Monthly Archives: July 2009

07.24.09
by

House Appropriates $1.069B for the Corporation

Youth Today’s Nancy Lewis reports today that the House of Representatives passed the appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Education Programs today with 264 representatives for it and 153 against.

National service supporters had hoped that the bill would fund the Corporation for National and Community Service at the President’s requested level, $1.149 billion. But Reps. John Kline (R-Minn.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) had hoped the final figure would be much lower. They proposed an amendment that would have decreased $169 million of the Corporation’s proposed budget in order to fund special education initiatives. (The $1.069 billion included in this appropriations bill for the Corporation represents a $169 million increase over last year’s Corporation budget.)

According to the Youth Today article:

There were virtually no changes from the committee version, despite the White House’s requests that the $90 million reduction in the proposed $1.159 billion allotment for CNCS be restored. Included in the $90 million reduction is a $15 million reduction in the proposed $50 million Social Innovation Fund.

The Senate debates its appropriations bill related to Corporation funding next Tuesday, July 28.

07.24.09
by

Princeton to Launch an International Service Year for Pre-College Students

Princeton will send admitted first-year students out into the world for 9 months of international public service.

Princeton student Zach Ruchman teaching in a Vietnam Classroom

Princeton student Zach Ruchman teaching in a Vietnam classroom

This fall, Princeton’s new Bridge Year Program aims to offer 20 admitted students a chance to live in a different culture, develop maturity and an international perspective, and a commitment to public service before coming back to Princeton to start their freshman year in the fall of 2010.

The program will teach the participants about host country health and safety, offer them language instruction, and place them in “humble service” projects at grassroots organizations, clinics, hospitals, schools, and orphanages. The goal is for participants to take on roles appropriate to their age and experience, and in jobs “that could not be held by local workers.” — My read on that last goal is they want to prevent the high school grads from displacing local jobs, not to imply that local workers are incapable of work that Princeton-bound kids can handle.

The Bridge Year participants will live in home stays, in communities near a few other Bridge Year participants, and near in-country support staff from partner organizations experienced with coordinating international volunteers.

Best of all, Princeton picks up most of the program costs — though participants who can afford it are responsible for flight Continue reading →

07.23.09
by

HealthCorps Proven Effective in Preventing Obesity in Children

Last month, HealthCorps founder Dr. Mehmet Oz (author and heart surgeon) presented findings of a recent study on the impact of HealthCorps Coordinators in their communities.

Dr. Oz, HealthCorps Founder

Dr. Oz, HealthCorps Founder

A new study on HealthCorps—a school-based educational and mentoring program modeled after the Peace Corps—shows that its students are “reducing soda consumption, exercising more and developing a better understanding of healthy behaviors.” The study looked at 971 high school students enrolled in 11 New York City high schools (although HealthCorps operates in 50 schools in nine states across the United States).

The two-year study was conducted by Professor John Cawley, Ph.D., in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University. Cawley’s research includes a range of topics connected to the “economics of obesity” like the “effect of body weight on labor market outcomes such as wage rates, unemployment, employment disability, and the transition from welfare to work, and  “the role of body weight in adolescent behavior, such as smoking and sexual activity.”

Dr. Oz said, who presented the study’s findings in June, said:

“These findings underscore the effectiveness of our peer mentoring program in our mission to stem child Continue reading →

07.22.09
by

Gifts of Service for Nelson Mandela’s Birthday

Photo from Flickr user Christine van der Merwe

Adapted from a post originally on the Idealist.org homepage blog by Julia Smith.

In honor of Nelson Mandela’s birthday, the organization 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation have deemed Saturday, July 18, Mandela Day. On the website, organizers wrote: “Mr. Mandela has spent 67 years making the world a better place. We’re asking you for 67 minutes.”

People around the world pledged more than 157,375 minutes of service this past weekend, and it’s not too late for you to get involved and volunteer (also check out Serve.gov‘s volunteer opportunities).

In addition to the push for service around the globe, there were major celebrations in South Africa and the United States. According to this blog post, the South Africa-based event were held in Newtown and featured music, dance, and speeches; meanwhile, a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York included performances from among others, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, and one of my favorite South African groups, Freshlyground. Organizers last week tweeted that “The 2010 Mandela Day concert will take place in Madrid. Official announcement has just taken place in New York.”

Learn more about Mandela Day at mandeladay.com.

07.21.09
by

Eli Segal Fellowship 2009-2010: Accepting Applications through July 31

Presigious fellowship is open for a former AmeriCorps member to serve one year at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Eli Segal

Eli Segal

Eli Segal Fellows help to advance the mission of national service and the strategic goals of the Corporation. One Fellow will be selected each year who will work closely with the CEO on projects that benefit the national service field, advancing their career development and gaining a first-hand understanding of national service and the workings of a federal agency. Fellows serve for one year and earn $27,079 with full benefits, including health insurance, leave, and retirement benefits.

The Eli Segal Fellowship was established by the Corporation for National and Community Service, to

“Honor Eli Segal… a key architect of the 1993 national service legislation and served as the first CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. As CEO he successfully launched AmeriCorps and managed the creation of a new federal agency that united the Continue reading →