NYLC Blog
Community Partners Rally, Brainstorm New Ideas for Without Limits
With local community partners in the room, there was high energy at the community kick-off event for the 24th Annual National Service-Learning Conference, Without Limits, which is headed to Denver next March. NYLC staff met with an array of individuals in Denver to kick off the planning for the 2013 conference.
During the meeting, NYLC staff presented conference information and discussed the importance of getting members of the Denver community involved in the planning. From submitting workshop proposals, promoting the conference, and serving on committees, NYLC holds a high value on having a strong community presence in the host city. Special Olympics Ambassador and upcoming 2013 plenary speaker, Kaitlyn Smith, addressed the group and explained the importance of youth involvement in the conference. Education Commission of the States, State Farm Insurance, Special Olympics: Project UNIFY, People to People, and Colorado Campus Compact were just a few of the organizations represented.
The conference relies on five main committees to assist in the planning: Entertainment Committee, Youth Committee, On-Site Service-Learning Projects Committee, Conference Service Corps Committee, and the Social Media Team. While there are typically committee members from all across the country, there is a definite value in having some “on the ground” committee support. Kick-off attendees learned more about these committees and spent much of their time brainstorming exceptional ideas for tasks that they can be doing. Some entertainment suggestions included Slam Nuba, Flobots, and the Project UNIFY/R-Word Campaign, while some great off-site service project suggestions included working in the Denver Botanical Gardens, the Denver Rescue Mission, or the Denver Children’s Hospital.
At the conclusion of the event, NYLC did a drawing for a free registration to the 2013 conference. We are pleased to announce that Ana-Maria from Metropolitan State was the winner!
If you are interested in joining a conference planning committee, please contact Conference and Events Coordinator, Jason Stewart (jstewart@nylc.org). The 24th Annual National Service-Learning Conference will be held on March 13-15, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Denver and Denver Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.
On behalf of NYLC, thank you to all who attended this year’s community kick-off event. We are looking forward to a fantastic conference!
Service-Learning as a Strategy to Improve STEM Education
A regular theme in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education is that students are not prepared to succeed in these fields. While children are naturally curious about the world and how things work, science education is often delivered with the intent that the student will arrive at the answer the teacher has in mind, without room for innovation or growth. This dilemma surfaced as a common theme at the 2012 Colloquium in STEM Education Research at the University of Minnesota earlier this month, including in the keynote address given by Dr. David Hammer of Tufts University.
Science and engineering education specifically are supposed to be focused on the process of inquiry, but instead often focus on the test. “A lot of good arguments are around the wrong answer,“ Dr. Hammer asserted in his address. But the question remains: how do you assess the quality of those ideas? Hammer argues that teachers should design situations that allow students to use inquiry, and therefore encourage their curiosity.
Some classrooms have adapted new methods.
Hammer gave an example of an elementary school classroom that was reading Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, a book about a young boy who hides a dog who has been mistreated by his owner. Students in this class were asked to design a physical structure to hide Shiloh from his owner. They began by designing it on paper, and then created a model to put their design to the test. This project allowed students to use the design process to analyze a dilemma in the book. It also introduced engineering concepts in a reading class, a teaching method that was address by Dr. Maura Borrego from the National Science Foundation in her keynote address at the Colloquium. She asserted that engineering should not stand alone and needs to be in integrated into other subjects, especially literacy.
Service-learning as a strategy for STEM education.
Recent findings from NYLC’s Generator Go Green Initiative surveys show that service-learning increases teacher’s feelings of competence using inquiry-oriented teaching methods in their science classrooms. Inquiry-oriented learning is vital for teaching STEM subjects, and it allows students to use their natural curiosity to figure out how the world works and how to solve problems.
For students, the findings show that service-learning instills a stronger connection to their community and shows them that they have the power to make a difference. This is vital to get more students academically engaged and involved in STEM careers by proving that what they’re learning is applicable to their lives outside the classroom.
Learn more about NYLC’s work with service-learning and STEM education at www.nylc.org/stem
Without Limits Kicks Off in Denver
The National Youth Leadership Council and EarthForce would like to invite you to a community kick-off event to learn about The 24th Annual National Service-Learning Conference®, Without Limits.
Join us to learn about this exciting international event happening in Denver, Colo, March 13 – 15, 2013 and how your organization can play a role in making it a success. Come and network, meet like-minded individuals, recommend workshops, speakers, entertainers, or service-learning project ideas. Also learn about ways you and your organization can be involved by presenting a workshop, showcasing your service-learning project, exhibiting, host a meeting, and becoming an Affiliate or sponsor of the conference. Be entered into a drawing for great prizes including a complimentary registration to the conference!
Without Limits Kick-off Event
Tuesday, August 14
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Denver
650 15th Street, Denver, CO 80202
RSVP to teckberg@nylc.org by Wednesday, August 8.
The National Service-Learning Conference gathers an audience of an estimated 1,200 educators and 1,000 young people to participate in three days of plenary & thought leader sessions, showcases, and workshops. They also address local needs, both on-site and off-site, through service projects that range from tree-planting, to eyeglass restoration, to home and church renovation.
The Conference puts its belief in youth leadership in action, authentically engaging hundreds of young people as presenters, planning committee members, emcees, and volunteers. The dynamic play between energy and enthusiasm brought by youth and the wisdom brought by leaders in the field distinguishes the unique opportunities afforded by the Conference.
We sincerely hope that you will consider joining us at the kick-off event to share your ideas, vision, and leadership. Can't make it? Send someone from your staff to join us. We also encourage you to share this invitation with other members of your community — everyone is welcome!
We look forward to seeing you in Denver.
Sincerely,
Amy Meuers
Marketing and Communications Director
My Week As Resource Staff For NYLT
Resource staff is the skin that wraps around all the activities of National Youth Leadership Training and protects it from every obstacle fate can send. As a part of the resource staff, I can influence the emotions and ideas of campers to lead them towards the goal of finishing this week with something worth remembering. The best time to strike is right as the sun is beginning to rise. The best alarm is the entire youthfulness of the resource staff. I love how we all agree the best way to get up sleepy campers is banging on doors and screaming, with a side of Jock Jams. I like how we on resource staff have to be organized and adaptable; communication is key to getting things done at the last minute. The campers this year are unique. It might be the smaller number of them, but they are all best friends. They are always positive too; during the entire immersion experience they were enthusiastic and their spirits only increased every time a mistake was made. The joy on their faces to finally have a shower was quite hilarious.
My primary job at NYLT is taking video and photos. The head of the tech team, Lana Peterson, is constantly telling me to “get in there” and capture the action going on. I feel there is a different style to standing stationary with a video camera and dancing around with a regular camera. This year we have me, Lana, and another youth, Nick, capturing video. I sometimes wonder what I should capture because I don’t want to intrude on some private conversations. I do miss some activities sometimes, but I join in whenever I can because I want the best of both worlds. The campers’ primary groups have their own bond which is stronger than that of the feeling of the campers as a whole. Generally, though, the campers are happy to have their picture taken and frozen for eternity.
At night we had an amazing photographer come tell us about his work. Wing Young Huie takes pictures of scenes and challenges people to say the first thing they think of. He also asks people if he can take a picture of them with a small chalkboard. His subjects pose with a quote they write on the board, answering questions such as “What advice would you give a stranger?” Huie’s presentation was slightly directed towards acceptance of different cultures and what makes you a human being. Like everything else at NYLT, it was an experience which brought all the participants, including me, closer.
It’s a fun time hanging out with the other staff at night. Resource staff wake up first and sleep last, but that’s part of the fun. We have amazing talks at night, sometimes about geese. Although we aren’t as involved with the deep listening activities as the other NYLT members, we still do deep listening at night and reflect. The resource staff family keeps growing as more members fly in to help, but space isn’t an issue for us.
Nchinda is a member of the NYLC Youth Advisory Council
Growth, Reflection, and the Start of NYLT 2012!
The National Youth Leadership Training is an experience I look forward to annually. For my third NYLT, the excitement and anticipation for this special week has yet to diminish. Three days of staff training prepared us all for the campers’ arrival on-site to the Audubon Center of the North Woods’ wetlands.
When they arrived, campers hesitantly departed the bus as anxious staffers cheered and energized the crowd. After leading a couple of ice breaking games, I sat back to enjoy watching this group of strangers create their first connections with one another. The first of many.
It’s so hard to believe that this is my third year in the company of NYLC for the National Youth Leadership Training! With 2011-2012 as my last term on NYLC’s Youth Advisory Council, this week is a bittersweet reminder of the special relationships I have formed with beautiful people, and the life lessons that have contributed to much of my “growing up” these past couple of years. I can’t help but tear up when I reflect on how great of an impact NYLT has had on my life, and realize I am witnessing lives changing in front of my eyes on the very first day of camp.
I’m thrilled to tackle the rest of camp as I challenge the campers to think in ways they’ve never thought before. Sending the campers off to Immersion, I put myself in the camper’s shoes where I was in 2010, I put myself in the Assistant Group Leader’s shoes where I was in 2011, and now, as resource staff, I await the obstacles I will face in a different role. I’m super excited to take on the week!
NYLT Begins: Immersion
The first day of National Youth Leadership Training is all about preparing for the upcoming week. It's a physical day of hikes and a ropes course designed to bring the group together while setting a groundwork of open hearts and minds ready for still bigger challenges. This year we have participants from 18 different schools and as far away as Texas, North Carolina, and Maryland. By the end of the week they will recognize today as the first day of some new life-long friendships, along with stories of hot Minnesota summers and mosquitos.
SADD Conference Reflection
80-degree weather, warm ocean breeze, students, advisors, and super-hero excitement! Last month, Mandy Traaseth and I joined nearly 400 SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) youth leaders and their adult advisors from around the U.S. at the 2012 SADD National Conference in Torrance, Calif. As the nation’s leading peer-to-peer youth education, prevention, and activism organization, SADD’s 27th annual conference empowers young people to lead initiatives in their schools and communities that encourage prevention education and create a positive effect on the lives of their peers. SADD is a great organization that aligns well with Project Ignition — a student-led teen driver safety program funded by State Farm® and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council.
During the conference, I had the privilege of leading a workshop with students from two amazing Project Ignition schools — Harry D. Jacobs High School (IL) and Shelton High School (WA). Not only did these students share their experience with teen driver safety through their involvement in Project Ignition, but were also tremendous advocates for service-learning, explaining how the teaching method helped them take charge of their education and made the experience more meaningful. Together we shared best practices to improve teen driver safety in communities and offered information on how to become involved in Project Ignition by applying for a grant available August 15, 2012.
The highlight of the conference for me was when the mother of one of our youth leaders came up to me following our workshop to thank me, NYLC, and State Farm for this “amazing program.” Through Project Ignition, she said, her daughter came out of her shell, has taken on challenges she never thought possible, and truly grown as a young woman. She couldn’t even finish her sentiment because she was overwhelmed with emotion.
It’s moments like these when I know that my job and the program I work for are really making a difference. It may not always be an easy task to document our impact in reports, but the stories we hear from the parents whose son’s and daughter’s lives are forever changed let us catch a glimpse of our true impact.
Without Limits: the 2013 National Service-Learning Conference
The National Youth Leadership Council is pleased to announce that FrontRange Earth Force has signed on as the 2013 National Service-Learning Conference co-host. Based in Denver, Colo., Earth Force is passionate about young people finding their voice and taking leadership roles to solve local environmental problems. Earth Force brings together school districts, community-based organizations, corporations, communities of faith, and higher education institutions to engage young people in the natural environment.
The 2013 National Service-Learning Conference theme, Without Limits, represents the limitless potential of all young people, and the adults who support them, to solve real problems. From addressing global waste and raising awareness on water pollution, to meeting with policy makers at the Department of Transportation to address concerns about teen driver safety, youth make change happen. And today’s youth are more informed, more connected, and better positioned than ever before to tackle the toughest challenges of today.
When youth are given the opportunity to lead, there are no limits to what they can accomplish. When adults have the tools, resources, and support they need, they can create engaging, caring, and supportive environments for youth to become leaders.
Make a commitment to join NYLC and Earth Force at the 24th National Service-Learning Conference on March 13-15, 2013 in Denver, Colo. to learn, share, and observe youth as leaders — without limits.
Get involved in the 2013 National Service-Learning Conference!
The National Youth Leadership Council would like to invite you to join us more than 1,000 educators and 800 young people from around the world for the 24th Annual National Service-Learning Conference® in Denver, Colo., which will take place March 13-15, 2013.
At the 2013 conference you will hear from national experts and leaders who will inspire you to make a difference in schools and communities. Previous conference speakers include President Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, urban educator Geoffrey Canada, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. NYLC believes, as you do, in the power of young people. With their passion, creativity, and innovation, young people can address world issues while strengthening academic and learning outcomes through service-learning. The National Service-Learning Conference is the largest annual gathering of youth and practitioners, foundation and non-profit leaders, corporate and government officials, and advocates who join together to showcase what they have accomplished in their schools and communities, share best practices, and enrichment through professional development opportunities.
Each year, hundreds of individuals – youth and adults – choose to get involved as presenters, planning committee members, emcees, and volunteers. The combination of energy and enthusiasm of youth and the wisdom of leaders in the field distinguishes the unique opportunities afforded by the National Service-Learning Conference.
The 2012 conference drew more than 1,800 attendees from across the United States and a dozen other countries. Conference attendees participate in three days of plenary & thought leader sessions, showcases, and workshops. They also address local needs, both on-site and off-site, through service projects that range from tree-planting, to eyeglass restoration, to home and church renovation.
The 2013 conference in Denver will be inspiring, imaginative, and innovative. There are numerous ways for you to become involved today:
- Make a commitment to attend. Send a group of youth and adults from your organization. 69% of our conference participants attend as part of groups, which are most often intergenerational.
- Showcase your organization in the exhibit hall. The epicenter of the conference, the exhibit hall is the gathering place for meals, exhibitors, the service-learning showcase, as well as entertainment.
- Become an affiliate. Share information about the conference on you or your organization’s social media accounts, website, newsletters, and with your networks. Gain recognition of your organization or event with our conference audience.
- Submit a workshop proposal or showcase application. Ninety-minute workshops are at the heart of the conference. If hosting a 90-minute workshop isn’t for you, consider presenting a service-learning showcase — a great opportunity to share your successful, high-quality service-learning project with others.
- Join a planning committee. Volunteers from Denver and beyond participate in one of five volunteer committees that will assist in the planning of everything from entertainment, to youth room activities, to on-site staffing.
- Become a sponsor. The National Service-Learning Conference is seeking sponsorship for many activities. Your sponsorship of this premier event sets you apart from your competitors and offers an incomparable opportunity to connect with the education leaders of today and the emerging leaders of tomorrow.
This conference will be an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to grow as leaders and adults to expand their expertise. We encourage teachers, administrators, practitioners, students, or anyone who believes in the power of young people to attend this event and then return to your schools and communities with enriched leadership qualities and a renewed commitment to make positive change.
We look forward to seeing you in Denver!
To get a glimpse of what to expect this year, visit the NYLC Flickr page to see photos from the 2012 conference in Minneapolis, Minn.
Report on the End of Learn and Serve Funding: Impacts and Next Steps for the Field
The recently released “Service-Learning after Learn and Serve America” report, by the Education Commission of the States’ National Center for Learning and Citizenship, raises and informs vital questions as forward-funded Learn and Serve America (LSA) programs end this August. By interviewing lead service-learning staff at five state education departments (Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin), the report also collects and shares vital information shortly before these LSA-funded positions expire.
From a national perspective, the general themes extrapolated from these interviews ring true: the loss of LSA funding will end a vital infrastructure for supporting and expanding quality practice, that it raises questions about the direction of the field, that maintaining high standards for quality practice remains vital, and also that the field is mobilizing and adapting in response. Many of these same issues are echoed in Don Hill’s 1994 “Death of a Dream” essay, predicting the demise of service-learning as a national movement on a timeframe remarkably aligned with the end of funding for LSA.
Despite these setbacks, LSA funding was often thinly spread across states, schools and classrooms, as well as highly leveraged through other funding streams, both public and private. A formula-funded $40 million program can only go so far. While some of the explicit focus on service-learning is certainly at risk due to the end of LSA funding, many of these other funding sources remain. For example, State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board continues to deploy $5 million annually to youth-led service-learning projects, the Department of Labor’s YouthBuild program has seen its funding reduced but not eliminated, and the Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods program was even targeted for significant growth in the President’s budget for next year.
The report documents coalitions in Colorado and North Carolina who are coming together to maintain connections and relationships after the end of state-level leadership structures. In doing so, we should ensure that national connections are maintained as well, and that efficiencies like a single repository of service-learning information, such as the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, isn’t duplicated across state groups. For example, several state coalitions are making use of NYLC’s Generator School Network to stay connected and share resources, both within and across states. Beyond this, it behooves service-learning advocates to be inclusive, actively outreach, and find common cause with related organizations and groups who haven’t been traditional stakeholders in LSA, but whose work includes a strong emphasis on service-learning.
