TheConnector

TheCONNECTOR is Youth Community Connections’ (YCC) communication tool for sharing updates and for seeking action from its partners. TheCONNECTOR contains the following highlights:

RECENT NEWS AND EVENTS
Vote on November 2nd!
Measuring Youth Program Quality: Making Quality Matter
Host an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow
Minnesota Department of Human Services Seeking Proposals for Data on the Child Care Workforce and Family Child Care Associations in Minnesota

NEW RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
Issue Brief Explores Afterschool Benefits for Middle School Students
Afterschool Alliance Network Releases Comprehensive Report About How Youth Spend Time After the School Day
New Resources Update Participants About the Latest News in Youth/Child Development
Arts Education Grant Opportunities
State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants

POLICY AND ADVOCACY
Educate Your Newly Elected Officials About the Benefits of Afterschool and Summer Learning Opportunities
YCC Policy and Advocacy Committee to Meet November 12, 2010

FUTURE EVENTS
SAVE the DATE: Youth Rally at the State Capitol - March 3, 2011
Minnesota Community Education Association Conference
Youth Work Institute Quality Meeting - November 5, 2010
Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest Invites You to Participate in the Upcoming Webinar: Postsecondary Access and Success for Rural Students
The Family Partnership Holds Upcoming Training on Parenting
Juvenile Justice Coalition of Minnesota Conference: Being Effective in Serving African-Born Youth
Community Education and Development Hosts 28th Annual Conference on Teens and Adolescents
Summer Meals for Youth Community Forum

Vote on November 2nd!
Tomorrow, November 2, 2010, the Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections will be held all across Minnesota.  Minnesotans will also elect their state senator and representatives.  YCC encourages you to get out and vote in this Mid-Term Election! 

Not sure who to vote for yet?  The League of Women Voters has created a Voter Guide 2010 to help you learn more about the candidates. Enter your zip code and street address and click on "Candidate Info."

The polls open at 7:00 am and close at 8:00 pm.  Don’t know where to vote?  Visit the Secretary of State’s website to find your polling place.

Measuring Youth Program Quality: Making Quality Matter
Youth Community Connections is hosting a field building conversation Measuring Youth Program Quality: Making Quality Matter on November 10, 2010 from 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. Nicole Yohalem, from the Forum of Youth Investment, will kick off this conversation with providers and stakeholders of out-of-school time opportunities as well as policy and decision leaders. Together we will learn and discuss how program-level measurement leads to quality programming and improved outcomes for children and youth. Participants will learn key indicators of program quality, discuss strategies and tools for assessing and improving program quality, and learn strategies to engage decision and policy makers in quality movement.

The convening will take place at the Neighborhood House in the Gymnasium.  The Neighborhood House is located at 179 Robie Street East, St. Paul, MN 55107.

Admission is free but you must register by Wednesday, November 3, 2010! Contact Ceil Meade, ceil@youthcommunityconnections.org or 612-627-0160, and please provide your name, organization, email and phone number.

Host an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow
Minnesota Alliance With Youth has released its intent to host a Promise Fellow for the 2011-2012 school year.  AmeriCorps Promise Fellows serve for one year with schools and community organizations across Minnesota to mobilize volunteers, create new after-school programs, build mentoring and tutoring initiatives, build organizational capacity, and engage youth in service-learning.

If you are interested in hosting a Promise Fellow, it is strongly encouraged that potential host sites submit a letter stating their interest in applying to be a host site in 2011-2012.The information provided will assist sites in planning for the full application.  The full Request for Proposals application will be available November 1, 2010 on the Alliance’s website. The complete RFP will provide information on the program design and requirements.  If you have any questions regarding the Promise Fellow program, please contact Melissa Burwell at mburwell@mnyouth.net or 651-528-8561.

Minnesota Department of Human Services is Seeking Proposals for Data on the Child Care Workforce and Family Child Care Associations in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Human Services, through its Community Partnerships Division is seeking Proposals from qualified Responders to gather, analyze and evaluate statewide data on the child care workforce and family child care associations in Minnesota; the data will primarily be obtained through survey research. The research will be used for the development and assessment of policies and programs related to the Minnesota Professional Development (PD) System for practitioners serving in early childhood and school age settings to ultimately support the school readiness of children and improve the quality and availability of child care for low-income families.  The RFP for can be viewed by visiting the Minnesota Department of Human Services RFP Web site: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/id under “Partners and Providers,” “Grants and RFPs.” To obtain an email copy of the RFP, please contact Michael Hughes, at michael.r.hughes@state.mn.us.

NEW RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

Check out some of the latest research on after school, youth engagement and quality improvement on YCC’s website under latest research.

Issue Brief Explores Afterschool Benefits for Middle School Students
The Afterschool Alliance releases an Issue Brief, "Afterschool: Providing Multiple Benefits to Middle School Students," which explores how afterschool programs can attract and retain youth in grades six through eight.  It is one in a series of Issue Briefs sponsored by the MetLife Foundation that addresses the benefits afterschool programs provide to youth, families and communities.

Afterschool Alliance Network Releases Comprehensive Report About How Youth Spend Time After the School Day
America After 3PM: From Big Cities to Small Towns is a special report that takes a fresh look at data from America After 3PM, the most in-depth study ever to explore how America’s kids spend the after school hours. The new study examines how kids’ afterschool experiences differ from one community to another.  The nearly 30,000 household data set from America After 3PM was divided into three community types—rural, urban and suburban—and analyzed for differences in afterschool participation, access, barriers, satisfaction and more.  To view the full report, click here.   

New Resources Update Participants About the Latest News in Youth/Child Development
Spark Action brings together the latest news, research, trends and stories from across the child and youth field so you can get informed and take action on the issues that matter most to you. We and our partners believe that together we can be a powerful voice for children, youth and communities.

Visit the site to find resources and tools to be used in your work with youth!

Arts Education Grant Opportunities
Arts Learning —Project grants to support lifelong learning in the arts. Minnesota professional artists and arts organizations may apply. Nonprofit and community organizations, public agencies, arts organizations, educational institutions, and others also may apply.

Application deadline: November 5, 2010

Community Arts Schools and Conservatories —Operating support grants to organizations that provide open access to arts learning opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

Interim Application deadline: November 12, 2010

State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants
State Farm is proud to team up with Youth Service America to offer grants of up to $1,000 for youth-led service-learning initiatives. Eligible programs will engage youth in service-learning, an effective teaching and learning strategy that promotes student learning, academic achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities.  State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants encourage semester-long projects (following YSA's Semester of Service framework) that launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (January 17, 2011) and culminate on Global Youth Service Day (April 15-17, 2011). Eligible candidates include teachers, service-learning coordinators and students in a public school, or staff and youth in a community-based organization working with a public school. Applications must be submitted by midnight, November 9, 2010. Learn more and access the application at www.YSA.org/goodneighbor.

POLICY AND ADVOCACY UPDATES

Educate Your Newly Elected Officials About the Benefits of Afterschool and Summer Learning Opportunities
Elections are just around the corner.  Youth Community Connections has prepared a one page Policy Brief highlighting how high-quality learning opportunities in the community help shape the future of Minnesota’s youth.  We encourage you to contact your newly elected officials and share your work with them!  We also encourage you to invite them to your program so they can see firsthand how the lives of young people are impacted and what it means for their family and the community at large.

YCC Policy and Advocacy Committee to Meet November 12, 2010
Youth Community Connections’ Policy and Advocacy Committee will meet on November 12, 2010 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at the Minnesota Department of Education Conference Center A in Rooms 3 & 4.  PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN LOCATION. Join us as we review recent recommendations for the Minnesota Supporting Youth Success initiative, share updates about the youth caucus and the youth rally day at the capitol, and hear from partners about their own policy initiatives during the 2011 legislative session.    

FUTURE EVENTS

SAVE the DATE: Youth Rally at the State Capitol - March 3, 2011
The Rally for Youth Day at the Capitol will be on Thursday, March 3, 2011.  The highlight of the event will be the Rally for Youth in the Rotunda at 12:00 p.m and meetings with state legislators.  There will be capitol tours, committee hearings, and a few other events for youth to participate in throughout the afternoon.

Organizations that would like to participate must apply in advance to attend, and must apply in groups of adults and youth.  Organizations working with homelessness, mentoring, out of school time, youth intervention, workforce development and juvenile justice OR those who believe in the need for a comprehensive youth system of services are invited to attend the rally. Applications will be available beginning mid-December and will be due January 21.

Participating organizations will be asked to help prepare youth ahead of time for their involvement in the event, including helping youth prepare for meetings with their legislators.  For  more information, please contact Matt Steele at Youth Community Connections at 612-627-0157 or matt@youthcommunityconnections.org   

Minnesota Community Education Association Conference
Minnesota Community Education Association is hosting their annual conference from November 3-5 in St. Cloud, MN. From early morning activities to late night entertainment, our plethora of opportunities will engage community educators from every area.  Venturing into a global society of social networking, major reform initiatives and carbon footprint awareness, we challenge you to take away methods and perspectives that benefit you on both a professional and personal level.  To register or find out more about the conference, click here.     

University of Minnesota Extension Youth Work Institute Hosts the Quality Matters Annual Conference, November 5, 2010
This statewide conference includes breakout sessions, access to coaches/consultants, resource areas, and dialogue about the progress people have made by focusing on the quality of their youth programs. The conference takes place on November 5th from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the Eagan Community Center. Sessions are offered for "seasoned" Quality Matters participants as well as participants who are new to the high-quality improvement efforts happening in the field.  For more information or to register, click here.  

Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Midwest Invites You to Participate in the Upcoming Webinar: Postsecondary Access and Success for Rural Students
The webinar will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. The webinar is designed to provide a national audience of rural education stakeholders with research-based information on increasing postsecondary access and success for rural students. It is hosted by the REL Rural Working Group, which consists of representatives from all 10 regional educational laboratories.  Participants will engage in a national discussion about the implications of research on postsecondary access and success for rural students, featuring the IES Practice Guide Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do.

Presenting at the event will be William G. Tierney, Ph.D., lead author of the Practice Guide. Dr. Tierney is director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis and the Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education at the Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. Also presenting at the webinar will be Judith Meece, Ph.D., co-director of the Rural High School Aspirations project for the IES-funded National Research Center on Rural Education Support and professor of educational psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Registration for the webinar is currently open. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible. There is no registration fee. For questions or additional information, please contact Lisa Shimmel by telephone (312-283-2301) or e-mail (lisa.shimmel@learningpt.org).

The Family Partnership Holds Upcoming Training on Parenting
The Family Project, a program of The Family Partnership (formerly Family & Children's Service), invites you to register for their upcoming training on Purposeful Parenting that helps position schools to effectively partner with all families on Thursday, November 11, 2010 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm.  Please click on the Register Now link to view the home page for this exciting training opportunity and sign-up.  The cost of this training is $60.00 per participant, however parents and volunteers are free.  Please register early as space is limited. 

Juvenile Justice Coalition of Minnesota Conference: Being Effective in Serving African-Born Youth
This conference at Mystic Lake Conference in Prior Lake, MN on November 12th from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM and provides a profile of the Somali refugee/immigrant family experience in Minnesota. You will receive information to better understand cultural and religious similarities and differences between the mainstream and Muslim communities with a focus on building relationships based on common values. You will also gain practical ways to engage, make reasonable accommodations, and become more effective in serving them - especially in the juvenile justice, education, and human services systems.

Cost:  $40 per attendee, $30 for students, and $30 for JJC Community and Organization members.  Scholarships are available.

Register at:  www.jjcmn.com/jjc-community/
Agenda for the day:  Being Effective in Serving African agenda revised.docx

Community Education and Development Hosts 28th Annual Conference on Teens and Adolescents
The Community Education & Development is hosting the 28th Annual Conference on Teens and Adolescents on November 18th and 19th at the Ramada Plaza in Minneapolis.  For more details or to register for the event, click here.

Summer Meals for Youth Community Forum
Minnesota Food Share, Second Harvest Heartland, and the Minnesota Department of Education is hosting community forum on December 6, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM regarding updates surrounding summer meals for Minnesota youth.  The forum will include a discussion and panel regarding summer food services programs and barriers and trends in the solutions to providing meals for low-income youth.  Click here to register.

Youth Community Connections
200 Oak Street SE, Suite 270B ~ Minneapolis, MN 55455
PH: 612.627.0160
WEB: www.youthcommunityconnections.org