One of F.I.L.M.'s main objectives is for youth to take the initiative and give back to their communities by doing a service project. The featured movies and activity guides inspire and teach youth how to reach their full potential, and the service project component is an opportunity for youth to take action. The F.I.L.M. activity guides and the service-learning supplement provide some ideas and tips for getting started with a service project. Below you will find more useful ideas and suggestions.
Service - Learning Supplement
Available for free download is a service-learning supplement. 
Adapted from Youth Service America (YSA) materials, the guide may be used in conjunction with any F.I.L.M. program. It serves as an excellent service project planning and management resource for youth facilitators and youth.
To download the free Service-Learning Supplement click here!
F.I.L.M. Service Project Stories
Valley View High School - Freedom Writers
Nicole Ramirez, a student from Valley View High School in Ontario, California, is a young woman who had a child at age 15. She was quite distraught, remembering the lessons she was taught in junior high school; teen moms earn less money, are more likely to be dependent on social programs, are more likely to abuse their children, etc. Tired of the negative stereotypes surrounding teenage moms and inspired by the students who overcame barriers in Freedom Writers, Nicole decided to create a website to encourage young mothers and let them know that success is possible. Her website includes information on all of the different options available to young mothers in an unbiased approach. To visit Nicole's website, go to www.freewebs.com/gonnagetthroughthis
Richmond High School - Freedom Writers
Inspired by the message of tolerance in Freedom Writers, Mrs. Hogg's English students from Richmond High School in Indiana organized a community event called the Changapalooza Carnival. As a class, the students talked about many different ways that they could make a change in their community. The two big issues that kept coming up were the idea of the lack of celebration of diversity and the belief that 
teenagers are apathetic to the problems of the world. In order to celebrate diversity, The Changapalooza Carnival included food, games, and music to represent several cultures from all over the world. With over 2,000 people in attendance, the carnival truly demonstrated that teenagers have the power to accomplish extraordinary things! The class has a goal of making this a yearly event for the community. To learn more about the carnival and to see pictures and a video, visit their website at www.changapalooza.com
Rainbow Corners - Bridge to Terabithia
Rainbow Corners, an organization in Indianapolis, serves youth and young adults with special needs. As part of their service project for the Bridge to Terabithia program, in which youth are encouraged to bring the magic and joy of Terabithia to others, they adopted an inner-city nursing home that serves older adults who have multiple disabilities. The participants made cards for them, sang songs, made home-made cookies and visited and talked with them. The Rainbow Corners youth are continuing their project once a month by visiting this nursing home. The nursing home residents do not typically receive many visitors because the nursing home is located in a very run-down part of town.
Girl Scout Tr
oops 486 and 533 - Charlotte's Web
Girl Scout Troops 486 and 533 of the
Montachusett Council
in
Worcester, Massachusetts completed their Charlotte's Web: Become a True Friend service project by performing a play version of the Charlotte's Web story for others in need of support and entertainment. The troops partnered with many community organizations to facilitate their project. For example, they used materials for their backdrops from Newcoor of Northboro, painted their backdrops at the Whitney Place of Northboro and rehearsed at the Unitarian Universal Church of Northboro. After careful preparation and rehearsals, they performed their play for the sibling support group for kids with cancer of Why Me, Sherry's House,
a place where kids and their f
amilies from all over the Central New England community receive the support and encouragement they need to fight childhood cancer. In addition, all of the girls baked or brought paper goods and drinks for the audience. Scholastic Books Inc. generously donated Charlotte’s Web books and posters for the kids at Sherry’s House. With the support of their parents and troop leaders, the girls' play was a huge success! To learn more about Why Me, Sherry's House, please visit www.whyme.org.
Camp Fire Patuxent Council - Because of Winn Dixie
National & Global Youth Service Day 2006 took place on April 21-23. Participants of F.I.L.M. were encouraged to complete service projects during this national and global celebration of service to the community. On Friday April 21st, Camp Fire USA Patuxent Council of Bowie, Maryland conducted a service-learning project in Berkshire Elementary School in District Heights, Maryland. Using the inter-generational themes from Because of Winn Dixie, the elementary students welcomed grandparents and elders in the community to their school. Sixth grade students opened the morning onstage with personal greetings, song, and praise for their grandparents. Grandparents proceeded to visit classrooms to share stories of their childhoods and to read books with the students. The service day culminated in a fun inter-generational lunch, just like the one Opal organizes in Because of Winn Dixie! Members of the F.I.L.M. staff were there to participate and observe the wonderful festivities.
If you have a service project story to share please send an email to liza@nassembly.org. Your story may be featured on the F.I.L.M. website and in future issues of Behind the Scenes!
We love partnerships and collaborations! Join forces with another community organization to complete your service project.
Example of Past Partnership for Because of Winn Dixie
With the past project, Because of Winn Dixie, Because of You, a partnership was formed which helped facilitate the service project component of the program. With the help of Walden Media, the National Collaboration for Youth partnered with Sunrise Senior Living centers to offer collaboration opportunities for NCY members with Sunrise Centers across the country. Through this partnership, Sunrise Centers and NCY members worked together to plan intergeneration events within their communities. Youth visited these centers and read the book, Because of Winn Dixie, to the community residents.
F.I.L.M. is happy to help facilitate the formation of partnerships with other organizations. Please contact Liza, liza@nassembly.org for assistance. F.I.L.M. continues to seek national partnerships to make local collaboration easier. Look for updates often, as partnerships happen quickly!
As youth begin their service projects, they have the opportunity to track their service hours. The F.I.L.M. project is dedicated to serving youth who serve the community. F.I.L.M. encourages all youth to track their service/volunteer hours on the President's Volunteer Service Award website, www.presidentialserviceawards.gov
F.I.L.M. is now a "certifying" organization and is able to give their own "President's Volunteer Service Awards" to those youth and/or organizations who log enough hours to qualify.
Have youth follow the steps below to start logging service hours:
1. Go to www.presidentialserviceawards.gov
2. Create a volunteer account (Click under the "Not Yet Registered" tab to the right)
3. Under the "Profile" tab, fill in "TBZ-16075" in the "Your Certifying Organization" space
When youth log onto President's Volunteer Service Award website, they can track and add service hours when needed. There is also the option of creating a group account, in which your youths' hours can be tracked under one acccount. The F.I.L.M. project will keep track of all volunteers and their hours. Awards will be given to those individuals and organizations with enough hours to qualify!
Youth Ages 14 and Under
For a bronze award, individuals should set a goal of 50-74 hours!
For a silver award, individuals should set a goal of 75-99 hours!
For a gold award, individuals should set a goal of 100+ hours!
Young Adults Ages 15-25
For a bronze award, individuals should set a goal of 100-174 hours!
For a silver award, individuals should set a goal of 175-249 hours!
For a gold award, individuals should set a goal of 250+ hours!
Groups/Organizations
For a bronze award, groups should set a goal of 200-499 hours!
For a silver award, groups should set a goal of 500-999 hours!
For a gold award, groups should set a goal of 1,000+ hours!
What are the benefits of youth logging their service hours?
For questions regarding logging services hours, please contact Liza Silverman at liza@nassembly.org.
Grants and Awards to Fund Service Projects
There are many funding opportunites for youth interested in starting their own F.I.L.M. service projects. Below are just some of the many grants and awards posted on youth service websites. They are updated daily and organized according to source and deadline. Check them out and apply today! Be aware of approaching deadlines.
The Youth Service America/Youth Venture Program is a unique partnership between Youth Service America and Youth Venture that helps youth engage in community service and develop as young social entrepreneurs. YSA Youth Venture helps make every day Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) by providing funding and support to young people (ages 12-20) who want to create new, sustainable, civic-minded organizations, clubs or businesses called Ventures. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: August 13, 2007
The Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America are pleased to announce grants of up to $500 to support youth-led service projects. These grants support youth (ages 5-14) in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Teachers, older youth (15-25), youth-leaders, and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to apply, provided that they that engage younger youth (5-14) in planning and implementing the service. Service can take place between October 1 and November 26, 2007. For more info, click here.
DEADLINE: August 30, 2007
Grants from the Foundation Center (www.fdncenter.org), RFP Bulletin
Established by Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, the Hadassah Foundation is dedicated to refocusing the priorities of the Jewish community through innovative and creative funding for women and girls in the United States and Israel. The foundation's mission is to improve the status, health, and well-being of women and girls; bring their contributions, issues, and needs from the margins to the center of Jewish concern; and encourage and facilitate their active participation in decision-making and leadership in all spheres of life. For more info, click here.
DEADLINE: August 1, 2007
Open Meadows Foundation is a grantmaking organization for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls. The foundation offers grants of up to $2,000 each for projects that are designed and implemented by women and girls; reflect the diversity of the community served by the project in both its leadership and organization; promote building community power; promote racial, social, economic, and environmental justice; have limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: August 15, 2007
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, created by the children's book author and illustrator, is accepting applications from public schools and libraries anywhere in the United States and its protectorates for program or event mini-grants of $500 each. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: September 15, 2007
AARP has announced the creation of the Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Awards. The award honors AARP's founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a pioneer in public school education. The $100,000 award will be given to a public high school (grades 8-12) in cities that have been selected as focal points for AARP's 50th Anniversary celebration. The cities are Chicago, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The prize will be awarded to a school in each of these cities in recognition of a public high school program that has either fostered greater intergenerational understanding or enhanced civic engagement between the school and its local community. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: October 1, 2007
The Saucony Run For Good Foundation , a grant program designed to encourage active and healthy lifestyles in children, is now accepting applications. Saucony, Inc., a subsidiary of the Stride Rite Corporation, is a global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: October 8, 2007
As a way to encourage the growth of health-focused youth gardens, the National Gardening Association recognizes outstanding programs via the Healthy Sprouts Awards, sponsored by Gardener's Supply. The awards support school and youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the United States. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: October 15, 2007
The National Gardening Association has announced that Home Depot has returned as sponsor of its Youth Garden Grants program. For more than twenty years, the Youth Garden Grants program has helped youngsters reap rewards and life lessons from working in gardens and outdoor habitats. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: November 1, 2007
Since 1993, Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks have recognized the outstanding efforts of K-12 students and teachers across the United States who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. The SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Excellence Awards program provides school and community groups with a monetary award, national recognition, and some well-deserved fun at one of the company's amusement parks. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: November 30, 2007
For one-time youth-identified service projects that benefit their schools, neighborhoods or greater communities. Projects must based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with ever-expanding results. Schools, churches and community youth groups (with an adult sponsor) are eligible. Youths or adults may write the application. The award is $500. For more information click here.
DEADLINES: January 15th, April15th and October 15th of each year
Do Something and GameStop are offering grants of $500 each to young people, age 25 and younger, in the United States or Canada who have a great idea for a community-action project and need support to turn their idea into reality. GameStop grants are given out weekly.
Do Something and Plum TV are offering grants of $500 each to social entrepreneurs, age 25 and younger, in the U.S. who have recently created a sustainable project, program, or organization and need funding to further the growth and success of their program. Plum TV grants are given out weekly. For more info,
DEADLINE: Rolling
The mission of the Captain Planet Foundation is to fund and support hands-on environmental projects for children and youth. The foundation offers small grants of $500 or less each, as well as a limited number of grant awards ranging from $500 to $2,500 each. For more information click here.
DEADLINES: Various
Mix It Up grants are $500 grants to support youth-directed programs and projects that address social boundaries in schools or communities. Youth must serve as decision-makers in the project, and create and implement them. Grants are sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Study Circles Resource Center. Click here for more information.
DEADLINE: Ongoing
The Chesapeake Bay Trust's mini-grants program provides grants of up to $5,000 each for projects that address one or more of the trust's grantmaking priorities. The majority of mini-grant applications are submitted by schools for field experiences and on-the-ground student service projects. However, organizations and agencies may also submit grants for small projects and public-awareness initiatives. Groups working in Maryland's portions of the Chesapeake Bay and Youghiogheny River watersheds may apply for funding through this program. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE: Open
GreenWorks! grants link PLT educators and their students to local communities. Student leadership, service-learning, and community participation are the cornerstones to GreenWorks! projects. Historically, the GreenWorks! program has funded projects up to $1000. The majority of GreenWorks! funding will be awarded to project proposals in the $250 to $1000 category. For more information, click here.
DEADLINES: October 31, 2007
The BR!CK Award celebrates young people making our world better. BR!CK Award winners aren't just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders of today. The BR!CK Award accepts applications from citizens and permanent residents of the Unites States and Canada. All BR!CK Award winners have a shot at US$25,000, international recognition, televised glory, and pro bono legal services. To apply, click here.
DEADLINE: December 1, 2007
Please contact Liza at liza@nassembly.org if you have any grant information you want to share or if you have any questions about how to apply for grants.
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