NEWSLETTER. VOLUME LXXXIX DECEMBER 2010

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER VOLUME LXXXIX DECEMBER 2010

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3 National Law Enforcement Exploring Leadership Academies

4 2010 IAFC Foundation Explorer Scholarships The following people are the recipients of the 2010 International Association of Fire Chiefs Foundation Scholarships. Eric Bridgman Post Jerusalem Fire Department, Jerusalem, AR. Adam Delany Post 1200 Vista Fire Department, Oceanside, CA Anderson Escobar Post 2737 Clear Spring Fire-Rescue, Simpsonville, SC. Michael King Post 0014 Clemmons Fire Department, Winston-Salem, NC Samantha Ruble Post 0104 Quincy Fire Department, Quincy, IL Learning for Life Growth Kit Available on MyBSA, Learning for Life Website contains the following documents: Learning for Life Memorandum of Understanding Exploring Memorandum of Understanding 2011 National Distinguished District Award worksheet 2011 National Distinguished Council Award worksheet Learning for Life National Accreditation Award National Exploring Excellence Award Planning charts: Monthly District Participant Growth Projections Monthly District Post Growth Projections Total District Participant Projections Total District Posts Projections Monthly Council Participant Growth Projections Monthly Council Post Growth Projections Total Council Participant Projections Total Council Post Projections

5 Tyler High School Students Begin Leadership EASTEXAS Program TYLER, TX - Robert E. Lee, John Tyler, and Premier high schools have all jumped on board the newly formed Leadership EASTEXAS program. Leadership EASTEXAS is a three part program with the mission of providing both leadership skills instruction and hands-on leadership experiences to high school students who have a shown even the slightest potential in leadership skills. Throughout the school year 70 students will 1) complete the Learning for Life leadership skills development curriculum with 16 modules, 2) complete ten hours of individual volunteer work, complete an entire service project as a group in cooperation with a local non-profit agency, and 3) attend a series of six weekend workshops at either UT Tyler or TJC campuses geared toward an introduction to college life and a professional career. Eight Tyler area non-profit organizations have agreed to accept high school students as volunteers throughout the year. The ARC of Smith County, Habitat for Humanity, East Texas Crisis Center, Karing Kitchen, The Literacy Council, East Texas Food Bank, Salvation Army, and Trinity Mother Francis Hospital have all outlined volunteer opportunities that encompass skills sets from office work to vocational skills to customer service skills. Ultimately, every volunteer walks away from a project with not only a sense of accomplishment but also, in many cases, a set of new skills, Brooke Stafford stated, and that is the intention for the students who are participating in the Leadership EASTEXAS program this year. Stafford is the Learning for Life Executive for the East Texas Area Council and responsible for securing funding from the Retail Merchants Association and East Texas Tech Prep Consortium for the Leadership EASTEXAS program. Monica Davis with East Texas Tech Prep Consortium is co-chair for this year s program. Keep an eye out for these students in the community because they will be making a difference every year for as long as the program exists! An added benefit for the students is the opportunity to take ballroom dance lessons in either swing or salsa. Those students who choose to participate will be performing in a USO show at the end of the school year as yet another way to get involved in our community.

6 Have a Safe and Happy Holiday with these Holiday Safety Tips

7 Community Colleges Make Excellent Partners to Increase Exploring Posts by Peggy A. D. Chestnutt, Director, Government Relations The U.S. Department of Education, middle schools/high schools, and even the White House are focused on the important role that community colleges play in educating our nation s youth. Last month, the White House convened the first-ever Community College Summit that emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships to help students succeed in college. During the summit, several new public-private initiatives to improve student success were announced, including a $35 million initiative by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an annual $1 million prize that will be managed by the Aspen Institute and funded by various philanthropies, including Lumina Foundation for Education Below is more information regarding the Summit. Now is a great time for you to call on community college(s) in your area and introduce them to Exploring. Discuss ways that Exploring can help students get first-hand exposure to the careers they want to pursue; and provide the knowledge students need to make critical decisions regarding their futures. Below is the list of community colleges that presently sponsor Exploring posts there s lots of room to grow. Nationwide Community Colleges that Sponsor Exploring Posts Council Number City State Name 1 Birmingham Alabama Jefferson State Community College 61 Denver Colorado Front Range Community College 157 Ft. Wayne Indiana Ivy Tech Community College, Aviation Dept. 160 Indianapolis Indiana Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana 160 Indianapolis Indiana Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana 178 Dubuque Iowa Northeast Iowa Community College 326 Omaha Nebraska Iowa Western Community College 326 Omaha Nebraska Iowa Western Community College 326 Omaha Nebraska Metropolitan Community College 326 Omaha Nebraska Western Iowa Technical Community College 326 Omaha Nebraska Western Iowa Technical Community College 368 Binghamton New York Broome Community College 397 Rochester New York Monroe Community College 488 Tulsa Oklahoma Tulsa Community College 488 Tulsa Oklahoma Tulsa Community College 560 Nashville Tennessee Nashville State Community College 591 Orem Utah Utah Valley Community College 609 Seattle Washington Bellevue Community College

8 White House Summit Emphasizes Public-Private Partnerships A common thread seemed to weave through the first White House Summit on Community Colleges: More emphasis on private and public partnerships to help students succeed in college, from providing resources to developing learning opportunities. Some 120 participants from community colleges, businesses, philanthropies and federal and state governments gathered for the summit on Tuesday to discuss challenges and promising practices to help increase the number of students who graduate from public two-year colleges. Much of the discussions focused on the importance of education to the economy. Community colleges are at the center to educate our way to a better economy, said Dr. Jill Biden, who lead the summit, noting the need for skilled workers in traditional industries, such as transportation infrastructure, to growing industries such as health care, and emerging fields, such as green jobs. The participants also received a pep talk from President Barack Obama before breaking into groups to discuss certain topics, from affordability and college completion, to online learning and industry-college partnerships. The president emphasized his national goal of producing the largest number of college graduates in the world by Reviving Partnerships During the summit, several new public-private initiatives to improve student success were announced, including a $35 million initiative by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an annual $1 million prize that will be managed by the Aspen Institute and funded by various philanthropies, including Lumina Foundation for Education. Summit participants discussed the current strengths of community college-business partnerships, such as offering flexible class schedules to accommodate working students, and offering apprenticeships and internships to provide contextual learning experiences for students. Helping Military Veterans With an expected increase in the number of returning military veterans enrolling at community colleges, summit attendees who included a few student veterans discussed the special needs of these students and how to serve them. There needs to be a system of support for students who served in the military, from helping them transition from active duty to enrolling in higher education as civilians, to providing on campus help through special services and support groups, said Heather Higginbottom, deputy assistant secretary for domestic policy at the White House, who moderated a roundtable discussion on the topic.

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