Growing to Greatness 2006: A Sneak Peak

At The 17th Annual National Service-Learning Conference, March 22-25, 2006, in Philadelphia, NYLC will release "Growing to Greatness 2006," the third report from Growing to Greatness: The State of Service-Learning Project.
Collectively, the "Growing to Greatness" reports document the unfolding
story of service-learning and provide useful information to improve
implementation, inform public policy, and give a clear picture of the
many ways young people contribute to society.

The 2006 report will
boast a new feature, preliminary results from NYLC's Minnesota Profile
of Positive Youth Contributions, with full findings scheduled for
publication in "Growing to Greatness 2007." The statewide profile is an
expansion of G2G's work, measuring not only activities that have
been labeled "service-learning" by schools, but also the other positive
contributions made by young people, their impacts upon their
communities and the state, and the ways young people learn through service.
This expansion is based on a fundamental notion that inspires G2G: Youths are not only the future; they are the present too, contributing to the state in positive ways.

"We
believe positive youth development is important," says NYLC Research
Director Marybeth Neal. "So, we need to document it to increase public
awareness of youth contributions and public understanding of how to
promote positive youth development."

It is NYLC's intent that
this information gathering process will create and strengthen networks
of organizations involved with youths, and that the profiles will
inspire the public with the different ways young people are
contributing to their communities. After completing an in-depth profile
in 2007, NYLC hopes to replicate this model in all 50 states. This
sharing of state findings would facilitate the replication of
successful programs and strategies across the country.

"Growing
to Greatness 2006" will also complete the publication of state-by-state
profiles of service-learning in all 50 states, Guam, American Samoa,
Virgin Islands, and Northern Marianas, which began in the 2003 report,
and feature numerous articles, including a look at service-learning as
practiced in various American Indian cultures.