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Published on Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center (http://www.connectforkids.org)

CFK Weekly April 11

Weekly Header [1]

Bringing you the most up-to-date and relevant news, research and policy developments affecting children, youth and families.

April 11, 2007
 

In This Issue
New on Connectforkids.org [2]
Juvenile Justice Resources [3]
Reconnecting Youth [4]
Youth Service Day Resources [5]
Kids & Politics [6]
Tax Time Resources for Families [7]
Education News [8]
Teen Health News [9]
Funding Resources [10]

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Editor's Note

This week, communities across the country are getting ready for National and Global Youth Service Days (April 20-22), and we've got some tools to help you get started. Also, with tax time just around the corner, there is not-so-good news about state taxes and poor families. An updated EITC outreach kit can help take the sting out of federal income taxes, and even help working parents lift their family out of poverty.

In Congress, the Senate is back and the House returns next week. Money -- for war, for domestic programs -- continues to dominate the discussion, even as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act reauthorization inches forward. Communities In Schools offers recommendation to renew NCLB as a stronger bill. Also this week, the National Council of La Raza and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy are partnering to help reduce teen pregnancy among Latinas. Looking for funding for your program? Check the last section for some alerts.

Finally, don't miss the new Connect for Kids article about how one woman's work got thousands moving.

And keep us posted on your work, everyone!
Caitlin Johnson
weekly@connectforkids.org [15]

PDF [16]To read PDF files, download the free Adobe Reader [17].



New on Connectforkids.org
Every two weeks, Connect for Kids publishes fresh articles on our home page (www.connectforkids.org [18]).  Here's what's new.

"Stop the Silence" to End Child Sexual [19] Abuse-a Small Nonprofit Tackles a Big Issue [20]CCFY logo [21]
Seven years ago, a piece of paper on a desk started Pamela Pine on a quest to understand and spread the word about child sexual abuse. In this column, Pine shares how she turned her concern into a vibrant, dynamic nonprofit organization -- with an annual international awareness-raising foot race in Washington, D.C., every April.

Youth Movement: The Extreme Version [22]
(Our previous feature, from March 28.) There aren't many physical challenges that measure up to running a marathon. In Los Angeles, volunteers have helped thousands of low-income middle and high school students train for and complete the L.A. marathon, changing some lives along the way. Holly St. Lifer reports. 


Juvenile Justice Resources

CCFY logo [23]pdf [24]New Map Documents Record Number of Youth Courts [25]
Youth courts give young people (generally charged with non-violent and minor offenses) trial by a judge, jury, and attorneys of their peers. Research shows that this positive peer pressure can help kids turn their lives around and get assistance before they're in too deep. The federal youth court program is running in more than 1,200 sites across the country -- that's a record.

In honor of Youth Service Day (see below), here's an oldie-but-goodie from Network, outlining how Youth Courts can be effective service-learning tools [26]. 

New Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice [27]
Launched by the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, this Center will support scholarship and information exchange on issues relating to juvenile justice reform. Shay Bilchik has been named to lead the center, to advance the field of juvenile crime prevention and intervention.


CCFY logo [28]Reconnecting Youth

Heads Up: Leadership for Change: A Nation without Dropouts Conference (Fall 2007) [29]
Communities In Schools, the nation's largest dropout prevention organization, will host a conference on youth development, education reform, and community-strengthening from October 31 to November 4, 2007, in Atlanta.

Youth Service Day Resources
YSA [30]National and Global Youth Service Day will be held on April 20-22, 2007. It's not too late to get involved! Here are some tools.

National & Global Youth Service Day Materials [31]
Find toolkits, tips for getting involved or getting something started locally, and curriculum guides online.

Leveling the Path to Participation: Volunteering and Civic Engagement among Youth from Disadvantaged Circumstances [32]
Despite common stereotypes, a majority of young people volunteer in their communities. But there may be a "class gap." A new Corporation for National and Community Service study finds that low-income youth volunteer at a rate of 43 percent, compared to 59 percent for other youth. For all young people, volunteering brings benefits -- including a boost in their belief that they will graduate from college and make a difference. The report recommends ways to engage young people from disadvantaged communities using schools, faith-based groups, and youth corps.


Kids & PoliticsCCFY logo [33]

Kids' Share 2007
If the federal budget were cut and served like an apple pie, "children might be fighting for crumbs by 2017," says a new Urban Institute report.


Tax Time Resources for Families

Tax Tools
It's that time again. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has several great resources to help you get a handle on where things stand for your family, your community, and your state.


CFK Tax Resources [39]
Tax time can mean relief for many working families -- the Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the most effective anti-poverty tools around. Learn more in the articles and weblinks on the Connect for Kids Tax Policy topic page.

Education News

CIScov [40]Communities In Schools Recommends a Stronger NCLB
On March 28, 2007, Communities In Schools National President Dan Cardinali testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on bolstering parent and community engagement in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act reauthorization.  He stressed that the best teachers and strongest curricula, while vital, may fail to reach students who come to school hungry, sick, or lacking critical family support. For more information, contact Bob Seidel at seidelb@cisnet.org [41].

National Collaboration for Youth Issues NCLB Recommendations [46]
The National Collaboration for Youth brings together almost 50 youth-serving nonprofits from across the country. Their recommendations for NCLB reauthorization include: considering social and emotional development along with academic performance; including community-based, faith-based and other public agency organizations in addition to schools; and providing a range of complementary services and supports, not just academic instruction.

Brief: [47]Family Involvement in Elementary School Children's Education [48]
Family involvement can improve academic performance for children of all ages. The latest brief in the Harvard Family Research Project series, "Family Involvement Makes a Difference" focuses on Elementary School education and makes recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

Call for Emerging Scholars in K-12 Service-Learning [49]
What's the latest on service-learning in K-12? Join this summer research conference hosted by CIRCLE, Brandeis University, and the University of California, Berkeley, in Maryland June 14-16. To participate as a scholar, apply by April 23, 2007.



Teen Health News

New Campaign to Reduce Teen Pregnancy [50]
Nearly half of Latinas become pregnant before age 20, interrupting many young women's dreams of starting college or a career. Unprotected sex also poses health risks. The National Council of La Raza and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy are partnering on a new education and outreach initiative aimed at Latino teens and young adults.

CCFY logo [51]New Site: Teen Health Rights [52]
The National Center for Youth Law offers a new website to help California adolescent health care providers understand the laws that affect their work, with a focus on reproductive health.

Not Their Parent's MD: Why Teens Need a Doctor of Their Own [53]
(From the CFK Archives) Most parents recognize that their adolescents need a measure of privacy and independence. Yet the idea of a medical specialty devoted to teens is unfamiliar to many. Historian Heather Prescott argues that this lack of awareness contributes to a serious shortage of age-appropriate health services for American teenagers.


CCFY logo [54]Funding Resources

Drug-Free Communities Grants [55]
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is offering up to $100,000 to community coalitions to prevent youth alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug, and inhalant abuse.  Deadline: April 17, 2007.

Domestic Violence Children's Program [56]
The Avon Foundation is offering grants from $10,000 to $50,000 to nonprofit organizations that help children who have been exposed to domestic violence. Deadline: May 1, 2007.

Affordable Housing Awards: Now Showing [57]
Enterprise Community Partners and MetLife Foundation are offering awards to community-based or local nonprofit organizations that excel in property and asset management or provide housing to people with special needs. First place is $35,000. Deadline:  May 4, 2007.

America's Promise Accepting Applications for Youth Partnership Team [58]
The America's Promise Alliance Youth Partnership Team is looking for about 15 students (ages 14 to 22) to serve on the Team. They will act as spokespeople and trainers, and help to raise awareness about the Five Promises. 

pdf [59]Youth Today Grant Opportunities [60]
The latest issue of Youth Today has funding resources (see pp. 29- 30).




Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment

Source URL:
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/5306

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