January, 2010
TheConnector
TheCONNECTOR is Youth Community Connections’ (YCC)
communication tool for sharing updates and for seeking action from
its partners. TheCONNECTOR
contains the following highlights:
RECENT NEWS AND EVENTS
Youth Community Connections Has Moved!
Congress Increases Afterschool Funding for 2010
NEW RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
Room to Grow: Tapping the Afterschool Workforce Potential
Archived Webcast Improving Student Achievement through Expanded Learning Opportunities
How to Develop a Logic Model for District-wide Family Engagement Strategies
Northland Foundation to Hold Information Sessions on its Strengthening Communities Initiative
POLICY AND ADVOCACY UPDATES
2010 Legislative Session Start Date and Priorities
State Budget
Future YCC Policy and Advocacy Committee Meeting Dates
Session Updates
MCN Session Line Up
FUTURE
EVENTS
MnSACA - MnAEYC 2010 Annual Conference
28th Konopka Lectureship and 100th Anniversary Celebration
Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota’s Training Institute’s Two-Day Workshop: “Elements of Effective Practice"
The Minnesota Center for Professional Development (MNCPD) Invites School-Age Care Trainers to Attend a Two-Day Training of Trainers
RECENT NEWS AND EVENTS
Youth Community Connections Has Moved!
Youth Community Connections moved their offices. Please see the new contact information below.
Youth Community Connections
200 Oak Street SE, Suite 270B
Minneapolis, MN 55455
PH: 612-627-0160
FAX: 612-624-6905
Website: www.youthcommunityconnections.org
Staff Contact Information
Laura LaCroix-Dalluhn
PH: 612-627-0161
Email: laura@youthcommunityconnections.org
Ceil Meade
PH: 612-627-0160
Email: ceil@youthcommunityconnections.org
Abou Amara, Jr.
PH: 612-627-0157
Email: abou@youthcommunityconnections.org
If you have any questions about YCC’s relocation, please contact Ceil Meade at ceil@youthcommunityconnections.org or by telephone at 612-627-0160.
Congress Increases Afterschool Funding for 2010
In December, 2009, the United States Congress approved an increase of $35 Million to the Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool initiative.
The total amount of funding coming from the U.S. Department of Education to Minnesota has not been finalized. However, estimates from the U.S. Department of Education have Minnesota receiving $10.89 Million in funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding.
NEW RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
Check out some of the latest research on after school, youth engagement and quality improvement on YCC’s website under latest research.
Room to Grow: Tapping the After-School Workforce Potential
The Afterschool Cooperation recently released a policy brief entitled “Room to Grow: Tapping the After-School Workforce Potential”. One of the many proposals of this brief calls for is creating a system of professional development for the afterschool workforce.
Click here for the full brief.
Archived Webcast Improving Student Achievement Through Expanded Learning Opportunities
Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Midwest at Learning Point Associates recently hosted a collaborative conversation about Student Achievement through Expanded Learning Opportunities.
To watch the full video conversation and review their resources, please click on the link below http://www.learningpt.org/rel/webinarArchive.php
Northland Foundation to Hold Information Sessions on its Strengthening Communities Initiative
The Northland Foundation is holding a meeting to assist nonprofit organizations with learning more about its Strengthening Communities Initiative and its application process.
This two-year initiative will offer capacity-building training, targeted technical assistance, and the opportunity to apply for competitive financial awards to selected nonprofit community and faith-based organizations addressing broad economic recovery efforts.
Please register online or call the Northland Foundation at 218-723-4040 or 800-433-4045.
POLICY AND ADVOCACY UPDATES
2010 Legislative Session Start Date and Priorities
The 2010 Legislative Session will begin on February 4, 2010. The number one issue to be addressed this legislative session is the budget deficit. In addition to the budget, legislative leaders have identified General Assistance Medical Care as a top priority along with a potential bonding bill which will focus on creating jobs. There has also been talk about addressing Minnesota's Unallotment Laws after a recent court ruling on the most recent unallotment actions.
State Budget
Minnesota is facing another projected budget deficit in the current biennium (2010 - 2011) in the amount of $1.2 billion, which is approximately 5% of the State budget. A $5.4 billion deficit was projected for the next biennium, 2011-2012, with other* estimates ranging between $4-8 billion.
Governor Pawlenty and legislative leaders have already begun to meet to figure out how to best address this budget deficit. Another forecast will be released in February, 2010, which will provide a better perspective as to the current economic climate in Minnesota.
Future Policy and Advocacy Committee Meetings
YCC’s Policy and Advocacy Committee will begin meeting bi-monthly in 2010. The next meeting will be held on March 12, 2010 at the Oxford Community Center in St. Paul, MN. We will NOT meet on February 12, 2010 as originally scheduled.
Session Updates
Once again, YCC is committed to providing monthly legislative session updates to its partners and stakeholders through our action alerts. You can also follow relevant legislation through YCC’s legislation tracker. All these sources of information can be found on our website, www.youthcommunityconnections.org under News and Events.
MCN Session Line-Up
The annual event allows you to hear directly from leaders of the legislative caucuses who will share their priorities for the session, identify issues which they think will dominate the debate, and give their ideas on how nonprofits can be a resource to decision makers and their staff.
Hundreds of nonprofit leaders have attended this event in the past, and many more will join this year. Get your questions on the table from the get-go! Consider staying for our free Capitol Lab training in the afternoon.
Invited speakers include: Details: FUTURE
EVENTS MnSACA - MnAEYC 2010 Annual Conference For more information about the conference, including how to register, please go to the MnAEYC/MnSACA website at: The Lectureship will feature Michelle Dagnino. Ms. Dagnino, is a young social justice activist, youth culture expert, author, lawyer and executive director of Youth Action Network (YAN). Michelle has been a youth activist since her teen years and is nationally recognized in Canada for her innovative and thought-provoking work. She promotes – and serves as a shining example of Gisela Konopka’s belief in the creativity, energy and vital contributions of young people. The 2010 celebration marks the 100th anniversary of Gisela’s birth in 1910. To honor her life and legacy, the Konopka Institute is sponsoring a reception and staged reading of “Silence Not, A Love Story” by noted playwright Cynthia Cooper. This play is based on the true stories of Gisa and her husband Paul, who find love and courage in the late 1920s and early 1930s as they speak out against the rise of Nazism in Germany during a time of economic crisis. Reception – light dinner fare and beverages: 5:00 – 6:00 PM For more information about these events, please go to the Konopka Institute website at: http://www.med.umn.edu/peds/ahm/programs/konopka/home.html Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota’s Training Institute’s Two-Day Workshop: “Elements of Effective Practice” Participants are given a chance to spend time with colleagues in the mentoring field; it also offers opportunities for staff teams to work together on program planning. Sessions include time for brainstorming and developing new strategies to implement in your mentoring program. DATE: February 22 and 23, 2010 For directions to the Sheraton, please click here. COST: $180 per participant includes 13 hours of training, two lunches, snacks and beverages, free parking, and one Elements of Effective Practice toolkit. Register 2 participants and save $50. Register 3 or more and save $100 For more information, please go to the Training Institute’s website at http://mentoringworks.org/training_institute.html The Minnesota Center for Professional Development (MNCPD) Invites School-Age Care Trainers to Attend a Two-Day Training of Trainers Trainers who attend this training will be able to provide the updated approved training to school-age care participants on the following components of the School-Age Curriculum: This training is open to trainers who have provided training using the School-Age Curriculum, those who have experience in school-age care and have trained on or taken the Effective Practices training. MNSACA Certified Trainers are encouraged to attend. Trainers must be approved trainers or be in the process of becoming an approved trainer by the time of the training event. If you are not an approved trainer, please visit http://www.mncpd.org and read the trainer approval process guide to get started. For more information see: Register by sending an email to Antonio Nava at Antonio.Nava@metrostate.edu.
There is a limit of 25 participants for this training (13 Metro, 12 Greater MN). Registration Deadline: January 15, 2010. Information about the Minnesota Center for Professional Development: The Registry will provide continued support and recognition to those who are dedicated to on-going professional development in the field. The Center supports the building of a network of trainers to deliver quality adult learning experiences in the field. You will also find training opportunities that are being offered throughout the state. The Center offers career guidance to meet your professional development needs and career advancement. Youth
Community Connections
Date: Friday, February 5th
Time: 10 a.m. - noon
(9:30 a.m. open registration and networking)
Location: Best Western Kelly Inn, 161 Saint Anthony Avenue, Saint Paul MN 55103
Directions: Directions to state Capitol
Fee: Free, but advance registration is required
Interpreter: an ASL interpreter will be provided for this event
To register:
Register online now by logging in (password assistance available) and selecting "RSVP for Free Events, Briefings and Convenings."
The Minnesota School-Age Care Alliance (MnSACA) and the Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children (MnAEYC) will be holding their annual conference on February 5-6, 2009 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre (175 W Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul, MN).
http://www.mnaeyc-mnsaca.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=19
28th Konopka Lectureship
The Konopka Institute invites you to the 28th Konopka Lectureship at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center/Neighborhood House in St. Paul, February 9, 2010.
Staged Reading of Silence Not, A Love Story: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
The Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota’s Training Institute will be conducting a training to cover best practices for mentor program design, management, operations and evaluation in an efficient two-day format.
TIME: 9:00 am-4:30 pm
LOCATION: Sheraton Midtown Hotel
January 30 10:00-4:30 and January 31 9:00-3:30
http://mncpd.mncpd.org/RegistryApp/EventDetail.aspx?EVID=18761
The Minnesota Center for Professional Development has created a Registry, a voluntary statewide program to document and recognize the professional achievements of people who work in the early childhood education and school-age care professions.
200 Oak Street SE, Suite 270B ~ Minneapolis, MN 55455
PH: 612.627.0160
WEB:
www.youthcommunityconnections.org