Thursday, October 18, 2007

Teamworks is Going Strong!

The most recent Teamworks program is coming along nicely with 9 people at the planning meeting for the Boys and Girls club event to be held on Saturday October 27th.

We brainstormed a bunch of activities we think kids between the ages of 6 and 13 will enjoy. Some of the ideas we came up with are baby pumpkin painting, mask making, halloween story telling, touch & feel (of funky things from spaghetti to chocolate reese's, whatever your mind can think of) and playing soccer.

We're trying to get most of the materials donated, so if anyone reading this wants to give us stuff for the event like food, candy, baby pumpkins or anything kids would like, it would be put to good use.

The next scheduled experience for the Teamworks crew is a movie night tonight at 6pm at the United Way Building called "The World According to Sesame Street." This film explores the dramas, challenges and complexities behind producing international versions of the beloved television program.


Read more!



Prospectus: U.S. Public Service Academy

Hello everyone! Today I am writing about the proposed bill H.R. 1671 and S. 960. This bill is called the Public Service Academy Act of 2007 and will create the civilian counterpart to the military service academies.

The main purpose of the bill is to construct an undergraduate institution of higher learning devoted to public service. Recent catastrophes like Katrina and 9/11 show how much our nation depends on competent civilian leadership and highlight the importance of public service. Our nation needs a public service academy to train people so they can be prepared when events like these happen.

Americans are convinced that we must improve our capacity not only to deal with future emergencies but also to confront daily challenges both locally and globally. As part of this effort, America must create an undergraduate institution designed to develop a new generation of young leaders dedicated to public service.

The Public Service Academy will bring to fruition George Washington’s dream of a national public university and will provide a service-oriented, leadership-focused education to roughly 5100 undergraduate students.

Modeled on successful military service academies, spots for incoming freshmen will be allocated by the states, following a congressional nomination process. The academic program will be based on civic education, with stringent requirements for summer internships, study abroad, and service learning. Graduates will spend five years serving their nation by working as teachers, police officers, emergency responders, and other critical public service jobs at the local, state, and national levels. Funded as a public-private partnership, the Academy will cost roughly $205 million per year to run.

National security depends on having strong civilian leadership while America faces a growing shortage of public servants and civic leaders at all levels of society. Yet, America does not offer a national undergraduate institution dedicated to developing civilian leaders. Like the military academies, the Public Service Academy will create a campus culture of service that will foster strong bonds among undergraduates committed to the same patriotic goals. With regional diversity, the Academy will be a national college that is economically accessible to all Americans and will be an inspiring symbol of the government’s commitment to public service as essential to America’s vitality.

The Academy will be the defining institution of our generation, foster the patriotic spirit of young people and channel it into public service. It will unify students from every corner of America to one campus to study, serve and lead together. The idea has won broad bipartisan support in Congress and across the nation and is co-sponsored by Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in the Senate and Christopher Shays (R-CT)and James Moran (D-VA) in the House of Representatives.

If you would like to download a copy of the petition to complete and send to congress, you may do so here.


Read more!



Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Thanks to all the Team and Orientation Leaders! :)






The purpose of this entry is to recognize all of the heroes who have signed up to be Team and Orientation Leaders!


Andy Achterkirchen
Bob Alden
Heidi Badger
Amber Burrows
Cynthia Bustamante
Melissa Camarillo
Karen Cheesman
Ron Clayton
Stephanie Culbertson
Kurt Culver
Jessica DiGrazia
Christy Dunn
Deanna Encarnacion
Brad Graybehl
Malcolm Griffin
Christina Hawley
Kim Heil
Mathew Hoang
Candice Hodge
Timothy Ingham
Dale Isaacs
Kristi Jennings
Linda Kane
Barbara Keramati
Judy Larkins
Bob Lavenstein
Eric Lee
Millie Liles
Arleen Lim
Deborah Linggi
Charlie Loach
Bob Matson
Jill Maucere
Amy May
David McClaskey
Steve Meduna
Cathy Miller
Kristin Miller
Adrian Mulroney
Lindsey Ogata
Jennifer Palmer
Marshall Peterman
Melinda Redding
Cambria Rose
Edward Rosenbaum
Ivan Ruiz
Meryl Salaguban
John Sandor
Srinivas Sarma
Brent Shintani
Lynn Smorada
Sarann Sak
Chris Spehar
Lisa Stahl
Amanda Stiffler
Maranda Tennent
Robert Thombley
Nancy Treja
Angie Valdiconza
Christopher Vanichsam
Lisa Vasquez
Joseph Weaver
Heather Wosoogh
Lissette Wuebben
Jennifer Zwicker


If I left anyone out, please email me at mmccoy@volunteersandiego.org and let me know. The service of these people will directly or indirectly affect everyone in a positive way and I invite all who are reading this to applaud their selfless donation of time and energy. Really, everyone please clap.


Also, despite the dizzying list that precedes, we still need more Team and Orientation Leaders because volunteering is becoming a way of life in San Diego! Please sign up to make a positive impact in your community by leading a team of volunteers. You may do this by clicking on this link right here or going to www.volunteersandiego.org, clicking on orientations and trainings, clicking on the course calender and clicking on the link that says, "Interested in Becoming a Team Leader?" Doing this builds community, making San Diego a better place to live and increases the net love in the world.



Read more!



Monday, July 02, 2007

Congratulations Tiveeda Stovall!

Volunteer San Diego would like to recognize Tiveeda Stovall of Excel Youth Zone for receiving the Congresswoman Susan Davis Award for Outstanding Adult Empowering Youth in Service for 2007. Tiveeda has dedicated the past four years to assisting educators and youth in service-learning programs that motivate youth to learn more effectively and to be leaders and active citizens of their communities. Tiveeda is the Executive Director and Founder of Excel Youth Zone, a non-profit that works to promote service-learning and youth leadership in the San Diego community. Her time, commitment and dedication to programs that inspire youth and their communities to make positive change is admirable and she is commended and honored by Volunteer San Diego and those that know her.


Read more!



Congratulations SAVY Leaders!

Congratulations to the SAVY Leaders for leading an excellent year of service and leadership. This year an amazing *17 SAVY Leaders* earned a Presidential Service Award for completing over 100 hours of service, 13 received the PYLI (Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute) completion certificate for the first time, 6 outstanding Leaders received the Outstanding SAVY Leader award and 1 SAVY Leader won the Bronze Medallion for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. Kudos to a beautiful and active group of students!


Read more!



Thursday, February 08, 2007

Talk back: HIPHOP Beyond Beats and Rhymes

Thanks to all who attended our screening of HIPHOP Beyond Beats and Rhymes. I think you'll all agree it was a powerful film and our discussion was just the beginning. Please use this blog to post your thoughts on the film and to share with each other ideas for how to take action. To remind you, some of the ideas we came up with in the screening were:

  • Compile a list of HIPHOP artists with a positive message and distribute to interested parties around San Diego, i.e. youth groups, parent groups, stores and cafés that play music in the background...
  • Organize your own independent screenings of HIPHOP with afterschool youth groups, special interest groups at local universities and colleges, or local community gatherings
  • Any activity that provides kids with the tools to make an informed decision about what music they listen to, or other important life choices

Feel free to throw out other ideas or get started on the ones above.

Also, please check out ITVS's HIPHOP campaign site at http://itvs.org/outreach/hiphop/


Read more!