Game Break Indy

International Travels.....

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:12:00 +0000

Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries.

On GYSD, children and youth address the world's most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments. Anyone can participate in GYSD activities. To find guides on coordinating your service project, to register your project, or to find events and celebrations in your community, visit www.GYSD.org

32 Days Until Global Youth Service Day - Register Your Project Today!

GYSD Map Current Totals: 539 Events Posted in 46 States & 31 CountriesHelp us beat last year's record of 2,000 projects - Register Your GYSD Project Today!

See the map at www.GYSD.org/map

Planning and Promotional ResourcesDownload project planning resources, including the brand new Semester of Service Strategy Guide.

Request FREE GYSD Posters to be mailed to you.Purchase shirts, bracelets, or bags from the GYSD Store.

Find logos, banners, and other online promotional tools at GYSD.org

Participate in "Service Says" and let the world know what service means to you.

Summer Travel

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:26:00 +0000

Congratuations to Joan Goble and Victoria Smejkal!

These two amazing LEAGUE coaches have won 2 free tickets on JetBlue Airlines.

How did they get this opportunity you ask?

Well.....they completed a project for King Day and entered their points. Simple right?

YES!

Coaches have had the opportunity all year long to win JetBlue tickets after each LEAGUE sponsored event.

Past winners include:

Mark Stanley
Rob Merchant
D'Lee Rush
Cynthia Roberts

Service projects: Learn, Act, Enjoy, Reflect!

Endorsements

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:26:00 +0000

The Power of Children Nominations Due 4/23

The Power of Children Awards: Making a Difference is an annual event intending to honor and further empower middle and high school students ( grades 6-11) who have made a significant impact in the lives of others, demonstrated selflessness, and exhibited a commitment to service and the betterment society. To get your student registered go to: www.childrensmuseums.org and click on Teachers, Awards and Contests- The Power of Children

ING Unsung Heroes Due 4/30

Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding, but long on potential? ING Unsung Heroes could help turn great ideas into reality for students. Each year 100 educators to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to win the top prize of an additional $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000. Click here to learn more: http://www.usa-ing.com Go to About ING, click on Corporate Citizenship, and Children's Education.

Paycheck.....use it or loss it!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Check your LEAGUE account for money you can use at the LEAGUE online shop or to help support your Earth Day service projects!

LEAGUE National emails teachers monthly with the amount of funds that are available.

Say you need potting soil, seeds, and some gardening gloves for your Earth Day project.....

Head to the local hardware store, pick up the items, keep the receipt, send it in and you will be reinbursed for your purchases!

OR head to the LEAGUE online store and pick up some awards for your class or captains to receive for an end of the year celebration!

The money is yours so use it!!!!!

Hail Mary!!!! Grant applications due Friday!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:34:00 +0000

Through the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation The LEAGUE will be awarding three (3) scholarships.

The Knight Scholarship is a national scholarship competition where 3 high school seniors will receive a one-time award of $5,000 each for their writings or reflections on civic experiences in one of three categories.

Applications must be submitted on or before March 5, 2010.

Winners will be notified of the results by May 3, 2010

Good luck!!

Blow Off Some Steam....

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:41:00 +0000

With ISTEP coming, your students will need activities that will help them relax, but stay focused.

How about teaching your students to play Bridge?

Bridge is a game full of strategy and tactics. It's part science, part math, part logic, part reason.

More importantly you need patience and cooperation to be successful at Bridge and we could all use some help with that!

Head to http://mig.www.schoolbridgeleague.com/ and get started! There are Bridge toolkits, Units, and ways you can use Bridge to get involved in the community.

Keep your students on their toes without them even knowing! Good luck with ISTEP!

Drafting Big Prospects...grant update!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:29:00 +0000

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes (Deadline: April 30)

Nominate a young service-learning leader for a $2,500 Barron Prize!

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations for its 2010 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet.

Each year, ten national winners each receive $2,500 to support their service work or higher education. Nomination deadline is April 30. For more information and to nominate, visit http://www.barronprize.org/

Do Something Seed Grants (Deadline: Ongoing)

Are you working to start a community action project or program? Do you need money to put your ideas into action? If you answered, "YES!", you are eligible to apply for a Do Something Seed Grant.

We give out a $500 Do Something Seed Grant every week to help young people just like YOU!

Do Something Seed Grants are targeted towards project ideas and programs that are just getting started. These grants can be used to jump-start your program or to realize your ideas for the first time. These are grants for all types of community action projects around causes that you care about and are important in your community!

Deadlines: Rolling- Apply now! You will be notified whether or not you have won within 2-3 months after submission. http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103060304954&s=60333&e=001f8ZsByZadyT0y2UaIz6ujKa1JqYIkoHSlXt7nlV_O1H-czRAlotc90CN1gnDYmkmdAZ9pxhLbe0sabODbo_AKm1gPLBr2TPtyj9qDPz8bzZ5lVFrlo-_y4n2QJVZmtd78ACtCceVv7clu-FbT_eg4w==

Sharing New Plays

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:14:00 +0000

With our busy days it is hard to reflect on service projects before our next challenge comes along. For Earth Day take some time to reflect.

Our friends in Michigan came up with these creative reflection projects.

1. Have the students take photographs throughout the process. At the end, tell each student to select a group of photographs that most accurately portrays the experience they had. Have them create a poster using these photographs with captions explaining why they chose particular pictures.

2. Have the group save items throughout the process then use these to make a group scrapbook at the end. Items that could be included - letters, meeting agendas, surveys, phone transcripts, photographs, etc.

3. Ask students to choose one word that best describes their service experience. Have them make a poster based around this word. (This poster could be combined with the photo poster. Students could choose their word, then select photographs that represent it.)

4. Individually or in groups, have students create an artistic representation of their experience. It could be a collage, a drawing, a painting, or a mural.

5. To facilitate a final reflection discussion, create reflection stations by writing questions on chart paper, posting them around the room, and having students write answers to the questions on each chart.

Questions could include
1. What was your most memorable experience?
2. What do you feel best about?
3. How has this experience changed the way you think?

The teacher/facilitator could then use the responses to lead a class discussion.

6. Have students videotape the process throughout then create a documentary at the end. If discussion was the primary mode of reflection, students could record discussions on an audiotape then edit sections to create an audio documentary.

7. Have students create a resume listing the skills they developed or improved through their experience with the activity.

Thank you Michigan!!!

If you have great reflection ideas, feel free to email them to me at anytime! kelly.bradford@leagueworldwide.org

"Super" Fast Learning Links!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:09:00 +0000

Did you know that each Learning to Give Lesson Plan has several Learning Links to go along with it?

So go ahead and pick a lesson that looks interesting to you.

Instead of lamenting over the fact that you don't have time to actually DO the lesson, find a learning link that applies to your service project!

Print the learning link, hand it to one of your student captains, sit back, and let the students to the work!

BONUS!

Learning Links make great writing prompts, so if you are tired of using the same examples or questions over and over again, go to http://www.leagueworldwide.org/.

1.Login and click on the Earth Day box
2.Go to the Teaching Tab
3.Click on one of the Learning to Give Lesson plans listed for your grade
4.In the aqua blue box click on Learning Links for this lesson
5.Find a prompt that fits your students and goals

High School All Americans

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:31:00 +0000

Parade Magazine is working with The LEAGUE to get this year's application out as soon as possible.

Keep your eyes peeled here, as I will post information as soon as I receive it!

2 Minute Drill

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Need an easy Wildcard activity with ready made lesson plans, worksheets, discussion questions, and the potential to incorporate geography, financial literacy, and compassion?

Sit For Good is a program that is a part of Building Tomorrow, which is housed in Indianapolis.

Participants in Sit for Good agree to raise awareness about the educational inequalities that exist in our society by giving up their desks and other classroom resources for a day.

In addition, they commit to raising funds to provide learning space for thousands of current and future students at BT primary academies in sub-Saharan Africa.

All you have to do is go to http://sitforgood.org and sign up! It is free to join and the resources are included!

With the recent events in Haiti it is important for students to understand how lucky they are have resources in school that help them learn.

If you want more information on Sit For Good contact Kelly Bradford at kelly.bradford@leagueworldwide.org

She can put you in touch with a Sit For Good volunteer who can help your classroom prepare and learn.

So take 2 minutes and sign up!

Mini Grant Alert!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:44:00 +0000

Pay It Forward Foundation Grants

Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood or greater community. Projects must contain a 'pay it forward' focus -- that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially.

Learn more by going to: http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/

Click on Educator Resources, scroll to the right hand side and click on "Click here for information about our mini-grants"

Deadline: February 15

Playoff Action, Start 2010 with a Green Grant!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:41:00 +0000

Disney’s Friends for Change is a program that encourages kids everywhere to take steps together with their friends to help the planet.

The Friends for Change Grants will fund kids’ projects that help the environment and will look to engage children ages 5-18 as leaders in their communities. Disney, working with YSA, will award 150 $500 grants throughout 2010.

Disney’s Friends for Change Grants are open to schools, organizations and individuals planning service projects and will focus on projects implemented by children and youth ages 5-18.

The goal of each grant is to inspire children to work with their families, friends, schools and communities to address critical needs in their local, national and global communities.

To be eligible, projects will need to be done any time during 2010 and should include one service or celebratory component on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, an annual campaign that mobilizes young people around the world to make a positive impact in their communities.

For more information about Disney Friends for Change, visit http://www.Disney.com/projectgreen.

Grant applications are due January 29, 2010.

For first time visitors, please take the eligibility quiz at: http://www.cybergrants.com/ysa/friendsforchange/quiz

King Day Grant Opportunity!!!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:15:00 +0000

ServiceNation Home Depot Gift Cards for MLK Day Projects (Deadline: January 7)

ServiceNation would like to support your MLK Day of Service activities. Through a generous gift from the Home Depot Foundation, Service Nation has been given $5,000 worth of Home Depot gift cards.

The gift cards will be given out in $500 increments to support sustainability or community revitalization projects taking place on or around MLK Day.

To apply for this grant, please submit your proposals by January 7th through our short online application: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGw5STVpT2pQZ2t6N1RkSy1vSnRjUnc6MA

Get Involved! All America High School Service Team

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:22:00 +0000

All America High School Service Team FAQ’s

What is the AAHST Award?
All America High School Service Team recognizes students who have made exemplary contributions in the service areas of: health, education, environment, economics or community.

Who can apply?
· Be a high school student;
· Be a US citizen or permanent resident of the US;

What do you win?
There are 2 levels of awards the first being the most significant.

Service Team Awards:
1st Team- Three awardees from each category of service (health, education, environment, economics, and community) and a parent or guardian will receive an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to receive an award and recognition from the U.S. Secretary of Education. Each 1st Service Team awardee will become a national youth spokesperson for service and a member of The LEAGUE National Youth Commission Advisors.

2nd Team- Three awardees from each category of service (health, education, environment, economics, and community) will receive a framed certificate of acknowledgement for exemplary contributions to their community and local media recognition.

How do you apply?
The application for the All America High School Service Team will be available January 17th 2010.

Please check after Jan 1st 2010 www.theleague.org to find out where to apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

· Students must be involved in dynamic community service projects. Dynamic projects are defined as projects where the student has lead and involved others in service in the area of health, education, environment, economics, or community, and which has had a measurable impact.
· Nominees will be judged on the completion of the following:
1) Nomination Form
2) Nominee Recommendation Form
3) Appendix Form.
· Additional factors may be considered as determined by the judges prior to final scoring.

When is the nomination deadline?
Then nomination is March 1st 2010, all applications received after the due date will be disqualified.

To learn more about the All American High School Service Team nomination process, please contact Kelli Brown, Project Manager via email at Kelli.Brown@leagueworldwide.org

Going for the Extra Point

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:24:00 +0000

The Drive is done, you are thinking about King Day, but haven't committed yet....

Challenge your students to go for the "extra point" and finalize a King Day project before they leave for Xmas break.

It will fit in nicely with lessons about giving and sharing at this time of year and allow you a much needed time filler that will actually mean something in the future!

Below are 10 Easy King Day Ideas

1. Teach a game to younger students at an after-school program. Help them play fairly and teach them to use problem-solving to settle disputes.

2.Create cards of support for children or families in a homeless shelter or for service men and women.

3.Give flowers (real or artistic models) to residents in a retirement community

4.Students can read aloud to preschool-age children at an at-risk school or shelter to help the children develop a love of reading.

5.Play games with children from a local at-risk school.

6.Arrange regular class visits to residents at a retirement home.

7.Learn to knit, and donate homemade hats.

8.Make and give out buttons with kindness slogans on them.

9.Create bookmarks with kindness slogans and random acts of kindness ideas.

10.Give a compliment to someone.

End your year with a big W! Plan King Day now!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.....

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:42:00 +0000

The countdown is on! How many more days till that much needed Christmas break? 17? 18? Forget the extra wordsearch pages, jumbles, and trivia, take this time to plan your King Day event!

Many King Day service project ideas fit well with the spirit of Christmas. Challenge your students to think about caring, respect, and fairness during the holiday season and beyond.

Choose your captains and take some time to brainstorm all the ways you can show respect throughout your school and community.

Start simple, think about people in the school building that do things for the teachers and students each day, how can your students show them that their hard work is appreciated?

Take these last loooong days before break to do something meaningful with your students and get ahead of the game!

Interesting Grant Opportunity!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:54:00 +0000

"Miley Cyrus is partnering with Youth Service America to mobilize teens through Get Ur Good On, a social network that brings together youth to support each other in their mission to do 'good' in their communities. 'People my age are making positive contributions to their communities every single day,' said Miley Cyrus. 'My generation is one that cares about the environment, about hunger, and about human rights. We use the Internet, videos, and even music to raise awareness of these issues to our friends and family,' continued Cyrus. 'I'm excited to see so much energy to do 'good' from teens.'

More than 3,600 'volunteers' are registered on Get Ur Good On, a space for them to discover what needs fixing in the world, find information on how to get involved, and showcase their work in schools and communities through photos, videos, and blogs. The site links Miley Cyrus' star power with youth voice, giving kids an opportunity to demonstrate how one person can make a difference. Youth interested in sharing their stories about volunteering and community service, learning about important issues, and making civic-minded friends can visit www.GetUrGoodOn.org. They can upload videos that show how they have made a difference in their local, national, and global communities.

Get Ur Good On Grants are available for youth-led service initiatives on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, 2010. Available to children and youth around the world, YSA's Get Ur Good On Grants will award 100 $500 grants to support projects addressing critical community needs such as poverty, education, and environmental sustainability. Grant applications are due February 22, 2010. To learn more about Get Ur Good On Grants and to take the eligibility quiz, visit www.YSA.org/grants"

One Day Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:23:00 +0000

Congrats to the students at LaPorte High School for being the One Day point winner in the state of Indiana!!!!

Take The Freeborn Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0000

By providing students a matching grant, The Freeborn Challenge encourages the development and support of youth driven service and community projects. Students will apply for a monetary amount that matches monies already fundraised by the project participants. Students may not ask for a greater amount of money than already fundraised for the project nor will in-kind gifts be considered for its monetary value.

Who is eligible?
High school students who are part of The LEAGUE

What projects will receive support?
Service projects that are managed and operated by high school students that demonstrate creative and effective ways teens are practicing philanthropy (examples: beautification programs, food drives, community mentoring programs, etc). The student will be awarded up to a maximum of $1,000 to implement their service project.

How to apply
Click to download application

Applicants are to submit application on a rolling basis. Awards will be considered for the closest deadline. Letters to students stating whether they have received the money will go out no later than three weeks after deadline date. Applicants may resubmit in the same year if they are not granted an award.

Deadlines for Submission:
October 15, 2009
December 15, 2010
February 15, 2010

Midseason Shuffle

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:09:00 +0000

As you are engaging students in The Drive, mix things up a bit with some Financial Literacy!

Log onto your Teacher Homepage and click on LTG Lessons & Tools. Then click on Financial Literacy and Philanthropy.

There you will find interactive coded lessons for grades 2-5 at Smart City and give your younger students a chance to meet Ant Phil in Giving & Me. As well as lessons on spending, saving, investing, and donating.

In the Money Smart Teens section for grades 6-12 you will find lessons on:

Needs vs. Wants
Short, Medium, and Long-term Goals
Impulse Spending and Buyer's Remorse
How to create a Personal Spending Plan
Credit
Budgeting
Opportunity Cost
Scarcity
Investing

There is also an interactive component in Smart Choices.

Students can work through different lessons online. Topics include: Managing your Money, Supporting Your Community, Running a NonProfit, and Family Giving.

Head to www.theleague.org, Log in, and start tackling some standards, the lessons are all there for you, use them, and mix it up!

Going Into Overdrive

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:38:00 +0000

You have your "Drive" set up, kids are starting to bring items in, now it is time to challenge their minds with a great lesson from the LEAGUE website.

There are several different ways you can find lesson plans:

1. Log onto your Teacher's Homepage and click on the tab labeled: Teaching

There you will find lesson plans that are categorized by grade level.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the Teaching section and click on Go to Learning to Give

There you will find an orange box marked Lesson Plans, where you can search by grade level, keyword, subject or standard.

No time for a full lesson?

Click on any of the lessons appropriate for your grade and scroll down to the aqua box. There you will see the words Learning Link.

Learning Links are 5 to 10 minute lessons where students read a passage and react to questions that you or one of your captains delivers.

It keeps their minds focused on why they are holding a Drive in the first place.

So, take your drive to the next level, go to www.leagueworldwide.org and log in!

Grant Update!

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Youth Service America is currently accepting applications for State Farm® Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants to support service-learning projects that culminate on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, 2010.

School and community educators across the United States and Canada can apply for up to $1,000 in funding for youth-led projects.

State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning grant applicants are encouraged to develop projects that launch on Martin Luther King Day of Service, January 18, 2010, and culminate on the weekend of GYSD, April 23-25, 2010.

The deadline is midnight ET next Monday, November 9.

To begin the application process, complete the Eligibility Quiz at http://www.cybergrants.com/ysa/sfgn/quiz

Deadline Extended to November 6 for the NEA Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants!

Youth Service America is partnering with the National Education Association to once again offer Youth Leaders for Literacy grants to children and youth, ages 5-25, who offer innovative ways to increase literacy skills and appreciation for reading among their peers.

Youth Leaders for Literacy will award 30 young people from across the U.S. each with $500 grants and $500 in books from the Pearson Foundation. Successful projects will be youth-led and address an established literacy need in the applicant's school or community.

The projects will follow the framework of YSA's Semester of Service initiative, launching on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service in January and culminating on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25. An activity should also occur during the NEA's Read Across America Day on March 2.

Complete the eligibility quiz at: http://www.cybergrants.com/ysa/yll/quiz

Access the application at: http://www.cybergrants.com/ysa/yll/application

Don't Just Go Through the Motions

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Anyone can hold a canned food drive. It is easy for students to go to a local grocery store, get some canned items, and place them in a box in the hallway. But, do these students know the who, what, where, when, and why of their Drive?

To make sure your students have a full service learning experience, have your captains research the following to report back to the school:

WHO- who will benefit from the canned goods?

WHAT-what will be done with the canned goods?

WHERE- will the canned goods stay at the drop off location or be taken to other locations?

WHEN-when are the canned good used?

WHY- why is there a need in this community for canned goods?

Challenge your students to figure out how to let the student body know the answers. Do they make an announcment each morning, make posters, or go from class to class?

As each of these questions are answered, see if you can contact a director of the pantry or location your goods will go to. Even better, visit the site, and help out!

Remember service learning is meaningful.....don't just go through the motions.

Two for One

noreply@blogger.com (K. Bradford) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:02:00 +0000

It is Drive time. You have chosen what you are going to collect, have let everyone know about it, and are waiting to see what comes in, but what about taking it a step further?

Contact a director at the place your donations will go to, see if he or she can come in and talk to the students about the who, what and why of the project.

Who will benefit from the donations? What will