Peace Begins with Me connecting to We the world!

Casady Service-Learning will be participating in the 11 Days – 11 Ways Campaign! Motivate to act on issues of social justice, civic responsibility, and peace.

If you have any programs, events or actions, please post them on the Global Unity Calendar at http://www.globalunitycalendar.org/.  The WE Campaign & The United Religions Initiative: http://www.we.net/, http://www.uri.org/


Focus Area(s)
Theme 1 – Unity,
Theme 3 – Environment,
Theme 8 – Human Rights,
Theme 11 – The International Day of Peace, Values, Ethics and Spirit
Peace, the heart of service

YAC Peace begins with me: September 11-September 21 (At Brainstorming stage)
1. Encourage Random Acts of Kindness daily
2. Provide quotes for a Better Life at daily announcements
3. Share JASO Anime Peace Movie: September 10 On a Paper Crane
4. Share JASO Anime Peace Movie: September 17: Paper Crane making
5. International Day of Peace : Pinwheels for peace making in Primary and Lower divisions, International Club MD, language and art classes Upper division
6. Plant a tree following ENO School guidelines 100 million trees by 2017
7. Interfaith, intergenerational volunteering at a non-profit on September 11.
8. International Day of Peace chapel speakers (Jeremy, Brannan, etc)
9. Volunteering with STUCO and YAC wherever they select
10. Volunteering at Boys and Girls Club and Britton Elementary
11. Volunteering at Vineyard and Canterbury

Possible Skype with Jeremy Gilley, September 7th, 10:00 a.m. Central Time


Free educational resources: http://content.yudu.com/A1mxln/podusaeduresource/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=  (Udd....)

YOUTH LEAD OKC Brainstorming
Dear Friends: I am amazed about the work Youth LEAD is doing. Please see the two videos and read the attached information. I look forward to your feedback. Carmen Clay. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freedom-to-believe-or-not/id400203724?i=93295891  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhhb82o0JmI&feature=player_embedded  and read the below information.

1. An introduction to Youth LEAD: Inspiring and mobilizing youth leaders to reflect upon their values and beliefs, connect with others across differences, and act together to address local and global challenges.


2. A summary of trainings:  Training Goals and Objectives: Youth LEAD provides eight day-long skill sessions:

1. Communication (two modules)
2. Facilitation (three modules)
3. Project Management (one module)
4. Mentorship (one module)

Communication Module
Goal: To strengthen respectful communication among youth.
Objectives:
· Actively listen to the life experiences of others
· Respectfully communicate issues relating to their own identity
· Recognize common stereotypes, as well as their own personal stereotypes
· Identify challenges to pluralism in your own community

Managing Difficult Conversations Module
Goal: To learn new ways to respectfully engage in difficult conversations.
Objectives:
· Learn how to craft questions and other communication tools that invite people to communicate something new, rather than the “same old argument”
· Practice using these tools with “real life” examples
· Understand the definition of dialogue
-  Know when it’s helpful to use it
- Learn how it works
- Understand how the goals of dialogue differ from debate or just talking

Facilitation Module
Goal: To learn to facilitate modules and presentations.
Objectives:
· Speak comfortably in front of a group while facilitating activities in a professional manner
· Give and receive feedback in a self-affirming way
· Develop workshop templates and establish goals
· Lead small group discussions
· Use your personal story to connect with your audience

Advanced Facilitation Module
Goal: To learn advanced skills to lead modules.
Objectives:
· Facilitate modules and dialogues with relative ease
· Recognize and handle road blocks or difficult participants
· Give helpful feedback to others and utilize self-reflection

Dialogue Facilitation Module
Goal: To learn facilitation skills to lead structured dialogue.
Objectives:
· Understand facilitator role
· Review dialogue principles and qualities of well-crafted questions
· Practice setting up, running, and de-briefing a dialogue
· Monitor group process

Project Management Module
Goal: To develop skills essential to creating and implementing programs that cultivate pluralism.
Objectives:
· Generate a complete vision
· Create a detailed plan and execute that plan from start to finish
· Monitor progress and generate alternate plans when needed
· De-brief project successes and failures

Mentor Module
Goal: To provide adult mentors with tools to support teens.
Objectives:
· Prepare work plans and other strategic planning tools
· Turn difficult situations or “failures” into growth moments
· Strengthen active listening skills and recognize assets in all youth leaders
· Support the process without controlling the outcome


3. Links to the TIDE conference video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhhb82o0JmI&feature=player_embedded  In May,130 people gathered at TIDE 2011, including one teen active in the Orange County Interfaith Youth Forum. He presented a brilliant workshop on Sikhism. Our vision is that teens from all over the country will present workshops, either on their faith tradition, service projects, or other identity related involvement.

I have additional information about program outcomes, including projects created by teens following pilots we conducted on Staten Island, NY and the Islamic Center of New England, but didn't want to overwhelm you with too much information. Let me know if you'd to know what other youth have created after taking part in the trainings.

I look forward to speaking with you again, hopefully with Joan and some youth after you've had a chance to talk together.

Janet Penn, Executive Director, Youth LEAD ~ Youth Leaders Engaging Across Differences, http://www.youthleadonline.org/. janet@ifaction.org, +1 781-784-0651,
"Reflect, Connect, Act"