participants explain why they get

involved

Why It’s Important to Start Service-Learning at an Early Age

START YOUNG

Get Ur Good OnA p r i l 2 0 1 0

check out YSA.org, GYSD.org, and GetUrGoodOn.org

•5 Steps to Planning a GYSD Project•Getting Ready for the Big Day

Global Youth Service Day!

YSA Quarterly

1 - YSA - April 2010

features

t i d b i t s President’s LetterGYSD Info You Should KnowCreating a GYSD ProjectService Says InitiativeUpcoming ConferencesYSA Annual Fund DonorsStaff Listing

Pg. 2Pg. 5Pg. 4

Pg. 16 Pg. 14 Pg. 15Pg. 16

Kids in Action!The benefits of engaging 5 to 12 year olds through service and service-learning.

Pg. 6

Global Youth Service Day is quickly approach-ing! Here’s a recap of what’s happened so far.

Getting Ready for GYSD Pg. 3

STEMester of ServiceMaking curricular connections in science, tech-nology, engineering and math.

Pg. 7

It Is GLOBAL Youth Service DayTo date, there are 44 different countries regis-tered for GYSD. Here a few of their stories.

Pg. 5

Service and the White HouseFour Washington professionals offer first-hand accounts about the importance of service.

Pg. 12

YSA Staff Q&AQ&A with Megan Brudney, YSA’s grants manager, and Helene Sims, YSA’s manager of logistics and special events.

Pg. 13

Why I VolunteerGet Ur Good On participants share why they serve in their communities.

Pg. 11

by the numbers}-In January 2010, there were 255 YSA mentions in various media outlets - from newspapers to Web sites to magazines.

-Those 255 mentions reached a combined circulation audience of more than 322 million people.

-They were published in 36 states, 115 cities, and the District of Columbia.

-There are 804 registered proj-ects and counting on GYSD.org.

-Registered GYSD projects come from more than 44 different countries and more than 48 dif-ferent states as of March 31.

Follow @YouthService,

@GYSD & @GetUrGoodOn on Twit-

ter for updates and information!

upcoming conferences:-Community Schools National Forum, Philadelphia, PA, April 7-9-National Afterschool Association, Washington, D.C., April 19-21

April 2010 - YSA - 2

Happy Global Youth Service Day,

Steven A. CulbertsonPresident & CEOSCulbertson@ysa.org

outh Service America seems to be moving at the speed of light these days. With three weeks to go until Global Youth Service Day, YSA staff and our partners are working hard to engage one million more children and youth in service activities. Organizing the largest ser-vice event in the world in 100+ countries across six continents is never easy. Partner organizations all over the world are planning their projects; teachers are making mean-ingful connections between service and learning in their classrooms; teens are expressing their desire to change the world; and younger children are taking their rightful place in their community at an early age. In recent months, we witnessed extraordinary numbers of volunteers responding to the Presi-dent’s call to serve on the Martin Luther King Day of Service and observed a powerful response to support those affected by the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. While the latter events were devastating, I am curious to see how this climate of service im-pacts younger children who are witnesses to this era of turbulent action and global concern. They are watching celebrities singing about the need to help others; seeing their parents digging deep into their pockets; and planning fundraisers at their schools to help suffering kids their own age. Change is in the air. Social media, the space where so many of us interact and recreate by computer and phone, is providing outlets for virtual philanthropy and setting new records. Here in D.C., our grocery stores now require shoppers to bring reusable bags, or else pay a bag tax, and the response is exceeding all expectations. Youth are volunteering at record rates. I always say that youth are not the hope for tomorrow; they’re the hope of today. And while I will always believe that, I really can’t wait to see what this world will look like when today’s experienced young volunteers are running the show. I see elemen-tary school children talking about how they can change the world, so imagine their impact with a few decades of visionary thinking and experience under their belts. Beginnings are so important. And just as “investigation” is essential to creating an effective service project, opportunities that come “early and often” are essential to providing children and youth with the skills necessary to have success in school, the work place, and in life.

Y

{president’s letter}

3 - YSA - April 2010

Get Ready for GYSDF or three days each year, millions of young

people ages 5-25 in more than 100 countries around the world gather to serve their commu-nities and celebrate the impact youth make by volunteering their time and talent. Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), a program of Youth Service America, is the largest service event in the world, and will occur April 23-25, 2010. In the United States, over 160 national and international part-ners and 88 Lead Agencies coordinate service opportunities, and there are also eight Regional Lead Agencies around the world. Students of all ages and geographic loca-tions participate in GYSD, and YSA gives out hun-dreds of thousands of dollars in grants, so youth have the resources they need to prepare service projects. One grantee in Philadelphia is launching a peer-to-peer healthy eating program geared toward teaching preteens about nutritious diets. Another in Madurai, India is fighting deforesta-tion by involving over 100 student volunteers in deforestation education and replanting medicinal trees near schools. Fort Middle School, in Colum-bus, GA, is taking part in a Semester of Service, focusing on researching renewable energy re-sources for their community and reporting their findings through podcasts and Parent Teacher Association meetings. And these are just three of the more than 610 projects registered on GYSD.org as of March 23. GYSD’s three goals are to mobilize, sup-port, and educate. We hope to mobilize youth as leaders to identify and address the needs of their communities through service and learning; sup-port youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement; and educate the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contribu-tions of young people as community leaders. Thanks to the generous support of State Farm, this GYSD will be the largest and most effective one ever. As the National Presenting Sponsor, State Farm recognizes the importance of youth participation in service and service-

learning. Their commitment to increasing stu-dent achievement in the United States through service-learning is truly commendable, and YSA is grateful for their continued support. For more information on GYSD, and to register or participate in a project, please visit www.GYSD.org.

Several resources are available for teachers and youth leaders (go to GYSD.org):

• Semester of Service Strategy Guide- designed for teachers with semester long service-learning suggestions• GYSD Toolkit- strategies for the design and implementation of local GYSD projects• Classroom Posters- motivate students and ex-pand knowledge about GYSD• Service-Learning Curriculum Guide- suggestions for teachers to include a service-learning compo-nent to their classrooms• Tip Sheets- tips for teachers, parents, and youth on ways to get involved in GYSD• Issue-specific Service Learning Modules- guides for teachers with specific aspects of service they wish to include in their classrooms• www.GYSD.org- an interactive website where people can post their service projects or register to join others

April 2010 - YSA - 4

Get Ready for GYSD Creating a GYSD Project

5. Demonstration / Celebration Share what you have done, what you have learned from the experience and teach others. Draft a re-port for the community, present your results at a public event, write letters to public officials, or send out a newsletter to parents and peers. Host a volunteer and partner awards ceremony, recognizing the contributions that each person brought to the project.

Whether you’re planning a day of service or coordinating a semester-long service-learning initiative, it is important to make sure that your project is meaningful for the youth participating and the communities served. YSA recommends following the 5-step IPARD/C project planning model to ensure strong outcomes and youth engagement.

1. InvestigationIdentify a local, national, or global need you would like to address. Use a variety of sources to re-search the need and identify community partners. Think about the things you are good at, as well as the skills that other people bring to the project.

2. Preparation and PlanningDevelop a strategy for change and a common vision for success. Determine what you will do. Create a timeline, assign responsibilities, develop a budget and an outreach plan, and find a project location. Include community partners in the process. Is the project providing hands-on assistance (direct ser-vice), raising money (indirect service), or raising awareness (advocacy)? How can you involve people who are not usually asked to serve?

3. ActionNow it’s time to do the project you have planned! Does everyone know where to go and what task to do? Make sure someone is ready to answer any questions posed by volunteers, the community, elected officials, special guests, or local media.

4. Reflection Include reflection before, during, and after your project. Reflection helps you to understand why you are providing the service, what difference you are making, and what you are learning along the way. It also gives you a chance to review the outcomes of your project and to assess what worked, what you might do differently next time, and to determine potential next steps. If possible, be sure to also seek feedback from the community you have served.

Follow @GYSD on Twitter

5 - YSA - April 2010

Number of countries officially registered to participate in GYSD to date: 44 Number of GYSD projects registered to date: 804

it is GLOBAL youth service day

•The municipality of Babatngon, on the beauti-ful Island of Leyte in the Phillipines will be hold-ing its first Global Youth Service Day activity the weekend of April 23-25, 2010, to teach children about keeping their environment clean; the im-portance of responsible solid waste management; and a beautification service project, where youth will pick up trash and place trash receptacals on street corners. This event is being planned with the help of the Municipality of Babatngon and a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.

•Regional Lead Agency Kenya Slums Youth Development Organization will host a three day event in Nairobi to coincide with Global Youth Service Day. Planned activities include tree plant-ing and environmental talks about the problem of deforestation, HIV testing, and a Malaria aware-ness campaign.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

registering your projectGo to gysd.org/howtopost for in-depth instructions on registering your GYSD event.

uploading photos on flickr

info you should know...

Upload your original photos of the planning and implementation of your GYSD project. Add your photos to the Global Youth Service Day group at www.flickr.com/groups/ngysd2006/ and tag your photo “GYSD 2010,” or “GYSD Planning 2010.” You can upload photos of every stage of your GYSD process!

•In Ecuador, a group of youth in will be con-structing and painting a portable world map which will be transported between the 34 el-ementary and high schools in the community as a free educational resource. The youth are also planning a free educational concert in the central park for community members to attend. Topics to be covered between acts include AIDS Educa-tion (there is an extremely high incidence of HIV/AIDS in this part of Ecuador), environmental edu-cation, and self-esteem/health wellness topics. This project will provide a free educational re-source to the local schools, a night of educational programming that will reach hundreds of commu-nity members, and the motivation for change in the community.

•To view a map of international projects funded by Disney’s Friends for Change grants and Get Ur Good On grants, and for a list of international projects, visit GYSD.org/maps.

April 2010 - YSA - 6

KIDS IN ACTION! esearch shows that helping others may be inscribed in our genetic code and that philanthro-py and volunteering become a habit if started at a young age, but many educators and elementary school principals don’t consider children ready for service-learning. We know from historical research that children have played integral roles in social change movements, but they are seldom refer-enced as role models. The time is right for YSA to fill that gap with KIDS IN ACTION. Silvia Golombek, YSA’s Sr. Vice President, founded KIDS IN ACTION in the early 90’s as an answer to two needs. First, her seven year old daughter wanted to help others but couldn’t find a venue that accepted volunteers her age; second, Silvia wanted to turn the results of her doctoral dissertation about children’s role as civic agents into a program. Implemented in elementary schools in Maryland and a number of other states, KIDS IN ACTION engaged young children to address the community problems they considered priorities, and it leveraged their own ideas and skills as to how to do so. A governing board with representa-tives from each grade level in the school consid-ered project ideas and coordinated their imple-mentation through age-appropriate committees in charge of different needs: phone calls, announce-ments, artwork, supplies, etc. School administra-tors and parents provided resources, support, recognition, and guidance, while teachers used KIDS IN ACTION projects to strengthen learning in specific subjects. For example, a booklet of 3rd graders’ poetry was used as a fundraiser for a food bank; 4th graders learned about social issues behind homelessness by visiting a nearby shelter for women and children to bring their donations; and 5th graders improved their reading skills by taping stories for lonely adults or reading to pre-schoolers in public libraries. Recognized for its potential, KIDS IN AC-TION was one of the first programs funded by

the Maryland Student Service Alliance - the state agency that pioneered efforts to establish service-learning requirements in the nation’s schools. KIDS IN ACTION’s strategy specifically aimed at engaging 5 to 12 year olds through service and service-learning will unfold through YSA’s mobilization campaigns, educational and financial resources, and training. The goal is to elevate younger children’s status as full-fledged partners in their own development and commu-nity change. Look for the KIDS IN ACTION seal on YSA resources highlighting best practices geared spe-cifically toward younger children.

R

7 - YSA - April 2010

Making Curricular ConnectionsSTEMester of Service}

I n 2009, Youth Service America received funding from Learn and Serve America, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, to implement STEMes-ter of Service. In turn, YSA funded 25 middle schools across the United States to imple-ment a Semester of Service project focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) based learning. Teachers from each school participated in training at YSA’s Youth Service Institute last October in Washington, D.C., and participated in regular on-line training sessions that address their successes and challenges.

Follow @SemesterService on Twitter

April 2010 - YSA - 8

STEMester of Service} A Reflection Poem From our visit to The National Weather Service / NOAA SeattleBy: A 7th Grade Student at First Creek Middle School

Rain goes down, Down, down, down.Water goes to rivers, Flow, flow, flow.Rivers go evaporate, Up, up, up.Evaporation goes rain, Rain, rain, rain.

Beaches go in and out, Tides, tides, tides.Fish and clams go in and out, Tides, tides, tides.Rocks rolling go in and out, Tides, tides, tides.

“I have gotten many things out of these field trips. I understand the water, when you can drink it, how to test it and how to know when it’s good to use. The trips teach me things I have not known and I feel a lot smarter. The experience shows me the importance of water and nature. It’s real science not a lab but hands on actual stuff – very worth it. Thank you for the expe-rience.”-6th grade student Discovery Middle School

“The Service-Learning Project is a fun project because I love learning about renewable energy, and I am excited to learn more about mak-ing a movie. It is fun because I like figuring out how to set up the big camera. But my favorite part is that we get to take the camera home to work on our projects. I can’t wait to show my movie to all my friends and to my family. This is really fun.”-6th grade student at University of Denver Bridge Project

“Today was a nasty and gross day! I spent all day in science class touching nasty and ugly worms......like ewwww, who would want to spend a day doing that? But it was pretty cool how the worms all fell out of the orange cup and into the container. But I find it crazy how they can live in all that smell and moist. Because if I was to live there I would find it un-comfortable and gross, just disgusted. Oh, and especially eating food that other people ate, that is just plain gross! But what can I say, they’re animals and for them it’s like if it is brand new food. GOOD AND FRESH, but it’s really not! It was just a gross and nasty and amazing science day.”-Student at Global Leaders in NYC

9 - YSA - April 2010

Service & the White HouseFour Washington professionals explain the presidential impact as they saw it firsthand in their careers in the White House as part of YSA’s Youth Service Institute, October 7-9, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

“I moved to Washington to help the first President Bush make service and volunteering central to his own presidency. He came out of a tradition very similar to my father’s where he probably had two really galvanizing experiences in his own life, one was the depression, and one was the Second World War. Both experiences led the first president Bush to know two things for sure. One is that there is randomness to life. The second is that if people don’t help one another, those events that can be difficult can become catastrophic. He came to the White House believing that people engaging meaningfully in the serious challenges of people around them was very central to what it means not just to be an American but to be a human being. The main person whose shoulders I stood on in my work in the White House was the shoulders of former President Bush. But there were two other groups I should mention. One was interns. The president had agreed to name each day some-one in the country making a difference. He called these Daily Points of Light. He named 1,020 of them starting in Nov 1983 going through the last day he was in office. Interns were the engines behind being able to learn the stories of people out in the country. There is no way that first ever award from the White House every day in the history of America could have possibly been done without young people as interns in the White House. The final group I would point to are the Points of Light themselves. Many of them were young people. This country is so incredibly rich with talented, innovative, smart, determined, courageous young people and older people who are making a difference every day. We told those stories; it was a big part of what we did at the White House. They are giants in my mind.”

C. Gregg Petersmeyer worked at McKinsey & Company, Personal Pathways, and on the White House staffs of two presidents and as a state chairman of a presidential campaign.

“For the (current) president and first lady, (service is) an ethos of who they are and what they believe in. It became what can we do in the White House to allow others to find those opportunities to go do and create? And that’s why we first brought the concept of innovation and service together. Innovations are taking place on a regular basis, whether you call it Points of Light or innovation, it’s very similar. How do we give (people) the capital to go do their own thing? Secondly to highlight this in the White House, giving people the opportu-nity to see that what’s happening in City X could happen in City Y. Sometimes it’s just a matter of not knowing what others are doing. It’s not because people don’t want to do it, it’s because they aren’t always sure how to do it. And third, how do we continue to work together ourselves and build upon all these movements? Service is a bipartisan issue. Service isn’t about you or me. Service is about us, and how do we do things together. And so what we’d like to do (in the White House) is really think about how we build that together, how we add more. Grow AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000, leading to that legacy that President Kennedy set out, that President Clinton set out, that both President Bushes set out. How do we increase that legacy; not only to that 250,000 but how that 250,000 can inspire the next million?”

Sonal Shah headstheWhiteHouseDomesticPolicyCouncil’sOfficeofSocialInnovationandCivicParticipation(SICP).

April 2010 - YSA - 10

Service & the White House America’s leaders show how important a culture of service is to this country.

“I think both President Bush the first and John Kennedy came to (the idea of service) in significant part be-cause of World War II and serving in the armed forces. They both came out thinking what William James wrote in the “Moral Equivalent of War,” that every American should have a stage of their life serving a cause big-ger than themselves, serving their country. (While framing the Peace Corps, Kennedy referenenced) de Toc-queville’s point about America […]. He said the unusual thing about America, is that when there was a problem that needed solving, within minutes, hours, the Americans are setting about forming an organization that will solve it. I had the privilege of helping (Sargent Shriver build the Peace Corps). (I went) from the White House to being the representative of the Peach Corps in Africa, living in Ethiopia and having great adventures. But John Kennedy kept focusing on what the Peace Corps could do. […] In the beginning is the word, and its very interesting to me that the next part of that proposition is that the word must be made flesh, it must become real in action. We build on the great words, and there’s no question that the words of Kennedy’s that have lived lon-gest are, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.’ He turned ‘ask’ into a memorable and powerful verb. He said to me, ‘You know, this Peace Corps will be really serious when there are 100,000 volunteers a year, then in a decade there will be a million Americans who will have made a real contribution in Asia, Africa, Latin America; then for the first time we will have a large constituency for a good foreign policy.’ The opportunity moving forward to turn those old words into new reality is a great opportunity.”

Harris Wofford is a YSA board member and former U.S. Senator. After helping launch the Peace Corps, he held the post of special assistant to President John F. Kennedy. He was also the ChiefExecutiveOfficeroftheCorporationofServiceunderPresidentClinton.

“I was in the Oval Office in October (after 9/11) briefing the President Bush on what had become America’s Fund for Afghan Children, and the president looked at me and said, ‘Bridge, I want you to build an initiative that will foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility for decades to come.’ So we immediately commissioned a review of what every president in history had done on the service initiative. It was wonderful. We found Washington had talked about ‘when we laid down the soldier, we took on the citizen.’ Adams talked about a service over the course of your lifetime. Kennedy (created the) Peace Corps. So, Bush’s Freedom Corps was designed to bring together two formerly competing ideas; one was Bush 41 Points of Light - let’s use the presidency to support traditional volunteers. It was married then with John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson through VISTA, even Richard Nixon through support for the Senior Corps in creating the Office of National Service that would lead to the Corporation for National Community Service. President Bush invested in grow-ing AmeriCorps from 50,000 to 75,000; we grew Peace Corps to the highest levels in 37 years, but that wasn’t sufficient. So we created a program called Volunteers for Prosperity, which mobilized skilled Americans to tackle HIV/AIDS, Malaria, water for the poor, and other targeting initiatives. I’m happy to report that last year there were 43,000 Volunteers for Prosperity. We tapped a million volunteers post-9/11 in a new initiative called Citizen Corps that mobilized a new medical reserve for health-care professionals that when government failed, they were the units that made the difference in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. […] Points of Light has honored more than a million Americans, and when the dean of Harvard called me recently and said, ‘What’s this President’s Volunteer Service Award, it’s showing up on college applications,’ I knew that it had served its purpose. Young people are getting presidential recognition, and it’s helping them get into college; it’ll help them get a job. And if we can figure out creatively how to institutionalize this culture of service in our schools, work places, faith-based institutions, and government, we’ll have come a long way.”

John Bridgeland iscurrentlythePresidentandCEOofCivicEnterprises,buthepreviouslyservedasAssistanttoPresidentGeorgeW.BushandasDirectoroftheUSAFreedomCorps

11 - YSA - April 2010

“Why I Volunteer...”

“IgetmygoodonbecauseIlovehelpingpeopleoutwith

things.Sayifsomeoneishavingabadday,maybeifyou

help them out with the littlest thing that might make them

haveabetterday.”

-Alicia 14, North Carolina

G

Igetmygoodonbecauseitgivesmetheopportunitytohelpothersinmycommunity.Itisagreat feeling knowing you just helped another person. Plus Igettomeetnewpeopleandhavefun!-Laura 16, Maryland

et Ur Good On is Youth Service America’s exciting program and partnership with pop superstar Miley Cyrus. Get Ur Good On (www.GetUr-GoodOn.org) is an online community for young people to learn about, cre-ate, and implement innovative solutions to global issues. Over 7,500 young people around the world have shaped an inspiring online community by uploading pictures and videos, and writing blog posts about how they “get their good on” in their communities. We asked a few of the registered users why they volunteer and received amazing responses.

Iwanttoinspirechangeinmygeneration.Iwantto

showthatthereishopeforourfuture.Iwanttobea

role-modelforyoungkidstolookupto.Iwanttobe

ashininglighttoshowthateventhesmallestthings

canmakeahugedifference.Iwanttobegiveback

toothersforalltheblessingsIhavereceived.Iwant

to make life more about others rather than myself.

-Brooke 18, North Carolina

April 2010 - YSA - 12

Follow @GetUrGoodOn on Twitter

“Why I Volunteer...”

“This Web site comes with so many ideas and the support fromeveryoneisamazing.Ijoined Get Ur Good On because it’sawesomeandbecauseI’mproud to be part of such an inspi-rationalorganization:)”-Jasmine, UK

“To make a difference may not be easyButitdefinitelymustbedoneSeeing the people on Get Ur Good OnReminds me that the race has already begun

Together we all want to be a partOf a greater part of lifeWhere we take our time to help someone elseToturnsomewrongthingsright” Rachel 15, Florida (excerpt from poem)

“Igetmygoodontohelpotherpeopleandmake

themhappy.Suchasoldpeople,Ihelpthembecause

sometimestheycanstruggle,soIliketohelpthem

becausetherearesomethingstheyarenotfittodo.I

lovemakingpeoplefeelhappy.”

-Mary 13, Ireland

13 - YSA - April 2010

YSA’s Grant Manager- Megan Brudney

What is the most fascinating, challenging, or exhilarating aspect about your job? I love working with grants because, from my office here in DC, I can help people all over the world take their projects from vision to real-ity. Our grantees have such great ideas and I re-ally enjoy working with them from start to finish, from answering questions about the application to hearing their success stories. It is so fun to receive photos of the projects and see the words on the page really come to life.

If you had your pick of a celebrity endorse-ment or spokesperson for YSA, who would you choose? I am addicted to America’s Best Dance Crew and I think the show could do so much to promote service. During the season they could run a series of dance clinics for kids from all walks of life and then they could air some of the clips or even invite the youth to dance on the show. They could incorporate some health educa-tion and fight childhood obesity at the same time! In case you were wondering, my all-time

favorite crew is Fanny Pack, and I am still mad that they got eliminated.

Who are you currently listening to on your Pandora Playlist? What makes the best work Pandora Playlist? I always gravitate toward my all-girl sta-tion in the morning and then listen to rock later in the afternoon. I think that diversity is key to the all-girl one—I have a nice variety of pop, country, and folk-rock. The key to the rock sta-tion is my undying love for Bon Jovi!

If there was one thing you could change about your job what would it be? I would love to have more grants to give! We receive so many worthy applications and I hate to say no to them.

Who do you think will win the NCAA Tour-nament? I’m a Duke grad, so I always make at least one bracket with Duke going all the way!

Q&A}

Helene Sims (left), YSA’s Manager of Logistics and Special Events, recently sat down with Megan Brudney (right), YSA’s Grant Manager, to ask her a few questions.

Steve Culbertson (center) with this year’s “Gladys Marinelli Coccia Award” winners -

Tara Adiseshan (left) and Berni Barta (right)

April 2010 - YSA - 14

2010’s National Service-Learning ConferenceYSA staff members explain their favorite parts of this year’s NSLC in San Jose, CA, March 24-27.

“The best part of the conference for me was putting faces to names – meeting people in person that I e-mail all the time. For example, I met four of our GYSD Lead Agencies; each was promoting Global Youth Service Day in their own way. (I saw more GYSD materials and heard more mentions of GYSD from our grantees and partners at the conference than I did from YSA staff, which is always a great sign that the movement has taken on a life of its own.)”-Michael Minks, Director of Outreach

“Sir Ken Robinson was amazing. His presentation on creativity was definitely a highlight for me. I also thoroughly enjoyed the energy coming from the teens attending the conference. The kids were tireless, and so excited about what they were doing in their schools and community.”-Brandon Gryde, Director of Communications

“I had a wonderful time at the NSLC. I learned so much from sessions on inclusion, communication, and evaluation. I was also lucky enough to meet a grantee and two of my devoted grant readers!”-Megan Brudney, Grants Manager

“I’m so glad we were able to invite STEMester of Service grantees to present with us at the NSLC. They did a fantastic job of describing their STEMes-ter of Service efforts, articulating the impacts of the program and giving advice on how to plan and implement high-quality service-learning. I’m in awe of our grantees!”-Sarah Guy, Education Manager

A NSLC attendee shows off her Service Learning shirt

Sarah Guy, YSA’s Education Manager, shows off the STEMester of Service table.

“Sir Ken Robinson commented that kinder-gartners score at genius level in divergent thinking. It made my day!” -Silvia Golombek, Senior Vice President

15 - YSA - April 2010

A Big Thank You to YSA’s Annual Fund Donors}

Michael Barker Mark and Raizie Berger Roger Norberg Mr. and Mrs. Steve Pozycki

Jon Dunlay Phil and Susan Bartels Larry Bergreen Samuel Bessey John Blondel, Jr. Ms. Sharie Brown Ginny Clark Bernice A. Cramer Mrs. Alexander B. Culbertson Mr. Jim Ferguson Polly and Eads Johnson Russell and Lynn Kelley Jim and Marge Lynn Laurie Miller Larry Schneider and Susan Ness Jane and John Nixon John Eric Noran The Ozymy Family Alvin Perkins

Gregg Petersmeyer Mr. and Mrs. John Schluter Mr. Robert Taft Rob Sedgwick and Helen Torelli Ira J. Waldman George and Anne Walker Peggy Simon and David Weisbrod The Woolworth Family Samuel Bessey Susan Condon and Dennis McDade Mr. Robert A. Dearth, Jr. Mrs. John Fitzpatrick Mr. and Mrs. William J. Fitzpatrick Jr. Sandra and Ira Harkavy Laurie Miller Caroline and Dave Parks Martin and Deborah Spigner Ira Waldman

Chairman’s Circle

Member Circle

President’s Circle Mostyn Foundation

Partner’s Circle The Angelson Family Foundation Hank and Nancy Bartels Bradd and Pat Gold Robert Kaplan Dan and Ellen Strickler Tom and Karen Terry

And Our Partners

April 2010 - YSA - 16

YSA will compile the responses. You might see your comments, photos, or videos featured on the YSA.org or in a public service announcement.

what does Service Say to you?Service Says is your opportunity to tell the world what volunteering, community service, and service-learning mean to you. Simply tell YSA what Service Says to you, using words, photos, or videos.

On YouTube, feel free to use your webcam and upload a video telling the world what Service Says to you. It can be as simple as speaking directly into your we-bcam or as complex as submitting an edited video. Tag your video with “servic-esays.” (For complete instructions on how to upload a video and add it to YSA’s group, visit http://gysd.org/share/youtube.)

On Twitter, post #ServiceSays in 140 characters or less. For example, “Service Says that with service-learning, my students will be more prepared for the work-force. #servicesays”

On Facebook, go to Youth Service America’s fan page and post a comment begin-ning with, “Service Says…” For example, “Service Says that I have an opportunity to share my voice and be heard, even though I’m 12.”

On Flickr, upload your illustrations and original photos demonstrating what Service Says to you. Add your photos to the Global Youth Service Day group at www.flickr.com/groups/ngysd2006/ and tag your photo “servicesays.” You can upload photos of you and your friends sweeping a neighbor’s front yard, or an illustration that represents how service makes you feel.

staffSusan Abravanel - Vice President of Education

Erica Bail - Communications/PR Assistant

Megan Brudney - Grants Manager

Karen Daniel - Vice President of Engagement

Lisa Frank - Education Intern

Silvia Golombek, PhD - Senior Vice President

Brandon Gryde - Director of Communications

Sarah Guy - Education Manager

Jacob Kleinrock - Engagement Intern

Steven A. CulbertsonPresident & CEO

Liz Lagone - Global Youth Service Day Assistant

Michael Man - Government Outreach Assistant

Amanda McDonald - Logistics/Special Events Asst.

Michael Minks - Director of Outreach

Danielle Miranda - Outreach Manager

Portia Obeng - GetUrGoodOn Manager

Chetan Shenoy - ICT Manager

Helene Sims - Manager of Logistics/Special Events

YSA Quarterly Editor/Designer - Erica Bail YSA Quarterly Publisher/Editor - Brandon Gryde

globalyouthserviceday

learn more at www.gysd.org

april 23-25, 2010

the largest service event in the world

how are you going to change your world?

Follow @GYSD on Twitter for updates and information.