Today on International Volunteer Day: ICS Hope for the Holiday Drive Begins!

Blood drive meeting Minutes November 28 7:30-8 Advertising for blood drive Miranda, Charlie, julia, Ellie, grace, Omar, Aaron, Ahmed, and katherine (recording) December 1, 2016 | Volume 23, No. 47                             s Give Youth Volunteers #GlobalApplause and Help Them Find Their #GlobalGoals on International Volunteer Day           International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2016 is December 5. IVD is an opportunity to recognize volunteers worldwide and all they do in making peace and sustainable development a reality. Volunteers - especially youth volunteers - are essential to solving the world's biggest problems. So often, young people are eager to help, but don't know where, or how, to start helping. To help us celebrate International Volunteer Day, help us give young people a place to start helping by sharing our Youth Guide to the Global Goals, a resource that activates youth to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals using YSA's unique ASAP (Awareness, Service, Advocacy, Philanthropy) model. Get the Youth Guide to the Global Goals to share. NEWS FROM THE FIELD Give Volunteers a Round of #GlobalApplause on International Volunteer Day   We are joining the United Nations and people around the world to give volunteers much-deserved #GlobalApplause through social media. From local community volunteers to those on the frontline of natural disasters, volunteers are quintessential to humanity - the billion volunteers globally bring communities together. We also encourage you to check out the UN Online Volunteering website to find volunteer opportunities in your country, abroad, and online. Be a Joy Maker!   From November 21 - December 23, generationOn and Hasbro are teaming up for their 7th annual Joy Maker Challenge! This program gets kids and teens involved in meaningful, hands on service during the holiday season, helping them develop empathy and compassion for others and make it a season of giving! For each kid or teen who participates, Hasbro will donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots - up to 1 million dollars' worth! That means each act of kindness or volunteer service will have TWICE the impact. YSA Now Accepting Applications from Local Organizations to Be Recognized as YSA Community Partners   Does your organization work with and/or share a commitment to mentoring, engaging, or empowering young people? If so, we want YOU as a Community Partner! YSA's Community Partner Program is a coalition of organizations that share a vision of youth as leaders today and tomorrow. Receive resources, tools, best practices, and networking opportunities to strengthen your organization's work and create quality programming opportunities for young people in your community. To learn more about the Community Partner Program and apply, visit www.YSA.org/CommunityPartner GRANTS & AWARDS 2017 Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships  Deadline: December 5   LAST CHANCE TO APPLY!  If you're a student between the ages of 5 and 25 and you're finding innovative solutions to fight hunger, now is your chance to apply to be part of the next Hunger Squad. Up to five national scholarship recipients will be selected based on their ongoing work to fight hunger, with each receiving a $5,000 scholarship and a matching $5,000 grant for their anti-hunger charity of choice. Up to 20 Stop Hunger Regional Honorees will be honored with a $1,000 donation for their preferred hunger-relief charity. United Nations Democracy Fund Grants   Deadline: December 18 The United Nations Democracy Fund invites civil society organizations to apply for project funding. UNDEF supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes - including youth engagement. Grants are up to US$300,000 per project over a two-year period. 2016 Teens Dream Video Competition   Deadline: January 8   Teens, create a video that expresses your dream and states how you hope to see it realized. The dream must connect in some way to one of the United Nations Sustainable Development. This contest is open to youth ages 13-18 worldwide. The top 9 finalists - 3 in each of 3 categories - will be featured on the Teens Dream website, receive $100, and will be invited to Washington, DC (travel included) where they will be honored and introduced to organizations and contacts who can help them realize their dreams. 2017 TeenDrive365 Video Challenge   Deadline: February 23 Learning to drive is one of the coolest times for a teen. But facts have shown it can be extremely dangerous. You have the power to inspire your fellow teens, maybe better than a teacher or a parent can, because you know what messages will be the most powerful. Create a 30-60 second video for your fellow teen drivers that highlights the importance of safe teen driving and you could win $15,000, or one of 14 other prizes!     STORIES OF SERVICE Everyday Young Hero: Riley Gant Riley Gant (16, Los Angeles, California) combined her love for school with her passion to create things, and founded Rainbow Pack to help ensure that elementary school students experiencing poverty have the necessary supplies for doing homework and attending classes.  Riley was 10 when she realized that there were students in her class that did not have the same financial opportunities as her to purchase school supplies. When she heard a little girl say that she didn't have something as simple as crayons, Riley decided to take charge. She believes that crayons, as well as other school supplies, are an absolute must for every child to be happy and be productive learners at school. When Riley started Rainbow Pack 6 years ago, she raised funds for 360 backpacks with the school supplies for all the Kindergarten and 1st grade students at a local elementary school. Riley is working to lobby the Los Angeles School District to fund supply homework kits for any student in need on a regular basis. Until then, Riley has collected over 5,000 Rainbow Packs at 6 different schools and at a foster program. People Magazine: Detroit Teen Builds Libraries and Friendships While Helping His Community's Homeless Caleb White was six years old the first time he saw a homeless person sleeping on a sidewalk on a winter's night in downtown Detroit. That small moment on a chilly night seven years ago has now become a community-wide effort to help Detroit's homeless through the Caleb White Project. The charity donates backpacks full of school supplies to children in need, holds Christmas parties for homeless veterans and game nights for kids, donates hundreds of boxes of warm clothing in winter months and has opened small libraries in all 10 of Detroit's homeless shelters to "give people a place to escape for a while." RESOURCES & TRAININGS This guide is the result of a collaborative effort by YSA, Newman's Own Foundation, and Everyday Young Hero

SERVICE SONG OF THE WEEK "I Am A Patriot" - Jackson Browne  "And I ain't no communist And I ain't no capitalist... And I ain't no democrat And I ain't no republican I only know one party And it is freedom I am a patriot and I love my country Because my county is all I know... And the river opens for the righteous, someday." The complete Service Songs of the Week playlist from 2012-2016 is at  http://bit.ly/servicesongs   he Leader: PBL, National Service-Learning Conference news Volume XIII, Issue 20, December 2016 View this email in your browser Upcoming Events Reflection: A Webinar! Why is reflection a vital part of the service-learning process? NYLC's Hannah Reece will drop some knowledge. Monday, December 19 5:00 p.m. CT No registration required. https://youtu.be/CQO2vmdco5E Dare to Dream 28th Annual National Service-Learning Conference® March 22–24, 2017 Disneyland® Resort Anaheim, CA servicelearningconference.org Deadlines for youth emcees, National Service-Learning Awards, and early-bird registration are fast approaching! From the Field Seeking Program Leaders Dedicated to Cross-Cultural Learning The Center on International Educational Exchange is looking for teachers, counselors, coaches, and other leaders to join curious and motivated high school students in an international education adventure. » Learn more about this opportunity. Pennies for Peace Pennies for Peace® is a fun, easy, and free service-learning program that brings cultural and philanthropic education to students and educators all over the world. » Get started today with a free toolkit and curriculum.