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December-2008-Updates

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Saved by Miriam Barnes
on December 11, 2008 at 5:14:58 pm
 
Weekly Update
4 December 2008
 
[1] BWBRS 3.0
[2] Bonner AmeriCorps Reminders
[3] Bonner Video Project
[4] IMPACT Conference - Registration open
[5] Issue-based Working Groups
[6] Nicola Goren to Run National Service Agency through Transition
[7] Young Leader of Social Change Fellow (New Haven, CT)
[8] Michigan Journal Call for Abstracts
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[1] BWBRS 3.0
We really do need you to make the switch to our new system! Our programmer is itching for us to be fully in the new system and we want to be sure you have enough time to make the switch. We know the end of the semester brings with it lots of final paperwork. Use this opportunity to discover how easy it is to approve hours in the new system (the approval page looks just like the time logs!).
To help us facilitate the switch over, we need to know that you're using the new system. Please log on to the Wiki and add your name next to your school: http://bonnernetwork.pbwiki.com/BWBRS-School-Roster (the page is linked from the BWBRS 3.0 Help Guide on the front page).
Don't forget that there's a helpful guide to 3.0 available on the Wiki as well: http://bonnernetwork.pbwiki.com/BWBRS+Help+Guide 
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[2] AmeriCorps Reminders
  • In light of the switch to the new 3.0 system of BWBRS, our AmeriCorps team is going through a "national review" process. This means we're reading all the service descriptions from CLAs, service opportunities and training and enrichments. If there's no description we have trouble reviewing it. Brace yourselves for a potential flurry of BWBRS notifications regarding updating these descriptions.
  • Another issue related to this 3.0 switch is that you might notice some hour discrepancies on the enrollment page. Don't worry as your students' logged hours have not disappeared. This is a coding issue that we are working to resolve. If you know your student has enough hours to exit, go ahead and send in those exit forms!
  • The end of the semester is coming quickly. Be sure to get your students to submit outstanding paperwork (time logs and service accomplishments) before they disappear for the holidays!
  • We recently received a clarification on our exit process. Please note that we must receive all outstanding paperwork and exit forms within 25 days of the member's last day of service (this is the last day they log hours, not necessarily the date they must be done with their term). The new BWBRS system will be sending reminders to this effect but please note this important change.
 
As always, please contact a member of our AmeriCorps team if you have any questions or concerns: Annie Pasqua, Gretchen Mielke, Becky Grinstead, Christen Foell, Janet Ashwood and Miriam Barnes
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[3] Bonner Video Project 
It is time for the Bonner Video Project! Bonner campuses all over the country are encouraged to participate. In the upcoming weeks each campus will be given access to a Flip Cam.  With these cameras, Bonners will create 2-3 minute short videos highlighting their Bonner Program, Training and Enrichment Activities, Issues they encounter each day at their service sites, and their Community Partners.  Please see the Bonner Video Project Wiki page for further details about the project! 
 
First Assignment:
Pick a lead student to be the BVL (Bonner Video Liaison). Please submit his or her name, email, and a short clip that introduces him or her (think reality TV show audition) by December 15th, 2008.  These clips are not required to participate in the project, but are encouraged to be submitted and posted on the wiki with name and email. Visit http://bonnernetwork.pbwiki.com/Bonner-Video-Liaison-Submissions to officially submit you BVLs information! 
 
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[4] IMPACT Conference - Registration open
Registration for the IMPACT Conference is officially open!

You can find the registration rates and the online registration/payment system at www.impactconference.org.

You will also find there the online workshop proposal system, along with the expectations and deadlines for workshop proposals.

And a new addition this year, since we will be in the DC metropolitan area, is an optional Lobby Day on the Monday after the conference (March 9).  We will be partnering with a range of issue-based organizations to train students on issues, framing their message, and lobbying their Congressperson.  We will then take everyone to the Hill on Monday so that they can participate directly in the democratic process.  Registration and payment for Lobby Day can also be found on the conference website (www.impactconference.org).  You must register and pay separately for Lobby Day -- the fee for that event is $25.

Please feel free to be in touch if you have any questions at all -- we look forward to seeing you and your students in DC this March!

-Heather

Heather Cronk  |  Coordinator  |  IMPACT Conference
heather@impactconference.org  |  www.impactconference.org  |  202-491-7240
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[5] Issue-based Working Groups
The beauty of the Bonner Network Wiki is that all our work and all that great energy from this fall's Directors and Coordinators meeting can continue. As you come across resources or information, simply copy and paste it into the respective Working Group Plan page. When the he-sl listserv sent out these links (see below) about service-learning related to forestry and sustainable agriculture, Ari quickly posted them on the Environment page. So cool and so easy! 
SL in Urban Forestry and GIS

The first story was just a quick mention of the educational (read service-learning) component of the MillionTreesNYC program. This program is working with University of Vermont GIS students to help the city meet its environmental goals by extensive, targeted tree-planting. Here's the blurb:

http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i13/13a00604.htm?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

and here's more about the program: http://www.milliontreesnyc.org/

You can see the syllabus for the course here:

http://www.uvm.edu/~atroy/NYC/

SL in Rural Foodways and Sustainable Agriculture

The other was an opinion piece by Howard Sacks on his involvement in a powerful service-learning program that has helped create a sustainable local food market (and therefore sustainable agriculture) in the community of Kenyon College, a private, liberal arts college in rural Ohio (in the interests of full disclosure, also my undergraduate alma mater). The Chronicle gave me permission to provide the email discussion list with free access to the article through December 17, 2008, so give it a glance here:

http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=bhyqz17mtflyryq0vydqdtcdtw85wmx6

And take a look at the program website here:

http://rurallife.kenyon.edu/FFT/index.html

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[6] Nicola Goren to Run National Service Agency through Transition

 

Washington DC – Nicola O. Goren, an 11-year veteran of the Corporation for National and Community Service, will lead the agency through a transition that will include laying a foundation for the incoming Administration’s service plans.

 

Goren, who served as the agency’s Chief of Staff for the past two years, begins her tenure as Acting CEO at a time of strong momentum and opportunity for the agency and the larger service and volunteer movement.  Goren will lead the agency that administers AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America until a new CEO is appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate. 

 

“Service and volunteering make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans every day,” said Goren.  “I am deeply honored and excited to work with our extraordinary board, staff, and grantees to support our programs, prepare for the transition, and seize the growing momentum for service in America.”

 

Goren said two forces are converging to make this an opportune time for national service and volunteering.  First, the economic downturn has threatened our civic infrastructure and put more Americans in need of services that the voluntary sector can provide.  Second, this increasing demand comes at the same time as service is gaining unprecedented levels of support across government, business, nonprofit, and education sectors. 

 

From the expansion of corporate social responsibility programs and the embrace of service-learning on college campuses to the introduction of several bipartisan national service bills in Congress and the comprehensive service agenda of President-elect Obama, service is increasingly being seen as a solution to social challenges. “The Corporation has never been stronger, more efficient, and better positioned than it is today, and we are ready to work with the incoming Administration to take national service to the next level of success and impact,” said Goren.  In a message to grantees, Goren said her priorities will be to focus on the core work of the agency, ensure a smooth transition, and strengthen the service infrastructure.

 

The agency has been preparing for the transition for several months.  The Corporation’s bipartisan board of directors will also play a key role in the transition.  “We are incredibly fortunate to have such as strong board and their leadership and insights will be especially valuable in the transition.  Our board is a model of how people from different parties can work together to get things done.”

 

Board Chairman and former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith also noted the convergence of need and support for national service in welcoming Goren to her new role.  “The Corporation is well-respected, high performing and it enjoys bipartisan support.   The national service and volunteering agenda also benefit from strong momentum and increasing public awareness.  Nicky has the experience, judgment, and ability to ensure that we extend the gains we’ve made and bridge the organization as it prepares for a new CEO to be appointed in the next administration.”

 

Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Goren worked in the Corporation’s Office of General Counsel for eight-and-a-half years as Associate General Counsel, where she led the AmeriCorps rulemaking effort and other major projects.  Before coming to the Corporation in 1998, Goren spent five years in the legislative branch, working first with the Congressional Budget Office and then with the Office of Compliance.  She is a graduate of Cornell Law School and Brandeis University.  Goren resides in the District of Columbia with her husband and two sons.

 

The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year the Corporation engages more than four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet local needs through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov.
 
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[7] Young Leader of Social Change Fellow (New Haven, CT)

The Young Leader of Social Change Fellowship provides an outstanding recent college or public health graduate with an opportunity to engage in high impact front-line global service programs.  You will work from our New Haven office that overlooks the Yale campus.

In this position, the Fellow will work closely with Unite For Sight's CEO on public health programming.

Duties and responsibilities include:

  • Apply organizational and writing skills to the development and implementation of global health initiatives
  • Expand Unite For Sight's presence on college campuses
  • Contribute to cutting-edge programs in development

Interested applicants should send a resume to the attention of Jennifer Staple, at JStaple@uniteforsight.org Please clearly indicate that you are applying for the Young Leader of Social Change Fellow position.

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[8] Michigan Journal Call for Abstracts
The Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (MJCSL) invites article abstracts of up to one-page related to higher education academic service-learning, campus-community partnerships, and faculty engaged scholarship.
 
 
Abstracts are due December 20, 2008 to Jeffrey Howard, editor, at jphoward@umich.edu or by fax (734.647.7464). 
 
In mid-January we will invite articles fitting within the above content purview of the MJCSL and appearing to break new ground. Articles are due Monday, March 30th, and will be forwarded for peer review. Authors will be informed of decisions in July/August.  The MJCSL has an acceptance rate of 15-20%.
 
The Michigan Journal welcomes articles from all academic disciplines and professions as well as from all countries.
 
For more information about the Michigan Journal, see the webpage at www.umich.edu/~mjcsl/.  Also, visit our new website to view and download all past articles at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mjcsl/.
 
The latest issue -- volume 15 number 1 -- can be ordered at www.umich.edu/~mjcsl.  It will be embargoed for four months before being available in March at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mjcsl/ .
 

Questions may be directed to the editor, Jeffrey Howard, at jphoward@umich.edu

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