Newsbytes010705

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Newsbytes is the biweekly E-newsletter of the National Human Services Assembly that contains information for and about the nonprofit health and human services sector.

The National Human Services Assembly, working in conjunction with its business partners, can make connections between your organization and appropriate vendors for discounts (and in-kind donation conversations) on items such as first aid, medical and hygiene products, food distribution (including baby formula), construction hardware, electrical generation and lighting, bedding supplies, or international transportation. The National Assembly can also facilitate peer-to-peer conversations to help members collaborate on relief topics and shared experiences. For more information, contact pcollyer@nassembly.org.

January is National Mentoring Month and the National Assembly's Family Strengthening Policy Center has just released Mentoring as a Family Strengthening Strategy. The findings suggest that youth mentoring that involves parents or caregivers and emerging family mentoring approaches holds significant promise for strengthening disadvantaged families with minor children. Lessons learned and policy recommendations as well as useful resources are included in the brief. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Call for Practices for Brief on Family Strengthening in Youth Development
The Family Strengthening Policy Center is seeking youth development programs and practices that engage families as partners in out-of-school activities for youth as a means to strengthen families and promote healthy youth development. This information will be compiled in a policy/practice brief that will highlight emerging practices and propose policy recommendations for taking a family-centered, youth development approach to scale. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Save 20% off the cover price when you purchase this publication through the National Assembly. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Business Partners Program is a service for members of the National Assembly and their affiliates that leverages their combined purchasing power to reduce costs. Click on the logo above to see the complete list of National Assembly Business Services and Discounts. The Business Partners Program is made possible through the generous support of The UPS Foundation.

Insight Public Sector offers premium discounts on technology products and services to all National Assembly members and their affiliates. It has put together a special pricing sheet for National Assembly members for toner and ink cartridges from HP, Xerox, Lexmark, and Epson. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Organizations dedicated to service and children are uniting to form a nationwide kids' philanthropic response to the tsunami disaster. The Quarters From Kids campaign will connect the idealism and activism of children with the needs and priorities of those on the frontlines helping the people and places devastated by the tsunamis. Nonprofit organizations can join the Quarters From Kids coalition by contacting BMahdi@cityyear.org. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has created a new section on its website that provides quick access to Alliance reports on organizations involved in tsunami relief. The Alliance also welcomes relief charities that have not been the subject of an Alliance report to enroll in its new charity evaluation system. For more information, CLICK HERE.

United Way of America released its annual State of Caring Index, which shows that a growing number of Americans face increased risks despite the economic recovery. The new index reveals declines in income, difficulties in securing steady employment, and continued lack of health care coverage, but also improvements in home ownership, child reading scores, maternal and infant health, and crime rates. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Report on Replicating Model Programs

This Public/Private Ventures report draws on the organization's experience with different programs to show how to define a model's essential elements to increase the chances of successful replication. It contains lessons for program developers, funders and practitioners interested in adopting model programs. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Top 10 Health Policy Stories of 2004

Surging health care costs and their growing burden on consumers lead the Commonwealth Fund's list of the Top 10 Health Policy Stories of 2004. Other top stories include the ongoing increase in the number of uninsured Americans, continuing debate over implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act, and the prominence of health care as an election issue. For more information, CLICK HERE.

POLICYBYTES

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice has crafted a national resolution that calls for changes in state policies to significantly reduce the number of youth sent to adult criminal court and to ensure that young offenders are appropriately adjudicated in ways that enhance community safety and vitality. A growing body of evidence shows that re-offense rates increase when youth offenders are released from the adult system, as compared with those retained in the juvenile court system. National organizations can sign on to the national resolution by contacting gannon@juvjustice.org.

On January 4, Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) introduced the Child Protective Services Loan Forgiveness Act (H.R. 127), which would establish a loan forgiveness demonstration program for social work professionals in the field of child welfare services. According to Rep. Tubbs Jones, it is clear that steps must be taken now to encourage more workers to enter the child welfare services field and to improve the salaries, working conditions, and training of workers who provide these critically important services to our nation's children. Organizations interested in endorsing this legislation can contact jjennings@sos-usa.org or Tannaz.Haddadi@mail.house.gov.

Governors Oppose Shifting Federal Medicaid Costs to States as Part of Budget Process

Calling Medicaid reform the top priority for governors, the National Governors Association in a December 22 letter urged the Administration and Congress to work with governors to enact reforms that will create savings for both states and the federal government. The letter declares that reform should not be part of the fiscal year 2006 budget reduction and reconciliation process, especially if it does nothing more than shift additional costs to states. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Coalition on Human Needs and Connect for Kids have scheduled two conference calls especially intended for advocates not in Washington, DC to explain what is at stake in the budget process and how you can show the impact of federal cuts upon people in your state. The two call dates are January 11 at 2:00 p.m. and January 19 at 2:00 p.m. For more information, contact swamhoff@chn.org.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is offering a briefing for national organizations to provide an overview of the federal budget outlook, explain the budget reconciliation process as it applies to cuts in key entitlement programs, and discuss the implications of a global spending cap or entitlement cap, which is under strong consideration for inclusion in the budget. The briefing will be held on January 13, 2:00-4:00 p.m., at the National Education Association auditorium, 1201 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC.

Generations United is seeking session proposals for its 13th International Conference, September 13-17, 2005, in Washington, DC. The conference focuses on intergenerational programs, policies, and practices. The deadline is January 31, 2005. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Independent Sector's John W. Gardner Leadership Award recognizes individuals working in the voluntary sector who build, mobilize, and unify people, institutions, or causes. Anyone may nominate an individual to receive the award. The deadline is January 31, 2005. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Fellows Program to Strengthen Connections Between Youth Research, Policy & Practice

The William T. Grant Foundation is seeking letters of inquiry for its Distinguished Fellows Program for mid-career influential researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. The goal of the program is to increase the supply of, demand for, and use of high-quality research in the service of improved youth outcomes. The deadline is February 11, 2005. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Points of Light Foundation's National Family Volunteer Awards recognize outstanding family volunteering activities performed at any time throughout the past year. Families, business/corporations, nonprofit agencies, and volunteer centers are all eligible to apply. The deadline is March 4, 2005. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The American Express Foundation is seeking applications for financial education projects for underserved adult segments of society, including the newly employed, young workers, individuals moving from welfare to work, and immigrants. $1 million will be awarded in 2005 to approximately 40 nonprofit community-level organizations. The deadline is March 4, 2005. For more information, CLICK HERE.

January 12, 2005 - National Assembly COO Peer Network meeting, 10:00 am - 2:30 pm at American Foundation for the Blind, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, NY. For more information, contact david@nassembly.org.

January 20, 2005 - National Collaboration for Youth Program Group meeting, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at Boy Scouts of America, Dallas, TX. For more information, contact pam@nassembly.org

January 21, 2005 - National Assembly HR Council meeting, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm at Mutual of America, 320 Park Avenue, New York, NY. For more information, contact david@nassembly.org .

February 1, 2005 - National Collaboration for Youth Washington Group meeting, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm at National Assembly, 1319 F Street, NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC. For more information, contact david@nassembly.org.

January is National Mentoring Month. Led by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard Mentoring Project, the month focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us – individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits – can work together to increase the number of mentors and assure brighter futures for our young people. National nonprofit partners include America's Promise—The Alliance for Youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Child Welfare League of America, Communities In Schools, the Points of Light Foundation, and Save the Children. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Child Welfare League of America's 2005 Teleconference Series includes five sessions from January to May on child trauma. Specifically, they will focus on the developmental impact of child trauma; how knowledge of child trauma can enhance child welfare practice in various settings, such as schools and residential treatment centers; and evidence-based child trauma interventions that can be used to treat child sexual abuse. The subject of the first call on January 20, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST, is the impact of traumatic stress on children. For more information, CLICK HERE.

During No Name-Calling Week, January 24-28, 2005, hundreds of middle schools from across the country will take part in educational activities aimed at ending name-calling and verbal bullying of all kinds. Led by GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, with over 40 national partner organizations, the week seeks to draw national attention to the problem of name-calling in schools and to provide students and educators with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The National Academy of Social Insurance's annual conference, entitled Medicare Modernization in a Polarized Climate: Facing the Challenges, will be held January 27-28, 2005, in Washington, D.C. It will focus on key issues in the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act, such as the prescription drug benefit, the challenges of serving low-income beneficiaries, and the impact of health savings accounts. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation's 2005 Washington Nonprofit Conference, entitled Bright Ideas for Nonprofit Fundraising, will be held February 3-4, 2005, in Washington, DC. Topics include how to use alternative channels to improve fundraising efforts, and how to develop actionable strategies to meet and overcome the challenges facing nonprofits today. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The National Network for Youth's Symposium 2005: 30 Years of Reflections & Revelations in Youth Services is February 6-9, 2005, in Washington, DC. Join hundreds of youth-serving professionals, advocates, and young people to reflect on the accomplishments of the past and focus on the future of the youth-services profession. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The 2005 American Camp Association National Conference is February 22-25, 2005 in Orlando, FL. The conference theme is “Putting the Muscle in the Mission: Strengthening Skills for Life Through the Camp Experience”. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute is offering a Train-the-Trainer Seminar in Phoenix, AZ on February 23-25, 2005. This national training seminar certifies youth and adult participants to teach leadership and community service skills to high school-age students. For more information, contact lrittner@PointsofLight.org or CLICK HERE.

The nation's two largest professional associations in aging -- The National Council on the Aging and the American Society on Aging -- will present a joint conference on The Changing Face of Aging, March 10-13, 2005, in Philadelphia, PA. It will feature over 800 sessions, showcase innovative programs, foster policy discussion and advocacy, and share cutting-edge research findings. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The 2005 National Forum of the Coalition for Community Schools will be held March 9-11, 2005 in Chicago, IL. Visit successful Chicago community schools to see how they work, participate in interactive skill-building workshops, and hear from well-known senior education, community, and political leaders discussing the benefits of community schools. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The National Youth Leadership Council's National Service-Learning Conference, March 16-19, 2005, in Long Beach, CA, connects participants with service-learning leaders through three days of plenary sessions, featured forums, and service projects. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Youth Crime Watch of America presents the 16th National Youth Crime Prevention Conference and International Forum, March 30-April 2, 2005, in Miami, FL. Youth and their adult allies can find inspiration, valuable skills, prevention knowledge, and national resources in the fight against crime, violence, and drugs. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The National Mental Health Association's 2005 Annual Conference, Justice for All, June 9-11 in Washington, D.C., will bring together mental health leaders from across the country to share expertise and collaborate on strategies to enact community change, increase access to mental health services and end the discrimination of people with mental illness. For more information, CLICK HERE.

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