any time; the board
meets quarterly.
Nonprofit organizations in the U.S. Northeast are eligible. Grants
are not made to individuals,
nor for loans, conferences, scholarships, endowments, construction,
or operating budgets.
Past grant recipients include: Achiever Program Adult Literacy
Project (Milwaukee, WI)--to
purchase materials for low-level readers, $4302 (1996); West Virginia
Public Library
(Shepardstown, WV)--to purchase books, $4301 (1996). Grants may
range from $500-$25,000
For more information, write to: National Home Library Foundation,
1920 N St NW, Suite 300,
Washington, DC 20036
*******************************
The MONY Foundation
The MONY Foundation funds strategically effective community-based
programs confronting
new dilemmas in locations where it does business, including Georgia,
Kansas, New York, and
Pennsylvania.
A staffer at the MONY Foundation suggested that nonprofits should
first contact the
headquarters or their local office by mail to obtain guidelines.
Grants are $5,000 each.
Grant tip: Involving a MONY employee in your nonprofit is a good
idea. "The organization
fosters active involvement of employees in the community through
matching gifts
and encouraging donations of time, talent, and money."
For more information, write to: MONY Foundation, 1740 Broadway, NY,
NY 10019
*************************************
Burton G. Bettingen Corporation Foundation
Applications are accepted year-round by the Burton G. Bettingen
Corporation Foundation,
which funds at-risk children programs in Southern California.
The foundation's top funding priority is children and youth. Havens
for abused or abandoned
children, runaways and child prostitutes receive the largest portion
of the foundation's grants.
Non-profits servicing crime and abuse victims also get funding.
Nonprofits servicing the
economically disadvantaged also can apply for grants. The foundation
funds higher education as
well as elementary and secondary education, giving directly to
schools. Although the foundation
has a core group of grant recipients, it does take on new ones.
For more information, write to: Burton G. Bettingen Corporation
Foundation, 9777 Wilshire
Boulevard, Suite 615, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
***************************************
Montgomery Street Foundation
The main funding priority of the Montgomery Street Foundation is
higher education, but it also
supports youth development programs.
Giving is limited to colleges and universities, agencies, and
non-profits in California. Youth
development programs that receive money include boys clubs, child
advocacy councils and the
YMCA. Health Programs that receive funding include Planned
Parenthood.
Applications are accepted throughout the year. Those interested
should begin by sending a
concise letter outlining their program and its needs.
For more information, write to: Montgomery Street Foundation, 235
Montgomery Street, Suite
1107, San Francisco, CA 94104
*********************************************
Plough Foundation
The Plough Foundation expects to grant about $12 million this year
with an average of about
$500,000 per grant. Family service nonprofits located in Memphis or
Shelby County, Tennessee,
are eligible for funds.
There are no deadlines for letters of intent. Full proposals which
must be requested following a
letter of intent are due April 10 and July 10.
For more information, write to: Plough Foundation, 6077 Primacy
Parkway, Suite 230,
Memphis, TN 38119.
9) WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE CONFERENCE
Make an investment in the future! Come to Houston, Texas, for the
Workforce of the Future
Conference, July 9-12, 1999, co-sponsored by Communities In Schools,
the Cisco Foundation
and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For more
information and online
registration, check out http://cisco.netacad.net/registration/
10) KIDS COUNT 1999
KIDS COUNT, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a national
and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the
United States. All 1999 KIDS COUNT data is now available from an easy
to use, powerful online database that allows you to generate custom
graphs, maps, ranked lists, and state by state profiles. Also, we have
been responding to your requests by adding new features, such as the
ability to download the entire KIDS COUNT data set.
View the 1999 KIDS COUNT data and order your free copy of the data
book at http://www.aecf.org/
-------------------------------------
Editor's Note: The next Youth-Corporate Connections Update will be
distributed in
mid-June. If you have information on publications or programs that
you would
like to submit for this newsletter, please send it by e-mail to David
Carrier at
<carrier at fourhcouncil_edu>. David can also be reached by fax at
(301)961-2894.
Check out the Youth Grants webpage at http://www.fourhcouncil.edu
(click on Programs, then
Grants). These grants provide opportunities for young people and
adults to take action on issues
critical to their lives, their families, and their communities.
Youth take the lead in the design of
the project, the proposal writing process, and the implementation and
evaluation of funded
projects. We will announce on this webpage when applications for
grants are available.
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National 4-H Council is a nonprofit organization that partners with
4-H, the Cooperative
Extension System and other organizations to pursue its vision,
implement its strategies, and
accomplish its mission to be an uncommon youth development
organization fostering innovation
and shared learning for youth workers and young leaders. National
4-H Council is committed to
a policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs,
facilities, and employment
without regard to race, color, sex, religion, religious creed,
ancestry or national origin, age,
veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or
mental disability. Mention or
display of trademark, proprietary product or firm in text or figures
does not constitute an
endorsement by National 4-H Council and does not imply approval to
the exclusion of suitable
products or firms.
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