Bonner Weekly Updates

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October 2, 2009

Weekly Update — October 2, 2009

[1] BWBRs Reminder: Please do not update enrollment tab information for AmeriCorps members

[2] Registration: Fall Bonner Directors' and Coordinators' Meeting

[3] TCNJ's Bonner Center receives $50,000 grant

[4] Macalester College Opens First Green Building

[5] Macalester Bonner featured on Macalester's home page

[6] Call for Submissions

[7] Free review copy of a new book on grassroots organizing 

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[2] Registration: Fall Bonner Directors' and Coordinators' Meeting

This year's Fall Directors' and Coordinators' Meeting will take place at the Montreat Conference Center (near Asheville, NC), from Sunday, November 8 through Wednesday, November 11. The meeting will begin around dinner time on the 8th and end just before lunch on the 11th. Please register by using the resgistration link found here on the Bonner Network Wiki. Stay tuned for more information on the meeting coming soon.

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[3] TCNJ's Bonner Center receives $50,000 grant

(The story was published in the Times of Trenton on Septmeber 28, 2009.)

A struggling homeowner who lost it all in Hurricane Katrina, still in need four years later after the destructive storm.

A child in Nicaragua, eager for education, looks forward to one-on-one time and tutoring.

For them, assistance is on its way, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Bonner Foundation in Princeton that will allow student scholars at The College of New Jersey to help those living under such circumstances. The annual enrichment grant -- awarded to TCNJ's Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement -- will fund four separate trips, allowing the staff to create a comprehensive program that links service with a deeper understanding of democracy and justice.

"The heart of this plan is to create a comprehensive co-curricular service learning program that allows students to learn about the struggle for equality and justice and, hopefully, to slowly bridge the gap that exists between service and civic/political engagement," said Patrick Donahue, director at the Bonner Center.

First-year Bonner students will spend a day in Philadelphia learning about the American Revolution and then depart for a week-long trip to New Orleans during winter break. There, students will help rebuild homes in the areas still devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Sophomores will engage in a service project with colleagues from another Bonner School in Pennsylvania or Virginia and, while in the area, spend one day learning about the Civil War and the struggle for equality.

The junior class is looking to finish a project with students from Morehouse College in Atlanta, the alma mater of Martin Luther King, and visit the MLK Museum to deepen their understanding of the civil rights movement.

The grant also will fund a two-week trip to Managua, Nicaragua, where 15 Bonner seniors will work with children at a Cultural and Education Center.

"The generosity of the Bonner Foundation allows TCNJ's students to put their values and their educations into action, while offering tremendous mutual benefit for those with whom our students will work in the U.S. and beyond," said Carol Bresnahan, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at TCNJ. 

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[4] Macalester College Opens First Green Building

Markim Hall, home of the Institute for Global Citizenship, of which the Civic Engagement Center is a part, is the first higher education building in Minnesota to earn LEED-platinum certification. 

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Platinum is the highest level of certification. Only 12 college campus buildings in the United States have earned platinum-level certification.“In every way, Markim Hall reflects Macalester’s rich tradition of global leadership,” said President Brian Rosenberg. “The programming inside the building is distinctive nationally in providing an institutional focal point for educating global citizens and leaders, while the building itself is a manifestation of the knowledge, attitudes, intellectual skills, values, and practical competencies students need to be effective and ethical agents of social change.”

For full stories on Markim Hall click here and here.

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[5] Macalester Bonner featured on Macalester's home page

"Being a Bonner Scholar opened up new doors for Michael Manansala ’12, who tutored students in St. Paul and traveled around the country as a representative of the program during its first year at Macalester.

For 10 hours a week, students participate in service work that doubles as their work-study, tutoring at local public schools such as EXPO Elementary School, Linwood Monroe Plus Arts School and Ramsey Junior High School. Manansala tutored at Ramsey as a part of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), a program that helps average grade students prepare for college eligibility. He plans to continue and expand his service work in the coming year, working with AVID to develop a pilot mentorship program that will pair Macalester students with an AVID high school juniors.

Manansala, originally from Manila, Philippines, was also chosen to be Macalester’s Bonner Congress Representative, exemplifying the program both at Macalester and abroad. As a representative, he attended the Bonner Summer Leadership Institute in Stetson, Florida. “There, I was able to network with other Bonners from around the nation, and since it is Macalester's first year being a full Bonner school, I gained a lot of insight as to what direction our program should take in the future,” says Manansala."

To read the full story, and to see what Michael Manansala has to say about Bonner Love, click here.

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[6] Call for Submissions

Partnerships: A Journal of Service- Learning and Civic Engagement, sponsored by North Carolina Campus Compact is announcing a new call for articles for the upcoming year (2010).  Partnerships will publish two volumes each year with the deadline for Winter 2010 publication - December 21, 2009. Partnerships is peer reviewed and recognizes that successful engaged learning depends on effective partnerships between students, faculty, community agencies, administrators, disciplines, and more.  Further, Partnerships focuses on how theories and practices can inform and improve such partnerships, connections, and collaborations.  Studies co-authored by faculty, students, and/or community partners; or examining practices across disciplines or campuses; or exploring international networks are all encouraged.

The Winter 2010 Journal will highlight a reflection on the historical work of Mr. Robert L. Sigmon, a pioneer in service- learning and experiential education.  Articles are encouraged that address various innovative aspects of the historical nature of service learning and also articles that can reflect new and innovative ideas in the field of service-learning and civic engagement.

Manuscript Submission Guidelines for articles are located at www.partnershipsjournal.org.  For further questions please contact journal editor, Dr. Tracy Espy-tracy.espy.fsmail@pfeiffer.edu.

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[7] Free review copy of a new book on grassroots organizing 

ACTA Publications is offering a free review copy of Stephen Smith's Stoking the Fire of Democracy: Our Generation's Introduction to Grassroots Organizing to anyone considering it for adoption for a college class or community organizing training. 

Stephen Smith is a voice from and for the next generation of fighters for social justice. In his first book, he gives rising young leaders an introduction to grassroots organizing based on his own experiences in a diversity of locales, such as Harvard University, Botswana and Chicago. Stoking the Fire of Democracy does what every good organizer does: tells good stories and asks good questions. Smith explains how "could-be radicals" recruit and support new leaders, turn isolated anger into targeted action, and "more than anything" muster the courage to make mistakes and learn from them. 

Stoking the Fire of Democracy: Our Generation's Introduction to Grassroots Organizing is by Stephen Noble Smith, a 29-year-old organizer 

who has fought for justice as a student at Harvard, as a volunteer in Botswanna and elsewhere, and as the initial staff of Public Action for Change Today (PACT), an organization specifically for young adults in the Chicago area. Stoking the Fire of Democracy explains how organizations are built and sustained, how they go into action around issues of common concern, how they exercise power, and how they learn from their successes and failures.

Smith received his training from the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), and his book is dedicated to his mentor, Ed Chambers, the Executive Director of the IAF, who took over that organization after the death of Saul Alinsky in 1972. The title of Smith's new book is based on 

Alinsky's observation that "constant dissension and conflict is and has been the fire under the boiler of democracy."

Stoking the Fire of Democracy is aimed specifically at the author's generation of activists and is based on his own training and experience. 

He does not claim to have all the answers. In fact, his vulnerability and willingness to discuss his own failures is what makes the book so 

compelling. We have already received many endorsements of the book by a wide variety of people. I believe that this book has the potential to become a bestseller and find its way onto the reading lists of colleges, universities, religious institutions and community organizations around 

the world.

The world of activism changed greatly when a black man trained as a community organizer was elected president of the United States. Many 

young people throughout the world will want to understand and learn to use the skills of community organizing to help make the world a better place. Stephen Smith's new book gives them a place to start.

Stoking the Fire of Democracy has an official publication date of November 4, the anniversary of Obama's election. It is a 128-page hardcover that retails for $19.95

For further information or to receive a review or desk copy, contact Greg Pierce at gfapierce@aol.com or 800-397-2282.

October 9, 2009 

 Weekly Update — October 9, 2009

[1] Register Now for Fall Directors Meeting

[2] Bonner AmeriCorps Reminder: Exiting members early

[3] Workshop offering from the Center for Strong Communities at Maryville College

[4] 2010 Do Something awards program

[5] Knight Commission Releases Report on the "Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy"

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[1] Register Now for fall Directors Meeting

November will be here before you know it. This year’s Fall Directors meeting will be held in Montreat, North Carolina from November 8 to 11, 2009, and we want you to be there! PLEASE RESIGSTER BY OCTOBER 23. Check out our Bonner wiki page for registration and travel information as well as a preliminary agenda.

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[2] Bonner AmeriCorps Reminder: Exiting members early

If any of your Bonner AmeriCorps members chose to end their term of service prior to full completion of their service hours and you are submitting an Exit Form on behalf of such a student who is not available to sign their Exit Form, in addition to mailing us the Exit Form, please remember that you must also attach a memo or brief letter stating the following:

1. You attempted to contact the student for their signature and they were unavailable to sign their Exit Form.

2. You are aware that the member has not completed their full term and therefore is not eligible to receive an education award for that particular term.

Thanks!

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[3] Workshop offerings from the Center for Strong Communities at Maryville College

The Center for Strong Communities at Maryville College will host two sessions of CBR/SL workshops with Randy Stoeker on November 6 and 7.

Session One:  Friday, Nov. 6 at 3:30-5:30 

Updates on the impact of CBR & SL on student learning, institutional change, and a focus on the ongoing challenge of real community impact and outcomes for community change.  This is good for faculty, SL/CBR and civic engagement staff, and community partners.

Session Two:  Saturday, Nov. 7 w/ 9am breakfast and 9:30-12:30 workshop

Hands-on work in developing CBL and SL models in courses, projects, and practica.  Considering student learning and community impact in planning and implementation process.  Principles and effective practices.  Dealing with research-review boards.  We welcome faculty, staff and community partners who design courses and community-engaged projects. Students heavily involved in this kind of CBR/SL and community partnership work are also welcome to attend.

TO REGISTER for one or both sessions, CONTACT: mary.brooks@maryvillecollege.eduor call 865-273-8894.  Space is limited. 

Participants pay only $10 upon arrival to help with incidentals.  Arrange for your own lodging and meals, as needed.  These workshops are sponsored by the Center for Strong Communities at Maryville College.

Dr. Randy Stoeker is a Professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, with a joint appointment in the Center for Community and Economic Development.  After his years at University of Toledo developing a an engaged model for community-based research, this position at Wisconsin takes him into expanded work in academy-community partnerships, community-based research and community leadership development. His publications include:

The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service Learning by Randy Stoecker and Elizabeth A. Tryon (Paperback - Jul 28, 2009)

Community-Based Research and Higher Education: Principles and Practices (Jossey Bass Higher and Adult Education Series) by Kerry J. Strand, Nicholas Cutforth, Randy Stoecker, and Sam Marullo (Hardcover - May 30, 2003)

Research Methods for Community Change: A Project-Based Approach by Dr. Randy R. Stoecker (Paperback - Feb 15, 2005)

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[4] 2010 Do Something awards program

Since 1996, Do Something has honored some of America's best young "world-changers" (age      25 and under) with the Do Something Awards (formerly the Brick Awards).

The Do Something Award is for individuals. Partnerships or larger groups should select an individual they believe would best represent the project for the application. The applicant must be 25 or under, and must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen.

Award winners will have identified a problem and have devised clear and measurable methods for addressing the problem; made a significant long-term commitment to improving the lives of others; cultivated long-term and respectful relationships within their community; demonstrated that they have directly and individually fueled the success of their work; extensively and tangibly improved the lives of others (the award is not for ideas); created great awareness about their issues or causes; serve as program founders and/or leading activist/advocates; have a clear growth plan for their work that ensures sustainability and continued impact; and already be recognized as top leaders within their issue or cause.

The 2010 awards program will present four winners with $10,000 each, and one grand-prize winner with $100,000 toward their organization or cause. Each winner has the option of receiving up to $5,000 as an educational scholarship.

Click here for more information or here to apply for the award directly.

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[5] Knight Commission Releases Report on the "Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy"

The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy is a group of 17-member media, policy and community leaders. Its purpose is to assess the information needs of communities, and recommend measures to help Americans better meet those needs.

The Knight Commission sees new thinking about news and information as a necessary step to sustaining democracy in the digital age. It thus follows in the footsteps of the 1940s Hutchins Commission and the Kerner and Carnegie Commissions of the 1960s.

But in the digital age, the stakes are even higher. Technological, economic and behavioral changes are dramatically altering how Americans communicate. Communications systems no longer run along the lines of local communities, and the gap in access to digital tools and skills is wide and troubling.

The Commission seeks to start a national discussion - leading to real action. Its aims are to maximize the availability and flow of credible local information; to enhance access and capacity to use the new tools of knowledge and exchange; and to encourage people to engage with information and each other within their geographic communities.

The full report can be downloaded here.

October 16, 2009 

Weekly Update — October 16, 2009

[1] Registration Deadline Looming for Fall Directors Meeting

[2] Bonner AmeriCorps Clarification: Pregnancy Centers

[3] The Bonner Video Project Returns: Bigger, Better, and More Awesome than Before

[4] Sponsor the 2010 Gulf-South Summit

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[1] Registration Deadline Looming for Fall Directors Meeting

The Registration deadline for this year’s Fall Directors November is only a week away! Check out our Bonner wiki page for registration and travel information as well as a preliminary agenda. PLEASE RESIGSTER BY OCTOBER 23. 

Also, be sure to respond to Ellen Peltz at epeltz@bonner.org regarding whether or not you will arrive in time for Sunday dinner at 5:30 on the first night of the meeting (11/8). Thanks!

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[2] Bonner AmeriCorps Clarification: Pregnancy Centers

 We have received several inquiries recently regarding Bonner AmeriCorps members serving at pregnancy centers.  Members may serve at pregnancy centers provided they are not involved in the following activities:

1) Evangelism, proselytization, or religious instruction

2) Abortion services or referrals for such services 

If you have any questions, please contact your campus support liaison. 

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[3] The Bonner Video Project Returns: Bigger, Better, and More Awesome than Before 

Bonner Directors and Video Liaisons,

My name is Cori Williams and I am the new Bonner Video Project Intern. I am very excited about this year's video project and looking forward to viewing your videos. I want to personally thank and congratulate you for the videos you submitted last year-job well done! 

Our goal this year is to increase the number of videos submitted. So, if you submitted one last year, submit two this year. However, if you did not submit a video last year, then this is the year to do it! I encourage you to begin thinking about an interesting and compelling issue/message going on in your area and how to capture it on video. Remember, it's all about creating a Bonner quality video. 

As the Video Project Intern I will be responsible for communicating with you regarding deadlines, video topics, video submissions, camera distribution, and any other concerns or suggestions you may have. I am a firm believer in communication and will do my best to make myself available through telephone, email, and social media channels (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Together, we can make this year's Bonner Video Project the best one ever!

Happy Videoing,

Cori

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[4] Sponsor the 2010 Gulf-South Summit

The 2010 Gulf-South Summit is still looking for college, university, and organizational sponsorships. Institutional sponsorship are only $1,000 and include a range of benefits including reduced registrations fees and exhibit space. For more information on becoming a sponsor, see the Gulf-South Summit Sponsorship Packet here.

The mission of the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education is to promote networking among practitioners, research, ethical practices, reciprocal campus-community partnerships, sustainable programs, and a culture of engagement and public awareness through service-learning and other forms of civic engagement.

This year’s Summit Sponsors include:

Auburn University, Belmont University, Berry College, Brevard Community College, Community College National Center for Community Engagement (CCNCCE), Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia Southern University, Lipscomb University, Louisiana State University, Mercer University, Texas Campus Compact, Tulane University, The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, The University of Georgia, The University of Louisville, The University of Southern Mississippi, and Virginia Tech.

The theme for the 2010 Gulf-South Summit is “PEOPLE, PLACE, & PARTNERS: Building and Sustaining Engagement in Critical Times.” The Summit will be held on March 3-5, 2010, and will be hosted by The University of Georgia.

For more information on sponsoring, attending, or submitting proposals to the 2010 Gulf-South Summit, click here.

October 23, 2009