National Gardening Association Grants Program

The NGA supports programs across the country that actively engage kids in the garden and improve the quality of life for all. The Youth Garden Grants provide schools and community organizations with seeds, tools, garden products, and educational resources for child-centered outdoor garden programs. The Room to Grow Juliana Greenhouse Grants support schools and community organizations for projects that engage youngsters in a greenhouse environment. Applications for Youth Garden Grants are due December 1, 2004; applications for Room to Grow Grants are due December 31, 2004.

Visit their website: <a href="http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants.asp">http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants.asp</a>

The Pathways to College Network has created a systematic, research-based resource to help schools and college outreach programs increase the number of students preparing for postsecondary education. The toolbox helps educators: (1) Learn about what works from research and examples; (2) Assess their present situations and plan change; (3) Access resources for implementing their plans; and (3) Monitor progress toward achieving their goal of college-ready high school graduates. This toolbox helps state and school district leaders implement initiatives to make the college-prep curriculum the standard program of study for all students. The toolbox offers separate paths for principals, counselors and college outreach practitioners. Each section provides a user’s guide, presentations, checklists, inventories and assessment tools to create awareness, assess the current situation, develop a plan for improvement, implement a plan and evaluate success.

http://www.pathwaystocollege.net/collegereadiness/toolbox/index.ht

Topic: Community-Based Participatory Research: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Its Implications

Date: December 2, 2004 Time: 3-5 pm Eastern Standard Time

To Register: go to http://nwcphp.ilinc.com/events & select the “CBPR Review” session

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a collaborative approach to research that combines methods of inquiry with community capacity-building strategies to bridge the gap between knowledge produced through research and what is practiced in communities to improve health. Although many researchers and practitioners offer definitions and principles for this approach, no clear consensus has emerged to move the field forward.

The Agency of Health CareResearch and Quality recently commissioned the Research Triangle Institute (RTI)- University of North Carolina (UNC) Evidence-Based Practice Center to conduct a systematic review of the literature on CBPR approaches to improved health. This review was designed to establish the nature of the current literature and to assist academics, community participants and funders by identifying gaps in implementing this approach.

This web conference focuses on two questions covered by the systematic review:

1. How has CBPR been implemented to date with regard to the quality of research methodology and community involvement? And
2. What is the evidence that CBPR efforts have resulted in the intended outcomes?

Learning Objectives:

1. Define Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and describe critical elements of CBPR
2. Summarize the implementation of CBPR with respect to research methods and level of community involvement
3. Summarize the evidence that CBPR efforts have resulted in the intended outcomes
4. Identify strategies for strengthening CBPR

Speakers:

*Eugenia Eng, DrPH, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC
*Meera Viswanathan, PhD, Health, Social and Economics Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
*Lucille Webb, MS, Strengthening the Black Family, Inc, Raleigh, NC

Cosponsors:

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health ?€“ CCPH promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. These partnerships — including service-learning and community-based participatory research — are powerful tools for improving health professional education, civic responsibility and the overall health of communities. http://www.ccph.info

Northwest Center for Public Health Practice – The mission of the Northwest Center is to improve the quality and effectiveness of public health practice by linking public health academic and practice communities in the Northwest region (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY,and tribal nations). The Northwest Center is a HRSA-funded Public Health Training Center and a CDC-funded Center for Public Health Preparedness. http://www.nwcphp.org

San Francisco, CA,
March 19-23, 2005.

For more information as it becomes available, please click here.

http://www.planning.org/2005conference/index.htm

Join 2,400 service-learning practitioners, educators, and youth from the United States and around the world in Long Beach, Calif., March 16-19, 2005 for four days of service-learning workshops, forums, on and off-site projects, networking, and fun.

Registrations before January 28th receive the Early Bird rate so log on now at http://www.nylc.org!

NeighborWorks Training Institute
Presented by: Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation

Location: Marriott Hotel, New Orleans, LA

Intensive core and specialized education in affordable housing, asset management, community building and organizing, community economic development, construction and production management, homeownership and community lending, management and leadership, and neighborhood revitalization.

Featured symposium is “Unleash the Power of Your Board: Rejuvenate and Realize Your Board’s Optimal Potential (ML901).”

The training institute is December 13-17, 2004.

For more information please contact:
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
1325 G Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005
800-438-5547

Visit their website: http://www.nw.org/training

Disney and Youth Service America offers grants to groups, schools, and organizations that engage children and youth ages 5-14 in community service projects for Global Youth Service Day 2005. Deadline is December 20, 2004. For more information, click here.

<a href="http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm">http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm</a>

The survey of 1,799 principals boasts a 91-percent response rate and produced a wealth of raw data on service-learning and its perceived impact. An initial analysis, "Community Service and Service-Learning in U.S. Public Schools, 2004," is available from <a href="http://www.nylc.org">http://www.nylc.org</a>. NYLC would like to make the dataset available to other researchers for further analysis that will benefit the field of service-learning.

NYLC is currently accepting research proposals from student-faculty teams. Two teams will be selected to receive a $1,000 stipend. Winning proposals will be announced at the 2005 National Service-Learning Conference, March 17-20, 2005, in Long Beach, California. The winning teams’ final research reports will be slated for possible inclusion in the Growing to Greatness 2006 report.

For the complete RFP or a copy of "Community Service and Service-Learning in U.S. Public Schools, 2004," please visit <a href="http://www.nylc.org">http://www.nylc.org</a> (there’s a link on the right side of the homepage) or email Research Assistant Anna Henning at nylcg2g@nylc.org.

Postmark deadline is January 15, 2005.

Anna Henning
Growing to Greatness Research Assistant
National Youth Leadership Council
651-999-7355

EPA is now accepting applications from student teams for the 2005 P3 competition. The deadline for receipt of applications is Jan. 27, 2005. A list of P3 national student design competition teams is available at: <a href="http://es.epa.gov/ncer/p3/projects/index.html">http://es.epa.gov/ncer/p3/projects/index.html</a>. More information about the awards and the 2005 competition can be found at <a href="http://www.epa.gov/P3">http://www.epa.gov/P3</a>, or contact Suzanne Ackerman: 202-564-7819, ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov

Want to help your community or change the world? Need some funds and support to help get things going? Youth Service America (YSA) and Youth Venture can help! YSA and Youth Venture are teaming up again to make everyday National Youth Service Day (NYSD).

Youth Venture is a national nonprofit organization that helps teams of young people (ages 12-20) by providing them the tools necessary to start their own sustainable clubs, organizations, or businesses called Ventures that give back to their communities.

Ten awards of up to $1,000 in start-up funds are available for youth who want to create YSA Youth Ventures. Youth Venture will work to give you access to scholarships, awards, special conference invitations, media opportunities, workshop training, and a national network of active young people once you successfully complete the application, present your plan to a panel, and meet certain Youth Venture requirements. Youth Venture will also provide support in getting you prepared to present your idea and launch your venture. In addition you will have access to all NYSD planning materials and tip sheets through YSA to plan your National Youth Service Day event.

To be selected as a Venturer, you must have:
* Motivation to make a difference in your community!
* A youth-lead team that utilizes adults as resources, not as project directors.
* Clear, attainable goals.
* A credible plan and budget, including a strategy to evaluate progress and community impact (we will help you develop these).
* The energy and skills to succeed
* An Ally (mentor) committed to the organization?s independence and success.
* A plan for how your venture will be sustainable.
* Ethical standards ? know right from wrong, and be trustworthy and responsible.

YSA Youth Venture teams have done everything from using a theatre to provide a positive activity for urban youth to running park clean-ups. There are Venture teams that provide support to teen mothers and publish writing and art journals. One Venturer even built a skate park. Our Venturers have been featured in Forbes, Teen People and Urban Teen Scene. What’s your passion? You DREAM IT and we’ll help you DO IT.

If you’d like to find out more about our Venturers or how to become a YSA Youth Venturer and download an application go to <a href="http://www.youthventure.org">http://www.youthventure.org</a>. You can also write to myoung@youthventure.org for more information.

Washington, DC ? Despite numerous policies to make college more accessible, most low-income students never consider college, many choose to attend for-profit or two-year institutions, most avoid more expensive colleges, and the majority never graduate.

These rather bleak conclusions recently appeared in the 1st annual status report, Indicators of Opportunity in Higher Education, published by The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.

?This is the first national report of its kind that measures available opportunities for low-income students to access and succeed in higher education,? said Arnold Mitchem, President of the Council for Opportunity in Education. ?It clearly illustrates that our nation must take steps right now to seriously expand programs that improve access to higher education so that we can open the doors of postsecondary education for all students.?

The report, which focused on four indicators, revealed that low-income students have less opportunity for education beyond high school.

To read full press release and to download the report, visit: http://www.pellinstitute.org/

Non-profit connecting low-income people to economic opportunities online at <a href="http://www.thebeehive.org">http://www.thebeehive.org</a> seeks Senior Web Application Developer. Candidate must have commitment to social change and 4+years ASP, JavaScript, CSS, XML, MSSQL7/2000 and Win2K, 1+ .Net (C# pref.). Job requires Flash scripting, project planning and documentation (e.g., UML), building online applications with support for the disabled (e.g., 508 and WAI). Respond to bhecht@one-economy.com. EOE. No calls.

Regional Membership Executive – Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic

Are you looking for a rewarding job that focuses on helping others?

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, a national non-profit organization provides educational materials in audio format to students of all ages and other individuals who cannot read standard print. We are seeking an organized, dynamic, mission-oriented professional for a newly created Regional Membership Executive position in our Philadelphia office. Some responsibilities are: design, develop and execute new business and retention strategies to meet new membership and recruitment objectives in the Philadelphia region; promote and sell the RFB&D Learning Through Listening program to public and private schools at all levels; implement appropriate sales approaches and techniques to build school accounts in the region, including working with HQ inside sales staff; coordinate with local Unit and HQ Outreach personnel to represent RFB&D at selected local, regional, and national events. If you have a passion for helping schools, parents and children get services they need to be successful, RFB&D is the right place for you. Requirements are: Bachelor degree in business, marketing, education or related area; demonstrated ability to develop and execute effective strategic and tactical sales plans; proven track record achieving sales objectives; 2-3 years service sales experience; Experience in the K-12, post-secondary markets or the non-profit sector preferred. Travel is regional in Pa and northern Delaware. We offer a competitive salary with excellent benefits and you will find us to be a family friendly organization that appreciates your balance of work and life. Send resume & salary requirements to: HR Dept. RFB&D, 20 Roszel Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 ? EOE.

Philadelphia reads seeks a Coordinator of Special Projects. Resumes with cover letters should be sent to Thomas S. Jacoby, Executive Director, PHILADELPHIA READS, 1207 Chestnut Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 via mail or fax (215) 851-1953.

POSITION: Director of Community & Agency Services

REPORTS TO: President & CEO

PURPOSE OF POSITION: To lead staff, volunteers and community organizations in the process of creating impact through community leadership and resource allocation. To develop and deepen relationships and collaborations with member/affiliate agencies, other service providers and key community stakeholders. To help create strong community presence and visibility for United Way throughout Bucks County.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

? Manages and staffs the, allocations process, including needs assessment, funding plan priorities, and funds distribution.
? Manages the annual Response Fund process, if activated.
? Maintains favorable relationships with agency and program providers that are receiving United Way funding; acts as the communication link between all human service agencies in Bucks County and United Way.
? Provides administrative assistance to local Bucks County Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board.
? Implements Volunteer Development Strategy, addressing the volunteer needs of the organization.
? Recruits and develops volunteers as needed for participation on community and agency services committees.
? Actively participates in community-based committees and groups associated with social service topics and issues.
? Reviews and monitors community-wide social service issues for county-wide planning for delivery of human services.
? Staffs campaign fundraising areas as assigned.
? Organizes, coordinates, and disseminates information on social service agencies in county for, among others, telephone book(s) ?Guide to Human Services?, and county-wide human service ?Connections? directory.
? Manages and oversees agency-related functions of Gifts In Kind, management assistance, outcome measurement, etc.
? Staffs other committees as assigned and provides program development support to other United Way of Bucks County initiatives.
? Supervises staff assigned to Community and Agency Services; and works with some elements of Community Service Liaison position.
? Performs other job-related duties as may be assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:
? Bachelors and/or Masters Degree in Social Work, Planning, or related field (related work experience may be used in lieu of formal education).
? Minimum of 5 years related work and/or volunteer experience.
? Must have reliable means of transportation.

For more information, visit: <a href="http://www.uwbcpa.org">http://www.uwbcpa.org</a> or call 215-949-1660.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS for 4th ANNUAL CCPH AWARD! DECEMBER 8, 2004 DEADLINE

The Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) award recognizes exemplary partnerships between communities and health professional schools that build on each other’s strengths to improve health professional education, civic responsibility, and the overall health of communities. Please visit the CCPH website to read about past CCPH Award recipients at <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/awardsrecipients.html">http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/awardsrecipients.html</a>

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The deadline for nomination submissions is December 8, 2004. Partnerships may nominate themselves and need not be members of CCPH. We welcome nominations from any country or nation. For further detail and submission guidelines, please visit the CCPH website at <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/awards.html">http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/awards.html</a>

QUESTIONS?

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions webpage at <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/awardsfaq.html">http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/awardsfaq.html</a> or contact Jen Kauper-Brown at jenbr@u.washington.edu or 206-543-7954.

Leadership for a Changing World: Call for Nominations

Seventeen outstanding social justice leaders will receive awards of $100,000 to advance their work, plus $15,000 for learning activities that will support their efforts. Deadline for nominations is 7 January 2005. More information available here. Specific questions can be submitted via email.

<a href="http://leadershipforchange.org/">http://leadershipforchange.org/</a>

Since 1972, the National Women?s Law Center has been working to expand the possibilities for women and girls at work and school, and in nearly every aspect of their lives. Under the direction of Helen Blank, Director of Leadership and Public Policy, with Jamie Ekatomatis, Field Manager, NWLC is now launching an initiative to connect and elevate a diverse group of new advocates nationwide working on issues that affect low-income women and their families.

The Progressive Leadership and Advocacy Network (PLAN) for Women will bring together up-and-coming advocates who have demonstrated a commitment to working on these issues in a professional capacity and help them to develop the skills and networks necessary to take their advocacy to new heights of effectiveness.

The Center is now calling for applications for our first class of rising leaders. We are seeking individuals who wish to become more effective advocates for low-income women and their families and to develop a more prominent role for themselves in the policy-making process. In order to apply, applicants must demonstrate the following: 1) a commitment to low-income women?s advocacy in areas such as health care and Medicaid access, child care and early education, and non-traditional education and training for women, among others; 2) demonstrable advocacy and leadership experience; and, 3) a willingness to commit to attending the Spring Retreat and to ongoing participation in PLAN for Women.

As a participant in PLAN, you will have an opportunity to learn successful strategies and techniques from established leaders and skilled trainers, as well as engage in an ongoing dialogue with your peers across the country. NWLC will provide ongoing support for these new leaders, offering information, targeted skill-building and access to professional networks.

The inaugural class of 20-25 PLAN for Women participants will come together for the first time for a Spring Retreat at the Pocantico Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY. This introductory retreat will take place over a three-and-a-half day period beginning at 4:00 p.m. on May 19, 2005, and ending at noon on May 22, 2005.

Conference sessions will be led by experts in leadership development, policy, and advocacy in topics such as:

– Enhancing each participant?s understanding of the federal, state, and local policy issues that affect the availability and quality of supports for low-income women and their families.
– Working effectively with policy makers;
– Communicating with the media and the public;
– Building effective, civically engaged coalitions;
– Mobilizing concerned citizens to become involved in policy decisions affecting low-income women;
– Structuring successful issue campaigns; and
– Understanding and building personal leadership strengths and capacities.

For more information, visit <a href="http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=2037&section=infocenter">http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=2037&section=infocenter</a>

The White Dog Cafe Foundation is moving offices (just a few doors down from the White Dog Cafe in University City) and we have an extra small office in the building that we plan to sublet. If you are looking for space for one to two people or know someone who is looking for office space, please have them contact us. It will tentatively be available starting in January.

Bridget Croke
White Dog Cafe Foundation
Fair Food – Co-Director
bridget@whitedog.com
215.386.9224 x123

Today is the launch of Farm to City’s 2004-2005 season for Winter Harvest!

We hope you will join us to enjoy the bounty from our local farms during the winter and spring months.

What is Winter Harvest? Winter Harvest is a buying club in which members order once a month for weekly deliveries of locally produced foods. Through Winter Harvest you can order a wide range of food products available from local farms and small food businesses. Among the 250 items offered are winter produce; pastured meat, poultry, and dairy products; preserves; baked goods; and honey. Thanksgiving turkeys (organic and pastured) are available on the November product list.

Where Does Winter Harvest Deliver? You can select one delivery location nearest you from a list of 10 locations in Swarthmore, Havertown, Philadelphia, and Elkins Park.

What Is The Delivery Schedule. This season’s first delivery will be on Wednesday November 24th, the day before Thanksgiving. The ordering DEADLINE for the first delivery is November 18th at 5 pm. All other deliveries are on Thursdays, from December 1, 2004 through May 26th, 2005.

The deadline for December orders is November 25th at 5 pm. The ordering period for December opens on November 19th.

You can review the Winter Harvest program and join it on our website:

<a href="http://www.farmtocity.org/WHHome.asp">http://www.farmtocity.org/WHHome.asp</a>

Joining Winter Harvest. If you decide to join Winter Harvest delivery, you must fill out the application form and submit it online. At the same time you must mail us a check so that we can activate your account.

You should send in your check to cover your November 24th order and anticipated December order by the ordering deadline (Nov. 18). If this presents a cash flow problem to your household you can send us a second check so we receive it by November 25th. Please make out your check (which counts toward your order) in increments of $50.

Ordering. When your account is activated, you will get an email message that you can order, using your email address and the password you listed on your application form. Be sure to read the Ordering Instructions page on the website.

Urgent. If you wish to order for the November 24th delivery, you must act right away so we have time to process your application and notify you before the ordering deadline.

We hope you will join us to enjoy the bounty from our local farms during the winter months.

Bob Pierson
Farm to City