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CHEROKEE BOYS CLUB

The Cherokee Boys Club provides a wide range of services to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, including bus, administrative, ground maintenance, tractor and truck, printing and laundry services, as well as the operation of a children’s home and a recreational park. For more information, contact the Cherokee Boys Club at 828/497-9101, 52 Cherokee Boys Club Loop, Cherokee, NC 28719.

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JUNALUSKA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

The Junaluska Leadership Council teaches communications and leadership skills to the young people of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians by involving them in tribal government. At any one time, twenty high school students who are enrolled members of the EBCI – five each from the four high schools on or near Qualla Boundary – serve on the council, which is organized and run like the EBCI’s Tribal Council. The young people develop resolutions (like establishing a day to honor a tribal elder, or recommending that the tribe support the development of a major hotel on the reservation) and submit them to the Tribal Council, and they also participate in a variety of community service projects. For more information, contact Radonna Crowe (828) 497-7470, Healthy Cherokee/Injury Prevention, P.O. Box 666, Cherokee, NC 28719.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TOMORROW (WNCT)

WNCT's mission is to provide a framework through which individuals and organizations can develop long range strategies, policies and programs for the betterment of the North Carolina mountain region and its communities. Its youth programs, which are described at http://www.wcu.edu/crd/wnct/wnct1.html, include a Youth Leadership Service Initiative and a Pride in the Region Essay Contest.

AMERICA'S PROMISE

The mission of America's Promise is to mobilize people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of our nation's youth by fulfilling five promises for young people. These promises are to provide:

1. Ongoing relationships with caring adults in their lives - parents, mentors, tutors, or coaches;
2. Safe places with structured activities during nonschool hours;
3. A healthy start and future;
4. Marketable skills through effective education; and
5. Opportunities to give back through community service.
   

More than 550 community and state partners across the nation have united to fulfill the five promises. These communities have formed grassroots coalitions among the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to generate more resources for young people who need them. To learn more, visit www.americaspromise.org.

GLORIA BARRON PRIZE SEEKS NOMINATIONS OF EXTRAORDINARY YOUNG LEADERS

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes (www.barronprize.org) honors young people from diverse backgrounds who have shown extraordinary leadership in making our world better. By helping people, protecting the environment, halting violence, or leading other important service work, these young people are true heroes and inspirations to us all. The Barron Prize relies on thoughtful adults to identify and nominate children (no older than eighteen years of age) from the diverse communities in which they live. The prize accepts nominations on an annual basis and distributes $2,000 awards every fall.

CHILDSTATS.GOV

ChildStats.gov offers easy access to federal and state statistics and reports on children and their families, including population and family characteristics, economic security, health, behavior and social environment, and education.

CTAC MANUAL ON DEVELOPING YOUTH LEADERSHIP

The Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC) is a national not-for-profit organization that helps communities develop the leadership, management, and planning skills needed to meet pressing community needs. It provides individualized capacity-building assistance to community-based organizations, school systems, collaborative partnerships, and state and municipal governments. As a result of a two year project, Youth Leadership in Public Education: A National Training Model, which linked youth leadership development with multicultural education and improved educational practices, CTAC developed a 79-page manual, What You Need to Know: A Manual on Developing Youth Leadership. If you would like a copy, you may order it at http://ctacusa.com/publications-orderform.pdf.

DO SOMETHING

Do Something (www.dosomething.org) is a nationwide network of young people who know they can make a difference and take action to change the world around them. Among the current programs offered is the Do Something Community Connections Campaign, through which Do Something is helping more than 6,000 community organizations across the country involve young people as leaders in their organizations' efforts to create a better world. Do Something also provides the Do Something BRICK Award for Community Leadership, which honors and financially supports the best young community leaders in America who are building better communities brick by brick.

ENGAGING THE NEXT GENERATION: HOW NON-PROFITS CAN REACH YOUNG ADULTS

A publication from the Ad Council, supported by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trust, called Engaging the Next Generation: How Non-profits Can Reach Young Adults, examines modern youth as a viable volunteer resource for non-profit organizations. The study characterizes today's young people as being uniquely optimistic and positively motivated to promote social change. It suggests that an understanding of this generation and what motivates them is important in order to effectively galvanize them for volunteer work in the non-profit sphere. The study offers tips on how to attract and retain volunteers by effectively promoting and targeting a message of opportunity to a young audience. To read the article, visit the Ad Council Web site at www.adcouncil.org/research/engaging_next_gen/.

INNOVATION CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

The Innovation Center (www.theinnovationcenter.org/) promotes effective tools and strategies for engaging youth and adults as partners in creating positive community change in both urban and rural areas. Through projects with partners and communities across the country, the Innovation Center is helping to create resources for using technology as a tool for positive youth development and community development. In addition, the Innovation Center serves as host to an array of youth development and engagement listservs. The organization also brings together the best practical tools used in evaluating youth development outcomes.

KIDS COUNT: CENSUS DATA

KIDS COUNT (www.aecf.org/kidscount/census/) has compiled indicators of child well-being from the 2000 U.S. Census and created an interactive online database that uses a simple yet powerful interface to help you quickly and easily create, view, and print reports. National, state and local data is available. There is extensive data about the following subjects:

• Income and poverty
  
• Parental employment
  
• Education
  
• Disability
  
• Neighborhood characteristics
  
• Age and sex
  
• Race

PEOPLE'S YOUTH FREEDOM SCHOOL

Using interactive learning and teaching methods, the People's Youth Freedom School provides youth with:

1. A sense that the Civil Rights Movement is not dead or a thing of the past;
   
2. An understanding that young people have always played a significant role in social change;
   
3. A base appreciation of community organizing and its importance;
   
4. Increased reading, writing, and arithmetic;
   
5. A way to move from good ideas to a plan of action; and
   
6. A sense of their own power.
   

People's Youth Freedom School runs for six weeks, combining classroom lessons with daily life experiences, various group projects, and a wide range of field trips. For information about the People's Institute's Youth Agenda, contact:

People's Institute for Survival & Beyond
7166 Crowder Blvd
New Orleans, LA 70127
Phone: 504-241-7472
Fax: 504-241-7412

WHAT KIDS CAN DO

What Kids Can Do (www.whatkidscando.org) is a national non-profit organization that documents the value of young people working with teachers and other adults on projects that combine powerful learning with public purpose for an audience of educators and policy makers, journalists, community members, and students. Also integral to WKCD's mission is connecting the fields of school reform, youth development, community development, service learning, and school-to-work. The site features inspiring stories about youth activism, interviews conducted by kids, and information on related resources.

YOSHIYAMA AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

The Hitachi Foundation presents the Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community annually to ten high school seniors from around the United States on the basis of their community service activities. The award is accompanied by a gift of $5,000, dispensed over two years. Recipients may use the award at their discretion; it is not a scholarship.

High school seniors from the United States and U.S. territories are eligible to be nominated for the award. Award selection is based upon the significance and extent of the nominee's service to the community. The foundation accepts nominations from people directly familiar with the nominee's service, including community leaders, service providers, teachers, school principals, and members of the clergy. Self and parental nominations are automatically disqualified. The deadline each year is April 1. For more information, visit www.hitachifoundation.org/yoshiyama/index.html.

YOUTH ACTION NET

YouthActionNet (www.youthactionnet.org) seeks to connect, inspire, and nurture present and future young leaders. Their aim is to provide a virtual space where young people can share lessons, stories, information and advice on how to lead effective change. It is a space where youth can get up-to-date information, resources and tools to strengthen their work.

YOUTH IN DECISION-MAKING: A STUDY ON THE IMPACTS OF YOUTH ON ADULTS AND ORGANIZATIONS

This research was published in partnership with the National 4-H Council, University of Wisconsin Extension, and the Youth in Governance task force of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. The study is available at www.theinnovationcenter.org/images/products/01240215104234_YouthinDecisionMakingReportRevised9-01.pdf.