Family Involvement in Middle and High School
The third and final brief in a Harvard Family Research Project series examining the impact of family involvement across academic and developmental stages is now online. This brief spotlights what works to promote family involvement and student achievement during this critical developmental period, and offers tips for effective policies and practices.

The other two briefs are online:

• Family Involvement in Elementary School Children’s Education

• Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education

Do you have big dreams for your community? Starting June 26, the Case Foundation can help you make them a reality. To encourage community members (even those who disagree) to come together to create local solutions, the Foundation is offering 20 $10,000 grants; four finalists chosen online by the public will each get an additional $25,00! All applicants welcome, ages 14 and up.

Many are enrolling in summer classes or doing community service while others are squeezed out by adults competing for the same entry-level jobs.

Article.

DoSomething.org has ideas to keep youth active this summer, even if they’re working. One of the ideas is applying for the Youth Advisory Council, which brings teens together as staff to generate ideas, work on the site and solicit feedback from other teens. It includes expenses-paid travel to New York City for the fall meeting. Middle and high school students can apply online!

Apply today!

Young people between the ages of 12 and 20 can apply for $1,000 micro-grants from Youth Service America’s (YSA) Youth Venture Program to create sustainable community-benefiting “social venture” projects. The application deadline is August 13, 2007.

America’s Promise - the Alliance for Youth is hosting an upcoming regional forum to strengthen cross-sector collaboration on behalf of young people. The forum, which take place in Nashville, TN, on July 31-Aug. 1, is open to representatives from government, business, education, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and youth. Presenters at the regional forum will include representatives from the America’s Promise “100 Best Communities for Young People,” as well as policymakers and America’s Promise Alliance partners.

Register online.

The Finance Project and The Forum for Youth Investment have teamed to launch this new information source. It currently houses more than 400 resources to help leaders craft sound policies to improve the lives of children, families and communities, and it will be updated daily. You can filter for data, toolkits, policies, projects, funding tools, and technical assistance. Take it for a test drive!

Opening the Door to the American Dream — Increasing Higher Education Access and Success for Immigrants (April 13)
Latino immigrants and those arriving in America as teenagers are the least likely to hold a college degree, according to the American Youth Policy Forum. This forum will examine a new Institute for Higher Education Policy report on the educational barriers legal immigrants face, and how flexible policies can help.

The Greater Littleton Youth Initiative (GLYI) and the Littleton Immigrant Integration Initiative (LI3) will both be honored with first place awards from the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) at the agency’s annual dinner April 13.

The GLYI will be recognized in the Innovation Awards competition category of Cooperative Service Delivery. Created following the tragedy at Columbine High School in 1999, the GLYI is comprised of representatives from many civic and community organizations who came together to create a strategic approach to enhance the development of young people and try to prevent youth violence. Chris Gibbons, Director of the Department of Business/Industry Affairs, will accept the award for the City of Littleton. Other award recipients include: South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce President John Brackney; Littleton Public Schools Board of Education Member Diana Holland; South Suburban Parks and Recreation Executive Director Dave Lorenz; and Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson.

Following extensive research and discussion with experts throughout the country, the GLYI adopted five “Blueprint Programs.” These programs have been scientifically evaluated by Dr. Delbert Elliot, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado. Of the more than 600 programs evaluated, only 10 have been identified as Blueprint Programs. The five Littleton programs in use at this time are more than any other community in the country.

Two high-ranking officials of the British Government visited members of the Greater Littleton Youth Initiative (GLYI) last week to learn more about the organization’s innovative and award-winning approach for helping children from birth through their teen years.

View the press release