COMMON GROUND CONSULTING LLC

Recommended Practices Promote Safety and Well-Being of LGBTQ Youth

The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and a coalition of child welfare advocates and experts have joined to issue “Recommended Practices to Promote the Safety and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth and Youth at Risk of or Living with HIV in Child Welfare Settings.”

The Recommended Practices offer guidance to state and local child welfare agencies to ensure safe, appropriate care in the best interests of LGBTQ children in the child welfare system. LGBTQ young people in out-of-home care continue to be overrepresented and face a crisis of rejection, neglect and discrimination. The recommended practices build on previous research and standards developed during the last decade by child welfare, social work and civil rights experts.

To read the Recommended Practices, click here. 

 

New Youth Funding Announcements

Drug Free Communities Mentoring Program

Applications are due by May 4, 2012.

Click here to access the full funding announcement.

 

Research and Evaluation on Children Exposed to Violence
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 22, 2012.

Click here to access the full funding announcement.

OVW Fiscal Year 2012 - Grants to Enhance Culturally Specific Services for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Program
Includes providing culturally specific programs for children exposed to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking among others.

Click here for more information.

OVW Transitional House Assistance for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Programs

Deadline: March 29, 2012

Click here to access the full funding announcement.

FY 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Planning Grant
Deadline: March 29, 2012

Click here to access the full funding announcement.

Serving Young Adult Ex-Offenders through Training and Service-Learning

Deadline: April 17, 2012

Click here to access the full funding announcement.

OJJDP FY 2012 Mentoring Best Practices Research
Deadline: April 30, 2012

Click here to access the full funding announcement.

National Service & the President's 2013 Budget

A special message from the President of America's Voices, AnnMaura Connolly ...

"President Obama released his FY13 budget today with some highlights, and significant lowlights, for our field:

• $1.1 billion for CNCS: 1% above the 2012 funding level, President Obama continues to demonstrate his commitment to supporting opportunities for Americans to serve their country.
• 82,500 AmeriCorps members: This maintains the 2012 member level, but is a far cry from the 170,000 goal set forth in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
• $50 million for the Social Innovation Fund: $30 million less than the level set forth in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
• Level funding for Senior Corps.
• Eliminates funding for the Volunteer Generation Fund: $80 million less than the level set forth in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
• Eliminates funding for the Nonprofit Capacity Building Fund.
• No funding for Learn and Serve America for the second consecutive year.

While we are grateful to the President and his Administration for maintaining service as a   priority in his FY13 budget, this does not go far enough to meet the demand we face from communities in need, nor from the hundreds of thousands of citizens looking to serve their country.

Over the last two years, nearly one million AmeriCorps applications have been rejected. Last year alone 582,000 applications were received for 80,000 positions.  Americans wants to serve their country, and it is becoming increasingly harder to do so, making it almost as hard to get into AmeriCorps as it is to get into an Ivy league college.  Can we afford to let national service become an unattainable path for millions of Americans?

We must continue to educate our nation’s leaders about what we know: Americans want     to serve, and our communities need their service. The release of the President’s budget is the first step in a long budget process for the nation. If we work together, and bring all of our creativity and passion to this endeavor, we can help our nation’s leaders recognize that national service is a smart investment that leverages our greatest asset, our citizens.

I hope we can count on you in the coming weeks and months as we renew our efforts to make our voices heard.

PS Voices for National Service is now on Facebook!  “Like” us and share our page with your friends!"

The International Children's Peace Prize 2012

We would like to invite you to nominate a child for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2012.

The International Children’s Peace Prize is an initiative of KidsRights and is presented annually to a child for his or her devotion to children’s rights, anywhere in the world. The goal of the Prize is twofold: it is a sign of recognition for the winners, and it also offers the winner a platform to promote his or her ideals and causes. In this way, the messages that these young heroes convey can reach a broader public, thereby making a greater impact in the promotion of children’s rights.

The Children’s Peace Prize is accompanied by an award of €100,000 to be invested in projects closely connected to the winner’s area of devotion. Nominees for the Children’s Peace Prize can come from any person, in any country, with knowledge of an exceptional child dedicated to promoting children’s rights. An independent Expert Committee assesses the applications and selects the final nominees.

This year the International Children’s Peace Prize will be celebrated around the Day of the Rights of the Child: the 20th of November 2012. We would like to invite you to inform us about the children you meet and work with and whom you feel might be a good candidate for this Prize. Any boy or girl between 12 and 18 years old who has a clear history of standing up and fighting for the rights of him/herself and other children can be nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize. It is important that the child has an active approach in accomplishing his or her goal.

KidsRights calls out to everyone worldwide to nominate a child who would deserve the International Children’s Peace Prize. The deadline for sending in nomination forms is the 1^{st of} March 2012. The nominations can be sent to [email protected]

Information on the International Children's Peace Prize.pdf

Nomination Form Children's Peace Prize 2012.doc

President Obama Proclaims January as National Mentoring Month

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

December 28, 2011

Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Every day, mentors help young Americans face the challenges of growing into adulthood.  By setting a positive example and sharing their time, knowledge, and experience, mentors play an essential role in preparing our Nation's youth for a bright future.  During National Mentoring Month, we celebrate the contributions of all those who cultivate a supportive environment for the next generation, and we recommit to expanding mentorship opportunities across our country.

At school and at home, in the library and on the field, mentors lift our youth toward their goals and ambitions.  As a teacher, a relative, or a trusted friend, a mentor's steady and dependable support can inspire a child to strive for success and instill in them the confidence to achieve their full potential.  Mentorship strengthens our American family, and by teaching enduring values like diligence and self-discipline, we make a powerful and lasting investment in our youth, our communities, and our Nation.

Across the Federal Government, we are working to ensure more young people have the opportunity to connect with a mentor.  Last January, we partnered with businesses across America to launch the Corporate Mentoring Challenge, which calls on corporations to begin or expand mentoring programs that pair children with positive role models, foster leadership skills, and put them on the path to success in school and beyond.  As part of our steadfast commitment to support our service members and their loved ones, we are funding new mentorship opportunities for children from military families.  And we are continuing to engage faith and community groups to help recruit mentors who can guide our youth in education, employment, and engaged citizenship.  For information and resources about mentoring opportunities, I encourage all Americans to visit: www.Serve.gov/Mentor.

By lending a hand and serving as a mentor, countless individuals have empowered young Americans with the confidence, inspiration, and tools to lead rich and fulfilling lives.  This month, I encourage adults to make an investment in our Nation's future by helping a child discover the best in themselves.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2012 as National Mentoring Month.  I call upon public officials, business and community leaders, educators, and Americans across the country to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

January 2012 marks the 11th anniversary of National Mentoring Month, an annual media campaign to recruit volunteer mentors for young people. Spearheaded by the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR and the Corporation for National and Community Service, this year’s campaign tagline is Invest in the Future. Mentor a Child.

 

Help An American Student Study Abroad

When I was 16, living in a little town in Ohio, I had the amazing opportunity to live overseas as an exchange student for a summer. I lived with a wonderful family in Switzerland and had the chance to travel all across Europe. That experience changed the course of my life forever. I'm really clear that the work I am doing now, had everything to do with that experience.

I know how much an exchange student gains from the study abroad experience—improved language skills, an appreciation for other countries and cultures, an increased level of maturity and confidence―it's the learning adventure of a lifetime!

The program that sponsored me was Youth for Understanding (YFU USA) and they offer more than 100 different programs in 40 different countries. Next year, they anticipate awarding 350+ full and partial scholarships for their programs!

More information is available on their website at www.yfuusa.org. Deadlines for many scholarships are rapidly approaching. If you're interested in being a participant or know someone who would make a great candidate, please email them at [email protected] or call 1.800.TEENAGE to speak with an admissions counselor.

Make Sure Your 2012 Salaries Are Competitive!

For so many of our clients, salary levels are a major issue at this time of the year and will grow in importance even more as recovery from the recession takes place. In the United States, we are fortunate to have the GuideStar Nonprofit Compensation Report. It remains the only large-scale nonprofit compensation analysis based entirely on IRS data.

As the job market becomes more competitive in 2012, you need to make sure that the compensation your organization offers is on par with your peers, without being considered "excessive" under IRS guidelines. This report gives you the information you need to establish appropriate compensation and demonstrate to grantmakers, oversight agencies, and individual donors that the salaries and benefits your nonprofit offers are justified.

At $349 for a single-user PDF, it isn't cheap, but you really only need to buy it every few years. If you're a larger organization (more than 25 staff members), it is worth the investment.

Click here to learn more and get the latest compensation report today.

U.S. Education Department Releases Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies

The U.S. Department of Education this week released an Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies, a new report summarizing current approaches in the 46 states with anti-bullying laws and the 41 states that have created anti-bullying policies as models for schools.

The report shows the prevalence of state efforts to combat bullying over the last several years. From 1999 to 2010, more than 120 bills were enacted by state legislatures from across the country to either introduce or amend statutes that address bullying and related behaviors in schools. Twenty-one new bills were enacted in 2010 and eight additional bills were signed into law through April 30, 2011.

Out of the 46 states with anti-bullying laws in place, 36 have provisions that prohibit cyber bullying and 13 have statutes that grant schools the authority to address off-campus behavior that creates a hostile school environment.

"Every state should have effective bullying prevention efforts in place to protect children inside and outside of school," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "This report reveals that while most states have enacted legislation around this important issue, a great deal of work remains to ensure adults are doing everything possible to keep our kids safe."

The first Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit, hosted in August 2010 by the Department and other federal agencies, exposed an information gap regarding anti-bullying laws and policies across the country. The summit brought together government officials, researchers, policymakers, and education practitioners to explore strategies to combat bullying in schools. To address this information gap and respond to requests for technical assistance, the Department composed Anti-Bullying Policies: Examples of Provisions in State Laws, a guidance document outlining common key components of state anti-bullying laws.

Following the Summit, the Department's Policy and Program Studies Service contracted researchers to compile the analysis on state laws and policies. In preparing the report, researchers reviewed and coded legislation and policy documents in every state across the country along with an additional sample of 20 local school districts. The report sought to address the extent to which states' bullying laws and model policies contained the key components identified in the December guidance. A follow-up study will aim to identify how state laws translate into practice at the school level.

To learn about more key findings and to read the full report, please click here.

2011 Michigan AmeriCorps Member Celebration Keynote Slides

A few weeks ago I had the chance to be the keynote speaker at the 2011 Michigan AmeriCorps Member Celebration: Be the Change! Many of the participants expressed interest in receiving the slides from that session, so they've posted them online.

The slides from the keynote session can be found by clicking here and the slides from my breakout session on trust can be found by clicking here . Don't forget there are many other resources available on the Common Ground website: www.commongroundconsulting.org.

Apply for an Echoing Green Fellowship (Updated)

This year, Common Ground is acting as a search partner for the Echoing Green Foundation. We've had the pleasure of working directly with EG for more than 15 years, as well as with several of their fellows, including George Soros who founded Building Tomorrow. We're working closely with George and his team on a strategic growth plan and just returned from Uganda, where his organization is about to finish building its 10th primary school.

To accelerate social change, Echoing Green invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions. Through a two-year fellowship program, they help their network of visionaries develop new solutions to society’s most difficult problems.

These social entrepreneurs and their organizations work to solve deeply-rooted social, environmental, economic, and political inequities to ensure equal access and to help all individuals reach their potential. To date, Echoing Green has invested nearly $30 million in seed funding to almost 500 social entrepreneurs and their innovative organizations.

Echoing Green unleashes next generation talent to solve the world’s biggest problems. Through their Fellowship program, they identify promising social entrepreneurs with bold ideas and provide them with up to $90,000 in seed funding, strategic support, leadership development, and a powerful community of nearly 500 other Fellows and Alumni.

Echoing Green is particularly excited to announce a new hands-on approach to preparing applicants from groups underrepresented in their recent classes, This is intended to help them to stand out in the application process—local developing country social entrepreneurs, U.S. Latinos, women, and African-Americans.

View the Application Questions:

The 2012 Echoing Green Fellowship application short answer questions are now available online. While the application doesn’t open until December 5, 2011, the questions and help text are available to give applicants a head start.

 

Register for a Webinar:

As part of our effort to increase the pool of talent and bold ideas we see each year, we're introducing four new webinars specifically designed for women, African-Americans, U.S.-based Latinos, and local leaders from developing countries. During these webinars, past Fellows from these communities will give advice on how to put your best foot forward.

11/29, 4:00-5:00 pm EST - Opportunities and Challenges for Local Leaders from Developing Countries in Social Entrepreneurship

11/30, 10:00-11:00 am EST - Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Latino Social Entrepreneurs

12/1, 10:00-11:00 am EST - Opportunities and Challenges for Female Social Entrepreneurs

12/1, 4:00-5:00 pm EST - Opportunities and Challenges for African-American Social Entrepreneurs

 

Click to Watch the General Information Webinar Video (Recorded 10/27/11)

Help Spread the Word

- Forward this post to friends and colleagues working in social change

- Share via Twitter: #EG2012Fellowship questions are out! Get a head start before the application opens on Dec 5. http://ht.ly/7owKg #socent #fellowships

- Share via Facebook: 2012 Echoing Green Fellowship questions are out! Get a head start on your application for social change. http://ht.ly/7owKg