Located just a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, the Earth Conservation Corps is far removed from the world of legislators, lobbyists and policymakers. ECC provides a striking example of a program that engages young people in protecting the environment while learning valuable lessons about life in the process. CFK intern Kate Carta profiled the organization.

Join YTFG�s Safe Passage Conference Calls
The Youth Transition Funders Group is hosting two conference calls this fall to share how funders and communities are working together to help all of America's youth connect by age 25. Panelists will discuss pathways to college and careers, reform and alternatives to incarceration, and programs that help youth become financially independent after foster care .

The President's budget and the House Committee on Appropriations have no more federal funding for Parent Information Resource Centers (PIRCs) and Arts in Education programs (AIE). The National PTA urges calls to the Senate to restore federal dollars for programs essential for meeting NCLB standards.

Families paying off college loans will now know how much more they owe in interest rates, after the July 1 hike. Future students may yet face sticker shock. The higher interest rates are part of the federal budget deal cut last year. Mobilize.org is calling on Congress to increase federal subsidies to help students offset the costs of investing in their college education.

Vehicle emission controls and cleaner-burning fuels have improved air quality in urban environments but children can still be exposed to particularly dangerous levels of air contamination in schools built near busy roadways or other sources of pollution. New research reported in the July 6, 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine finds that the level of carbon particles in the air is correlated with reduced function in children's developing lungs.

A few years ago I attended a Forum for Youth Investment luncheon with policy analysts and funders -- all agreed the U.S. was behind the times because we lack any kind of national, coordinated youth policy. In March 2005 Connect for Kids and the Forum fielded a poll that asked if coordinating services for young people made sense--of course the answer was a resounding "yes."

Are you going to the Fourth of July parade? Well, Congress has already rained on it. Here's how:

As of July 1 students starting out for college, and many of those still paying off those college loans, will have to pay much higher interest rates, thanks to the budget deal Congress made to cut spending for student aid while expanding tax cuts for investments.

Increasing funds for programs covered by the Violence Against Women Act is a major victory in a time of budget cutbacks--the National Network to End Domestic Violence says it's an occasion to send a thank you to those who supported these funds.

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