Student-Produced Video Contest Celebrates Healthy High Schools

What: Action for Healthy Kids^® invites students in grades 9-12 to participate in a national video contest to show how their school makes it easy to be healthy. The video contest is part of Students Taking Charge, a student advocacy program that empowers high school students to improve nutrition and opportunities for physical activity in their school.

The first place winner will receive $500, and $1,000 will be awarded to the winner’s school to support a healthy initiative. Two second prize winners will each receive $350, and $750 will go to their schools.

When: Videos must be submitted by June 1, 2009.  Winners will be announced by July 1, 2009.

Where: Contest details are available on Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/279972 (invite your friends to join!) and www.StudentsTakingCharge.org.  Videos must be submitted through YouTube.  All entries will be posted on Facebook, where viewers can vote for their favorite.  Winners will be chosen through the Facebook vote.

How: This national video contest is made possible through a $450,000 grant from glacéau smartwater^®, through the Entertainment Industry Foundation, that is supporting the national expansion of Students Taking Charge. Students Taking Charge has already been implemented with nearly 15,000 students in five states.

• Learn more about making your school healthier at www.ActionForHealthyKids.org.
• Contest details are available at on Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/279972 and www.StudentsTakingCharge.org.

Grants and awards support and motivate youth, teachers, service-learning coordinators, and youth-serving organizations to plan and implement projects for Global Youth Service Day and on-going service throughout the year. The following two opportunities are open for application until June 15. Grant applications must be filled out online at www.ysa.org.

Disney Minnie Grants (Open through June 15)
Youth Service America and Disney are pleased to offer the Disney Minnie Grants to fund children's efforts to improve their communities. These grants of $500 are for children (ages 5-14) or the organizations that engage them, to implement youth-led service projects that address the issues of Poverty, Hunger, Education, Environment, Global Citizenship, Sustainable Community Development, and Disaster Prevention & Relief.  Applications are accepted from all over the world.  Projects will take place in the months of September-November 2009. Accepting applications through June 15. Apply online at http://www.ysa.org/awards  Questions? Email MinnieGrant@ysa.org

Gladys Marinelli Coccia Awards (Open through June 15)
Youth Service America is pleased to launch the first annual Gladys Marinelli Coccia Awards to recognize two young female social entrepreneurs, ages 14 to 17, whose initiatives serve the common good. The awards of $2000 each are created in memory of Gladys Coccia, who began her entrepreneurial career when she was a young girl in West Virginia and later became a very successful businesswoman in Washington, DC.  Nominations from across the USA are welcome; special consideration will be given to nominees from West Virginia and metropolitan Washington, DC. Self-nominations are accepted.   Open period for accepting nominations: May-June 15.  To access the eligibility quiz and the nomination form, visit www.ysa.org/awards. Questions? Email coccia@ysa.org.  

First Lady Michelle Obama and CNCS Announce New Volunteer Initiative

First Lady Michelle Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced an exciting new initiative May 21 designed to put volunteers on a path to sustained service. This innovative initiative will officially begin June 22 at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service and culminate in a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11.

As part of this initiative, the Administration has launched a new online portal, www.serve.gov, where organizations can list service opportunities and individuals can find openings of interest or develop their own projects. Federal agencies will be major participants in this effort: they will be developing toolkits to assist service activities and help to track the community impact of these efforts, and officials at all levels will be engaged in service activities.

Cabinet secretaries will be hosting conference calls during the next week to share information on planned activities and areas of focus within the four key areas.

Visit www.serve.gov