Search Institute's Asset Champions

Check out this interesting material from the Search Institute about igniting the spark in all children and youth with whom you work.  Read about ideas from other schools, how to become a Spark Champion and more on the Search Institute's Big Tent Conference, here.

Minnesota Mentoring Conference

The Minnesota Mentoring Conference was held Monday, October 25th and featured a variety of workshops and speakers dealing with youth mentoring strategies and styles.  Speakers were Dr. Andrea Taylor, Director of Training at Temple University's Intergenerational Center, who spoke about youth-adult partnerships and mentoring and Larry Wright, President & CEO of MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership.  The workshop themes ranged from the teenage mind, mentoring 101's, leadership and fundraising and sustainability of mentoring programs.

The Alliance was also an exhibitor at the conference!  See photos below.

Leadership Training Curriculum

MN Campus Compact is now offering a day long leadership curriculum. The resource includes asset mapping material, conflict resolution role play scenarios and much more. The material can be adapted for many age groups and can be used a whole or broken up into shorter trainings. To access the curriculum, go to www.mncampuscompact.org/leadership and click on the Leadership Curriculum button. Questions, comments or suggestions about the material can be sent to Lucy at marincel@augsburg.edu.

Happy Monday!

This link won't connect you to a resource, a research study or a suggestion for a lesson, but it's definitely worth a read. Sometimes we get so caught up in meeting deadlines and "getting work done" that we forget how as youth service workers or educators we touch the lives of others every single day. I would encourage every one of you to read the article and take some time to think about an influential person in your life. And beyond that, think of how you can become that mentor and role model to a young person.

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” - Wilma Rudolph

Youth Sense Newsletter from the SEARCH Institute

Check out the Search Institute's newsletter called Youth Sense

It features an article from one of our very own Promise Fellows, Stacie Weeks.
to view it, click here

Youth Success in St. Paul Event

A free event being sponsored by Minnesota Campus Compact and the Center for Democracy and Citizenship. On Thursday, Nov. 4th, from 1:00-3:30 pm, we'll gather to learn about diverse St. Paul communities’ perspectives on youth success, to map our various efforts to support youth success in school and life, and to explore potential areas for collaborative action and assessment. The event is opportunity for colleges and universities in St. Paul to hear about what is already being done around youth success and to form new partnerships to promote youth success. For more info, contact Lucy at marincel@augsburg.edu. To RSVP: go to http://youthsuccess.eventbrite.com.

National Learn and Serve Challenge

The white house is kicking-off its Learn and Serve Challenge this week, which is a seven-month campaign to increase awareness and public support for service-learning. It begins this week and will culminate in April 2011 with a few key milestones along the way, such as engaging local media through Service-Learning Solution Media Days in January, showcasing and sharing effective strategies and activities to build support for service-learning at the 2011 National Service-Learning Conference and celebrating service efforts around the country in conjunction with Global Youth Service Day.

Check out this video for more information, watch the video

How to engage yourself: 

1.  SIGN-UP. Make sure your service-learning site is represented on the national map of voices for service-learning. Enroll as an individual, classroom, youth group, club, school/campus, school district, organization, or community-wide initiative. Accept the Challenge

2.  SHARE THE VIDEO. Visit the Learn and Serve Challenge online to share the video with friends and colleagues via email, Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, or other social networking tools. Share the video today.  

3.  BECOME A CHALLENGE PARTNER. List your school or organization as a proud supporter of service-learning and a partner of the National Learn & Serve Challenge. Become a Partner now.