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May is Mental Health Month!

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

1 in 4 Americans-nearly 60 million people-live with common and treatable mental health disorders. Check out these 5 easy ways you can volunteer during mental health month.

  1. Help with teen screening. Become a trained community volunteer and administer questionnaires to teens. Teen Screen was developed by researchers and health professionals at Columbia University and has been used in school districts around the country. Mental health screening can identify teens with mental, emotional or behavioral problems early, before they develop into full-blown disorders. Screening in­creases the likelihood that struggling teens get the help they need and minimizes the impact of mental disorders on teens’ lives.
  2. Support Someone Close to You. If you have a family member or friend who has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, you are probably wondering what you can do to help.  As in any relationship, emotional and practical support is always needed. Occasionally, family and friends participate in someone’s recovery by offering transportation, financial and housing assistance. Whatever form it takes, your support, compassion and respect matter.
  3. Fight the Stigma: Become A StigmaBuster! The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) StigmaBusters is a network of dedicated advocates across the country and around the world who seek to fight inaccurate and hurtful representations of mental illness. Whether these images are found in TV, film, print, or other media, StigmaBusters speak out and challenge stereotypes. They seek to educate society about the reality of mental illness and the courageous struggles faced by consumers and families every day. StigmaBusters’ goal is to break down the barriers of ignorance, prejudice, or unfair discrimination by promoting education, understanding, and respect.  Numbers do count, so let your voice be heard!
  4.   Share your story. We all know how empowering human connections are to those seeking wellness and recovery. By speaking out about your experiences, you help give a voice to millions of American adults who have a mental health disorder. Your story will help bust the stigma that keeps people from getting care and perpetuates misunderstanding about those affected by mental health disorders.Tell your story and give a real voice to a great cause. Your story can change a life, and even save one.
  5. Research! Although mental illness affects 1 in 4 Americans, mental illness remains a stigmatized issue that many people choose to ignore; however, with research and understanding, we can all remove the stigma and encourage people to seek support and treatment without feeling ashamed. So please take the time out to research mental illness, so that if you notice someone with symptoms of mental illness, you can potentially encourage them to seek help.
How do you plan on honoring Mental Health Month?

 

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You Could Live the Life of a Zoo Keeper for a Day!

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

This week one of our favorite Points of Lighters will be visiting Washington, D.C! So that got us to thinking about how, if we also had the opportunity, we would spend our time volunteering in the Nation’s Capitol!

1. Become a Smithsonian Volunteer! The first thing everyone thinks about doing when they find out that they’re going to D.C. is to visit the Smithsonian! According to its website, volunteers are an integral part of the success of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. There are a number of ways to volunteer at American Art, either interacting with the public or working behind-the-scenes on special projects. Volunteer opportunities include being a tour guide, working behind the

scenes in the archives and laboratories, and much more! Whatever you just to do, if you love art we’re sure you’ll enjoy it!

2.Volunteer with DCPS! Visiting on a school day? D.C. Public Schools welcomes volunteers who want to use their skills and resources to help our students succeed. They’ve got a wide range of volunteer opportunities for you to choose from. DCPS volunteer opportunities include tutoring students in math and reading, mentor high school students, helping with administrative tasks, or beautifying one of the DCPS campuses (including one immediate need right now for an artist to paint a mural in a school!

3. Volunteer at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WMMC) with the Red Cross!  By volunteering with WMMC, you will be part of an important support network for all areas – clinic, hospital, and administration. Here you will find an outlet for your available time, interests, and talents! Your preferences and the

Medical Center’s needs are considered in assigning you a position. Training by the Red Cross office as well as “on-the-job” will help you feel comfortable in your new role!

4. Be a Volunteer at the National Zoo! Volunteers offer invaluable support to the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.  Volunteers are needed at the zoo to act as interpreters, guides, keeper aides, office support, and much more!

As you can see there are endless fun and exciting volunteer activities for you to do while in Washington, D.C. Check our affiliates HandsOn Greater D.C. Cares for more information!

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Kevin’s Story: Music is his Motivation

Monday, March 19th, 2012

Today’s blog post comes from MusicianCorps, a nonprofit organization sector of The Center for Music National Service. MusicianCorps trains and places musicians to serve full-time as teachers and mentors in low-performing public schools, youth centers, and other high-need community settings. MusicianCorps uses music to reengage youth in their academic and civic lives, and provide them skills to succeed in the 21st century economy.

“I play guitar in Mr. H’s class. He teaches me a lot of things about music—how to listen to it, how to make the music sound good—he’s helped me out a lot. Mr. H corrects us if we’re doing something wrong or if we’re off track. He’s an awesome teacher. Music is like my safe haven – if I’m mad or feeling bad about anything, I just go straight to my guitar and start playing. It makes me feel better.”

— Kevin, MusicianCorps student

As a freshman at June Jordan School for Equity in San Francisco’s Excelsior District, Kevin was having trouble fitting into his new surroundings. Kevin struggled with core academic subjects and was becoming discouraged by his poor grades.But no matter how frustrated Kevin would get with his math or English, he loved to play guitar. Realizing this, the school guidance counselor placed him in class twice a week with MusicianCorps Mentor Hernando Buitrago, or as Kevin liked to call him, “Mr. H.” MusicianCorps quickly became a big part of Kevin’s in-school and afterschool experience – he even became a regular fixture during lunch period drop-in jam sessions.

For weeks, Kevin and other students were preparing a performance for an upcoming school assembly. However, due to his poor grades in other classes, Kevin was not allowed to perform with the group. While he was disappointed, Kevin knew he would have to work harder so that he would never miss another opportunity to perform. Mr. H worked with him throughout the week to make sure he was getting his work done and keeping the right priorities.

In time, Kevin’s grades began to improve. Recognizing his commitment, Mr. H invited Kevin and other students to perform for Veteran’s Day at the Palo Alto VA center. Kevin seized the opportunity. On a day off from school when most of his classmates were still sleeping, Kevin was awake at 7:30am with his guitar in hand ready to be picked up for the performance. “It was cool to play for the Veterans,” Kevin said. “They seemed to enjoy it and some of them came up and played with us.”

With music as his motivation, Kevin continued to work hard and improve his grades. “MusicianCorps is the reason I want to keep coming back to school,” Kevin said. “I need music. It makes me feel a lot better about myself. It makes me feel like I have something to do.”

For Kevin, music provides motivation to succeed in school.

March is Music in Our Schools Month. Check out MusicianCorps and find out how you can promote the importance of music in our children’s schools today!

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5 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Black History Month celebrates contributions made by African Americans and people of African descent around the world. It was started by an African American man named Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926.  Back then, it was called Negro History Week and was celebrated the second week of February.  Now it is celebrated for the whole month of February in the United States and Canada.

Here are five ways you and your family can celebrate Black History Month with you and your family.

  1. Yes we can… change the world, find cures for diseases, or feed the hungry. Inspired by President Barack Obama’s famous 2008 presidential campaign phrase, “Yes we can,” Kids can decorate cans  to raise money for their favorite cause or charity to ultimately make Earth a better place.
  2. African-Americans and Canadians have made tremendous contributions to every facet of life—from science to music to athletics. Take your family to a local museum to learn about the significant contributions of African Americans.
  3. Jackie Robinson, Sojourner Truth, George Washington Carver,
    are just some of the renowned African Americans to be celebrated during February and throughout American history. Go to your local school and host a seminar detailing the history of Black History Month and the historical events and contributions of African Americans. 
  4. Attend a storytelling performance with your family. The West African storytelling tradition of griot, or village storyteller, is a great way to celebrate Black History Month. The dramatic storytelling and puppetry storytelling brings Black history to life with the stories of various African-Americans who have contributed to American History.
  5. Puzzles!!! Who doesn’t love a good puzzle! For you and your family, solving crossword puzzles is another way for children and adults to improve concentration and memory. Look online for websites devoted to Black History Month Crossword puzzles, you’ll find printable, criss-cross style crossword games for primary level students as well as those at the secondary and even the college level.

Black History Month is an excellent way to learn about all of the amazing contributions of African Americans and to spend time with your family. Tell us how you plan on celebrating Black History Month in the COMMENTS.

 

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Join the AmeriCorps Book Club

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Today’s post originally appeared on the AmeriCorps Alums blog site January 23, 2012. The post was written by Ken Tran the External Relations Coordinator at AmeriCorps Alums.

January is Book Blitz Month – an opportunity for authors to promote with media to get their books into the best sellers list and into the hands of readers like us! As an AmeriCorps Alum, I’d like to see some of our next New York Times Bestselling Authors to be ones that are passionate about National Service and care about  Millennials leading in that movement.

After a great twitter conversation with @TerryGunnell (Arizona’s CNCS State Director) and @ChadJeremyDavis (Seattle AmeriCorps Alums Chapter Leader) about starting an AmeriCorps Book Club, I put together a list of recommended books that would be great to read as we all continue our Lifetime of Service. All the books on this list feature stories of AmeriCorps or National Service; helping us understand where Service has been and where it is going, especially as we continue to advocate to Save Service and why it is essential to fostering a stronger future for America.

See what we’ll be reading on our AmeriCorps Book Club Reading List:

The Time of Our Lives – Tom Brokaw

Why you should read it: Brokaw, former anchor of NBC’s Nightly News, looks at some of the prevalent issues affecting our Millennial generation and offers insight into how we can revitalize the American Dream through civic engagement and community. Weaving stories from his family’s upbringing in South Dakota and reflections from Americans who are change agents in their communities, he provides a hopeful vision of what our country can be, even in these hard times.

The Bill – Steven Waldman

Why you should read it: In recent years, many cuts to National Service and AmeriCorps have been debated in Congress. To understand the public policies and legislative processes at work, we’ll need to take a trip down memory lane and look at how the National Service Bill was initially passed under the Clinton administration. For those of us who aren’t as knowledgeable in the workings at the Hill, this will be a great read to help us understand what’s in motion and at stake as we continuing to Save Service.

A Call to Civic Service – Charles Moskos

Why you should read it: Moskos calls for all young Americans, between the ages of 18 – 23, to serve in some capacity in National Service to their country. Whether it be serving in day care, correctional facilities, with the poor in health, etc or in the All-Volunteer Military Force, he believes that young Americans should be giving back to strengthen their country. Sounds like something we all can relate too…

Of Kennedys and Kings – Harris Wofford

Why you should read it: Wofford, one of the founders of Peace Corps and former CEO of the Corporation of National and Community Service, recounts what can be accomplished with leaders, like the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, JR, who committed to public service and being responsible with their political powers. As the 2012 elections are coming up, we as alumni of National Service, we want to make sure that we elect a leader that will reflect, support, and implement our values.

This is just a short list and I’m positive there are other books you’d love to see on this growing list. What books would you recommend to be added in the AmeriCorps Book Club?

 

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8 Ways to Raise Awareness About Bullying During No Name-Calling Week

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Two years ago, as 18-year-old Bobby Tillman was leaving a house party, a group of teens randomly beat and killed Bobby. Coroners reported Bobby was stomped so badly that one of his bones broke and pierced his heart. The slightly built Tillman was randomly selected as he passed a group of teenagers who said they intended to attack the next male they saw.

Whether it occurs randomly, via text message, via facebook, or because one person disagrees with someone’s sexual preference, bullying is an ongoing problem. 2010 bullying statistics revealed about 56 percent, of all students have witnessed a bullying crime take place while at school. Similarly, there are about 282,000 students that are reportedly attacked in high schools throughout the nation each month.

January 23rd thru the 27th is No Name-Calling Week. According to nonamecallingweek.org, No Name-Calling Week is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and raising awareness about bullying. Want to know how you can eradicate bullying in your local schools and communities? We have 8 ways you can help raise awareness about bullying during no name-calling week!

  1.  Have the whole school make posters against bullying to be hung in classrooms and on the school walls. This will get the students to begin thinking about the consequences of bullying. Also, seeing the posters in their classrooms will remind students of the importance of bully prevention or reporting bullying.
  2. Host a poster contest! A poster contest will get students even more involved and excited about eliminating bullying!
  3. During your school’s morning announcements stress the importance of kindness and positive problem solving. Including positive messages in the morning sets the tone for students’ day and encourages kindness with amongst each other.
  4. Make announcements during lunch to remind students to report inappropriate behavior concerning calling names.
  5. Report “Random Act of Kindness”: Encourage students to report random acts of kindness by their peers and announce the acts of kindness during the morning announcements. This will encourage positive behavior amongst students throughout the week and school year.
  6. At the conclusion of No Name-Calling Week perform a skit at your school-wide assembly. A grade-level or school wide assembly brings together everyone. Students see and understand that this is a school-wide cause.
  7. Host a pep rally! This exciting event can include parents, community leaders, and/or highlight a bullying story to address the seriousness of bullying and its potential consequences.
  8. Have your students compile a “Top 10 reasons not to call names” list. This fun, while beneficial activity will encourage thought-provoking reasons to eliminate bullying and name calling.

In addition to impacting the victim’s life, bullying is a national issue that potentially affects parents and other students. This week we hope you choose to raise awareness in your local school and community and continue to report any acts of bullying. Tell us how you plan on eliminating bullying in your school in the comments section.

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5 Ideas for Getting Involved in Your Community During the Holidays

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

So you want to help your community this holiday season, but while brainstorming ideas for the project you find yourself stumped? The media confronts us daily with the many social problems that plague our nation, without a solution in sight. It is easy to feel helpless when this information is talked about because no solution is foreseen.

It’s a good idea to start looking for holiday volunteer opportunities now, so you can be sure to find something you’d like to do. Just like shopping for a turkey the night before Thanksgiving, you might not find what you’re looking for if you wait until the last minute to find somewhere to volunteer.

It is easy to become involved in making a difference for your community by following these simple project tips. And remember, you can always get in touch with one of our HandsOn Network volunteer centers to find volunteer opportunities!

  • Hunger or Housing. From big to small projects there are tons of ways that you can help tackle this issue in your community! Help cook and serve meals at a soup kitchen, gather clothing and donate it to your local shelter, make toiletry kits for the homeless, make care packages full of winter clothing for your local children’s shelter, help repair a local homeless shelter, or partner with Habitat for Humanity and help with a build.
  • Elderly. Helping the older population in your community can be both fun and rewarding from any level. You can spend time with a senior citizen in your community, deliver meals to a homebound individual, perform home repairs or yard work for senior citizens in need, hold a social event for your local nursing home, adopt a “grandfriend” at your local nursing home and make regular visits.
  • volunteer tutorEducation. Education has become a big topic in the media over the years; there are many ways that you can help improve your community’s education system through volunteering. Ideas include raising money for Braille or large print books for the visually impaired, plan a school supply drive to assemble “back to school” kits for your local schools, set up a buddy system for kids needing friends, bring toys to hospitalized children, read books or the newspaper to visually impaired individuals, raise money to purchase and install playground equipment.
  • Health. Participate in a local AIDS or breast cancer walk, volunteer at a Special Olympics event, hold a blood drive, help a local agency create health promotion kits, host a health screening at a local store, library, or school.
  • Environment. You can help tackle your community’s environmental issues at many different levels. Set up a recycling center at your local school or retirement community, clean up a vacant lot or river bank, raise funds to adopt an acre of the rainforest or other habitat, clean up trash in your local park, partner with volunteers to paint a mural at a local school or park.

These are just a few tips that can be incorporated into your holiday resolutions that will make a big difference in your local community. From big to small you can help improve your community this holiday season.

Have a great holiday season! We’d love to hear about how you’re helping your community this year in the comment section below

 

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3 Big Ideas for Building Service Learning Partnerships

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Today’s post comes from Shane Williamson, Community Learning Specialist at HandsOn Battle Creek.

HandsOn Battle Creek, located in Battle Creek, Michigan, has worked with their local community college (Kellogg Community College), K-12 public/private schools, and The LEAGUE Michigan, to lay the foundation for a community wide service-learning partnership. The goal of the partnership is to incorporate the concept of service learning into school lesson plans and missions as well as increase the amount of support and capacity for non-profits to manage volunteers and their own community impact goals. While this process takes time, there are some guides, from our experience, for those volunteer centers looking to start these types of initiatives in their community.

  1. Seek out your local higher educational institution. Colleges and universities are almost always looking for a way to get involved in the community in which they are located. Between your volunteer center’s contacts, the college’s contacts with community partners and their base of students (who are great volunteers), you will be able to begin incorporating service through those channels. This can lead to inclusion of faculty and academic programs in the future; thus leading to service learning.
  2. Do not try to “reinvent the wheel”. Work with organizations that are already doing the work you want to accomplish. At HandsOn Battle Creek, we already were partnered with The LEAGUE Michigan. This organization’s mission is to recruit and train K-12 teachers in the concept of service learning leading to a sustained presence of this concept in the schools. HandsOn Battle Creek was able to use their partnership to branch out to almost every school in the Battle Creek area. We are now seeing positive results from the trainings with the amount of projects taking place in the schools that are tied back to academic curriculum.
  3. Engage community partners every step of the way.  Your community partners will let you know what type of capacity they have for student volunteering. They will also let you know what they need in order to increase that capacity. Meeting with community partners, offering trainings on the concept of service-learning, and regularly checking in, has made the process of building this community-wide initiative possible. Without these commitments from our community it would be impossible for our college to begin making a service learning experience mandatory in the coming academic year.

These are basic types of guidelines, but the bottom line to each of them is that you must listen to your community at every level. This type of concept cannot be prescriptive. If all groups, students, schools, and organizations come together and have a stake in the process of building this type of relationship; the outcome will be more sustainable and long lasting.

We would love to share our experiences, information, and work in this field. let us know what your experience working to build a service-learning program has been in the comments!

 

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Is Your School Ready for a Service Learning Program?

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

In service learning, one element builds on another. Plans lead to service that fosters learning. Students build on what they learn and develop their leadership skills in ways that enhance future planning and service efforts.

When a school wants to begin offering service learning opportunities to its students, there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that the school, the students, and the partner organization all benefit from the experience.

A good place to start is simply asking whether the school is ready to support a service learning program. Here are some questions that schools need to ask themselves before starting a service learning program.

  • How much are students currently engaged in school based service project, including extra curricular programs?
  • How much does the school integrate service, give credit for documented service experiences, or require that students perform service?
  • How available is an assigned teacher or coordinator to organize the program, meet with students and agency representatives?
  • How convinced is the faculty that community based learning experience can be an important component of an effective educational program?
  • How supportive of service and experiential learning are the principal and other administrators?
  • How much experience does the school have in setting up and running effective business or community partnerships?
  • How much contact does the school have in the community with people who could facilitate a service learning partnership?
  • How much does the school set and follow through on goals to improve its curriculum and educational programs?
  • How many people on staff have a solid understanding of service learning and an ability and commitment to lead and support his or her peers?
  • How well can the school’s ongoing staff development process include education in service learning best practices?
  • How flexible is the schedule to allow students to be in the community as part of their education experience?
  • How much are learning outcomes that include citizenship, community involvement, respect for diversity, and social responsibility seen as part of the school’s mission?
  • How prepared is the school to measure learning gains that result from service learning?
This isn’t a comprehensive list of questions to ask about service learning programs, but its a good place to start. Asking questions will inevitably lead to more questions, and that’s ok!
Making sure your school has addressed these issues, and can answer the questions positively is an important first step to building a successful, long-lasting service learning program.
Have you helped to prepare a school to begin using service learning in the classroom? What troubles did you have, and what was easy about it? Let us know in the comments!
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The Benefits of Volunteering in Schools

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Volunteering in schools can be beneficial for everyone involved: the students get to meet older students or adults from outside of the school, the school benefits from the skills and talent that the volunteer brings to the table, and the volunteer can grow their network and circle of friends!

Figuring out how to volunteer with a school is an important step in planning your volunteer role, but so is understanding the costs (mostly time) and benefits of volunteering.

Benefits for Students

Volunteers in schools can play an important role in the lives of students. They can be an important adult connection for students. students who have involved adult volunteers in their school generally have better grades, better attendance, and higher graduation rates. Increased adult involvement also causes students to have more positive attitudes, more motivation, and higher self-esteem.

Volunteers may also help students by serving as a link between a school and a community. Students do better when schools, families, and communities work together, and involvement is strong.

Volunteers can be a strong advocate for the school they volunteer with. They can be a voice in the community for the school, helping to bring in needed resources or helping people to see the school as a positive force in their neighborhood.

Benefits for Schools

Schools can benefit from adult volunteers through:

  • Increased individual attention for students
  • Extra support on projects
  • Stronger ties to the community
  • Higher levels of parent-teacher communication
  • Increased capacity to better serve a wider variety of youth needs
  • Higher test/grade scores
  • Strengthened programs
  • Improved student behavior

Benefits for Volunteers

Volunteers benefit from volunteering, whether it’s from a closer peer-relationship with teachers and staff at the school or by building positive relationships with students. Volunteers benefit from their work with schools through:

  • Opportunities to meet new people
  • Improving communication, management, and interpersonal skills
  • Improving problem-solving skills
  • Increased self-confidence
  • A clearer understanding of school structure and curriculum
  • Gaining valuable job experience
  • The opportunity to serve as a role model for students
  • The chance to inspire, educate, and motivate future generations

Parents who are active in their child’s school can benefits at home, too. Parent volunteers can form tighter bonds with their children and often find themselves having more open discussions about life at, and outside of, school. Family members that volunteer aid their child’s transition from the home to school. By assisting in this transition, parents learn the structure and expectations of schools.

If you want to volunteer at your child’s school, get in touch with the school’s principal to find out where volunteers are needed in the school. If

Do you volunteer at a school? What benefits do you see from what you do? Let us know in the comments!

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