April 2011

Global Youth Service Day is April 15-17, 2011

This month, encourage the young people you work with to join millions of their peers in a day of service. Marked in more than 100 countries, Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth. The campaign is organized by Youth Service America and sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Learn and Serve America and others.

Right on the Money: Making Youth-Written Grant Proposals Stand Out

Do Something, a New York organization that awards grants to youth-led service projects, gets a lot of applications from young people wanting to start organic community gardens.

NCFY Recommends: Community Service Toolkits

Learn-and-Serve-Clearinghouse-logoA trio of free toolkits from the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse can help youth workers jump-start – and make the most of – their community-service-learning programs:

Primary Sources: Nurturing Young People’s Interests to Foster Positive Outcomes

"Adolescent Thriving: The Role of Sparks, Relationships, and Empowerment" (abstract). Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Volume 40, Number 3, March 2011.

What it’s about: The study surveyed a group of 15-year-olds across the country about their “sparks”—their deep passions or interests—and whether they had the support they needed to pursue them.

Honolulu Mentoring Program Plans for Global Youth Service Day

When most people think of Hawaii, they think perfect, pristine beaches. But while there’s lots of natural beauty in Hawaii, it’s not always picture perfect. So in honor of Global Youth Service Day, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu is organizing a beach cleanup. They’ve asked mentors and mentees to come out on Saturday, April 16, and lend a hand.

Report to Congress on FYSB's Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs Released

The latest report to Congress on the Family and Youth Services Bureau's Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs is now available. The report covers fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

Report to Congress on the Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs for FYs 2008 and 2009 (PDF, 2531KB)

FYSB home page

Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs

NCFY Recommends: An Opportunity for Youth to Help President Obama 'Win the Future'

Administration officials will visit 100 youth roundtables this spring

Do youth in your program want to be heard by the President and his Administration? Here's their chance.

The Obama Administration wants to know what young people care about -- and what they're doing to solve problems in their communities. So between now and May 31, 2011, Administration officials will participate in 100 roundtables with young Americans all across the country.

Primary Sources: Service-Learning Makes a Difference for At-Risk Youth

Ensuring Quality Service-Learning Experiences for At-Risk Adolescents” (abstract), The Prevention Researcher, Vol. 18, No. 1, February 2011.

What it's about: This study reviews the effectiveness of service-learning for youth engaged in risky behaviors and provides examples of two high-quality service-learning activities that were used in juvenile justice settings.

NCFY Recommends: Get Your Test!

In honor of STD Awareness Month, here are a few reasons to encourage the young people you work with to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases, if they are sexually active:

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