Maine Youth Action Network

Civic Education & Service Learning

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MYAN aims to connect you with a wide range of organizations and resources on this topic. If you do not find what you are looking for, please contact MYAN.

Who's Who in Maine 

KIDS Consortium
http://www.kidsconsortium.org
KIDS works with teachers, administrators and students to involve students in addressing real challenges faced by their communities. It provides tools and training in service learning for educators and community organizations, as well as student Apprentice Citizenship leadership programs. Together they identify, research, and work to address local community needs. With guidance from KIDS, teachers match those projects to school curricula, providing a powerful “hands on” learning experience that improves the community and brings academics to life. 

Finance Authority of Maine (FAME)
http://www.famemaine.com/ 
FAME provides resources and training for students, parents and schools about scholarship opportunities, financial aid and student loans.

Maine Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC)
http://meoc.maine.edu/ 
A community service program providing postsecondary educational planning information and assistance ot adults of a low-inceoma nd/or first generation background. All services are free. 

Maine's Kick Start Campaign--Maine's College Readiness Campaign
http://www.getmaineready.com/
Kick Start's mission is to enlist and energize parents, community leaders and educators around the state to support the needs of today's students; and to motivate and educate students so they can graduate from high school with the skills necessary for a successful future.

Mitchell Institute
http://www.mitchellinstitute.org/about_mission.html
The core mission of the Mitchell Institute is to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue and achieve a college education. Each year, a Mitchell Scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior from every public high school in Maine who will be attending a two-or four-year postsecondary degree program. Selection is based on academic promise, financial need and a history of community service. The Mitchell Scholarship Program has awarded more than $5 million in financial assistance to more than 1,250 Maine students since 1995.

The University of Southern Maine Office of Prior Learning
www.usm.maine.edu/pla
The USM Office of Prior Learning provides a supportive atmosphere for students who may not have been previously involved with a traditional educational environment. It provies different testing options, credential review, military evaluations and portfolio development to smoothe the way to undergraduate academic credit where appropriate. 

Print Resources

Additional Web Resources 

Arsalyn
http://www.arsalyn.org/
The Arsalyn Program of Ludwick Family Foundation was created to encourage young Americans to become informed and active participants in the electoral process. The Arsalyn Program views the civic and political engagement of young people as beneficial to country, community and character. The Arsalyn Program is firmly committed to a non-partisan, non-issue-based and inclusive approach to ensure that voting becomes a lifetime commitment on the part of our nation's young adults.  Find information on current political issues and candidates, lots of websites about youth voice in democracy and much more.

Choices for the 21st Century Education Program
http://www.choices.edu/
The Choices for the 21st Century Education Program is a national education initiative based at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. Their mission is to empower young people with the skills, knowledge, and participatory habits to be engaged citizens who are capable of addressing international issues through thoughtful public discourse and informed decision making.

City  Year
http://www.cityyear.org/
City Year unites young people of all backgrounds, ages 17-24, for a demanding year of community service and leadership development in 17 U.S. communities and Johannesburg, South Africa.

High Five Adventure Learning Center
http://www.high5adventure.org/about/index.html
High 5 Adventure Learning Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals, schools and communities use experiential education as an effective tool for improving the way they live, learn and work together.

High 5 provides quality, affordable training for all age groups, develops and constructs ropes courses, and is an educational resource for practitioners in the adventure field seeking to expand their knowledge. They strive to promote adventure experiences that:

  • develop a sense of community
  • present physical and emotional challenge
  • improve program and technical competence
  • are fun and enjoyable
  • provide an environment of learning and discovery  

The Forum for Youth Investment
http://www.forumfyi.org/
The Forum for Youth Investment (the Forum) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping communities and the nation make sure all young people are Ready by 21--ready for college, work and life. This goal requires that young people have the supports, opportunities and services needed to prosper and contribute where they live, learn, work, play and make a difference. The Forum provides youth and adult leaders with the information, technical assistance, training, network support and partnership opportunities needed to increase the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement.

National Associations of State Boards of Education
http://www.nsba.org/site/index.asp

National High School Alliance
The National High School Alliance (HS Alliance) is a partnership of nearly fifty organizations representing a diverse cross-section of perspectives and approaches, but sharing a common commitment to promoting the excellence, equity, and development of high school-age youth.

New Online Resource from the National High School Alliance

The National Service Learning Clearinghouse
http://www.servicelearning.org/ 
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC) website supports the service-learning efforts of schools, higher education institutions, communities, and tribal nations. This website offers thousands of online resources on a range of topics, including youth & adult partnership.

Points of Light & Hands On Network
http://www.pointsoflight.org/about/
This is a national nonprofit whose core mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world. This organization is unleashing the power of people to solve problems and build communities by generating ideas, telling the story and creating new tools for making a difference.  

National Youth Leadership Council
http://www.nylc.org/
Increasing the capacity of schools and communities to engage young people in active learning and service.

PeaceJam Northeast
www.NextGenLeaders.org
The PeaceJam Foundation offers education programs based on the lives and works of leading Nobel Peace Prize winners who share their spirit, skills and wisdom with youth around the world. Through learning about the inspirational stories of these master-peacemakers and then spending time with them, youth become committed to positive change in themselves, and being a force for change in their communities and the world. Service-learning plays an integral role in all of our programs, with over 300,000 service projects completed by PeaceJam youth worldwide.

Service for Peace
http://www.serviceforpeace.org/ 
Service for Peace is an international not-for-profit organization with a mission to provide service and learning opportunities designed to increase understanding and cooperation. They help diverse groups cross barriers of race, religion, class, creed, or national origin through working together in service to address urgent social needs.

Teaching Tolerance
http://www.teachingtolerance.org 
Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance provides educators with free educational materials that promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity in the classroom and beyond. The site also contains resources on a wide variety of issues, including service learning.

U.S. Public Service Academy
http://www.uspublicserviceacademy.org/
The U.S. Public Service Academy will be America’s first national civilian university, a flagship institution designed to build a “more perfect union” by developing leaders of character dedicated to service in the public sector.

YouthBuild USA
http://www.youthbuild.org
YouthBuild USA has guided the development of an expanding national network of more than 225 local YouthBuild programs. YouthBuild USA orchestrates advocacy for public funding; guidance and quality assurance in program implementation; leadership opportunities for youth and staff; research to understand best practices; and grants and loans to YouthBuild affiliates.