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April 3, 2012 | A Reader Says "Stop Using Attack Language"
There are a few April Fools treats in this issue - we hope you enjoy them! Moving on from funny to fact, we bring you true stories from young people about their health care - Young Invincibles' answer to the myth-based hypotheticals apparent in the Supreme Court oral argument sessions on the health care law.
Here's another way to ignore or shut down youth voices: The New York Times reports that Florida's new voter registration law has led Rock the Vote to skip Florida in its national campaign to register young voters so as not to risk fines for volunteers.
This report caused a stir in our office - real-time numbers! The Coalition on Human Needs' analysis finds that the automatic budget cuts mandated to take effect January 2013 by the Budget Control Act of 2011 will severely damage human needs programs ranging from education to nutrition to job training. Given the Kids Share report on how important public funding is for low-income children and families, CHN's predictions of cutbacks take on even more urgency.
Also in this Update - a thoughtful response from a reader who takes exception to my language in last week's edition.
Share your reactions, ideas and experiences with us! Jan@sparkaction.org
Onward,
Jan
We heart feedback! Email jan@sparkaction.org
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Could it be? Yes, it could! Something's coming, something good, if we (& Jon @BonJovi) can wait! Get ready for #sparkopportunity next week!
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Connect with SparkAction!
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| New on SparkAction: Featured Blogs
Reconnections: "Stakes is High"
 Like the refrain of a song, old systems of discrimination reappear as opportunity gaps. Kwesi Rollins, of The Institute for Educational Leadership, takes a lyrical and literary look at how notes from the past reverberate today.
This blog is part of the Reconnections blog series on disconnected youth, produced in partnership with the Forum for Youth Investment, United Way, First Focus and the Campaign for Youth.
Staci Smith, Social Work graduate student at the University of Alabama, shares her thoughts from last week's rallies in front of the Supreme Court.
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| Youth Voices & Concerns
Deciding Health Care - Fact or Fiction
Responding to some Justices' hypotheticals in the Supreme Court's oral arguments about the health care reform law, Young Invincibles speaks back with some facts from real people.
New Voter ID Laws Impeding Voter Registration Drives
The New York Times reports that Rock the Vote is pulling Florida from its voter registration campaign, fearing fines for its volunteers because of the new Florida voter law.
Trayvon Martin Movement
Here is a "leaderless" site, inspired by the multiple reactions to the #plan4trayvon youtube video, to follow the activism, art, and activity of the emerging Trayvon Martin Movement.
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A cornerstone of federal financial aid, the Pell Grant program has helped millions of students, but the program is on a perilous path. If you can't make it to a live April 11 event to hear from young people about how to improve the Pell Grant program, check out the Education Sector's summary on the challenges to sustaining this federal college financial aid program.
A reader working with immigrants in New York City says this tool helps young immigrants write their story clearly to support their visa and/or green card applications.
The White House is ramping up its community youth summits. Juvenile justice advocates say this is a good opportunity to encourage youth to sign up and talk about the importance of JJDPA reauthorization.
- Los Angeles, CA - April 26 (California, Nevada, Arizona)
- Denver, CO - April 30 (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico)
- Chicago, IL - May 11 (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin)
- Boston, MA- May 24 (Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire)
- Dallas, TX - June 22 (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas)
- Seattle, WA - June 29 (Washington, Oregon, Idaho)
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| Opportunity Knocks
Points of Light reports that applications are due April 13, 2012 for the American Express Leadership Academy, offering 24 emerging leaders an opportunity to participate in a marquis leadership development program. Submit questions to Jeannie Blocton Bell
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Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism on Children and Families
Did you write, report, produce, shoot, or create a powerful piece of journalism/media in 2011 about the lives of children and families in the U.S? Did you hear, see, watch or read such a report? Reporters can apply for a 2012 Casey Medal from the Journalism Center on Children & Families, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Youth Media is a new category this year. Deadline: April 20, 2012.
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| Winner and Losers in State and Federal Budgets
How Targeted Are Federal Expenditures on Children?
Part of the Kids' Share series, this Urban Institute and Brookings Institution report examines 2009 data to analyze how federal and state governments allocate public funds to children based on their families' incomes. While a majority of public dollars go to low-income children in "means-tested" housing, hunger and health programs, education spending is more evenly split among income groups. The report concludes that low-income children are especially vulnerable to further reductions in federal spending.
Self-Inflicted Wounds: Protecting Families and Our Economy from Bad Budget Choices
CHN charts the impact on low-income children and families of the 2011 Budget Agreement's automatic cuts, due to go into effect in January 2013, unless Congress makes changes. The report includes data on state by state cuts.
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| Improving Learning - In and Out of School
Small public schools in New York City are closing gaps, increasing graduation rates, and improving college readinessfor virtually every subgroup, according to MDRC's rigorous evaluation.
Playing Smart
Although many communities informally agree to share school playground facilities, a well-crafted joint use agreement can help things go smoothly - from coordinating scheduling and staffing to handling maintenance and the possibility of injury. Here's a nuts-and-bolts guide to opening school property to the public, developed for school staff and other community leaders.
 A good-quality after-school program can help cut dropout rates. This new United Way Worldwide resource is offers community coalitions a systemic approach to improving program quality, access, sustainability, data collection and evaluation, and alignment and coordination.
You see it all the time: ambitious state "action plans" gathering dust on their shelves. Harford County, Maryland is proving the exception to the rule. Read how this county is using a state plan to guide change.
Alliance for Excellent Education
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| Smarter Messaging
Last week a reader emailed me an impassioned response to my reporting on attacks on women's health care centers. Her response helped me understand how my choice of words might be counterproductive. She gave me permission to share her thoughts with you:
"Can you direct the buzz word users away from 'under attack'? I find sentences that start with nouns and do noun verb noun work well when everything else fails:
"Young women without health care still need birth control. Health Clinics that provide them are losing funding and congressional support". "School health clinics are closing." "County health departments are no longer affordable."
"'Attacks' are turn offs - by nature panic words. We can't stay in heightened alert without becoming desensitized to the next 'attack'. I am counting on you!"
What do you think?
SparkAction's Action Center has information and tools for smarter communications, along with action alerts and funding opportunities.
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| Keeping Children Healthy and Safe
Protect Children, Not Guns
Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, also known as the "shoot first, ask questions
later" law, is now under national scrutiny. But will it and other laws be changed to protect children
rather than gun owners and gun sellers? The Children's Defense Fund analyzes the data of gun injuries and deaths from 2008 and 2009 and identifies commonsense gun safety measures for families and the nation.
Great American Bake Sale
16.2 million children in America are at risk of hunger - more than 1 in 5. Help end childhood hunger on Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2012) by participating in Share our Strength's Great American Bake Sale.
New Clean Air Standards for Power Plants
The League of Conservation Voters urges public support for new standards proposed by the EPA to curb harmful pollution from power plants.
PASS Awards Honor Keith Hefner
The National Council on Crime Delinquency PASS Awards (Prevention for a Safer Society) honor those who do a great job of bringing America's attention to our criminal justice, juvenile justice, child welfare, and adult protection systems in a thoughtful and considerate manner. Among this year's winners is a good SparkAction friend - Keith Hefner! |
| A Little April Foolery ...
We couldn't let April Fool's Day go by without a little bit of fun.
Children in America: A Pie-ful Update
Child Well-Being in America for Dummies, a new guide for policymakers, advocates, and all Americans features common sense information about the state of children in the U.S. This short presentation of pie charts lays out some important, easy-to-throw-out-in-a-debate facts for your everyday use.
 Papa-, Paparazzi
We caught up with some of the country's biggest names as they showed their support for SparkAction, our work, and our staff. Check out "photos" of our encounters with celebs in the field on our Facebook (but really, some of these actually happened!). Can you name those stars?
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Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
SparkAction and the Forum for Youth Investment
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