Clinton teaches about 'giving back': Ex-president calls Philly kids to commit to public service
March 30, 2006
Written by Lauren Fritsky, Northeast News Gleaner
Local elementary school students worked on service projects and met former President Bill Clinton at the National Youth Leadership Council's 17th Service-Learning Conference held at the National Constitution Center last week.
About 75 students from second to eighth grade at the New Foundations Charter School, 8001 Torresdale Ave., co-sponsored and participated in the conference, which features service-learning projects and presentations from youth and adult practitioners from around the country. This year's theme is "We the People."
New Foundations is one of nine schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that receives a Youth Organized for Disaster Action (Y.O.D.A.) grant from the Institute for Global Education & Service Learning, who sponsored the NYLC conference. Y.O.D.A. is a service-learning program involves students preparing their communities for unexpected emergencies and natural disasters.
Foundations students have attended past NYLC conferences, but this year they are more involved.
"Our kids are definitely a huge presence within the conference," said Shira Woolf Cohen, director of service learning and the community care center at the school. "It's a really great opportunity."
"It's cooler in Philly," said Carolyn Donnelly, 14. "We're a bigger part of it."
"It's great just to be in Philadelphia," said first-time conference guest Eddie Portley, 14. "It's like a working vacation."
In addition to participating in workshops and professional development activities, guests get the chance to do on-site service projects.
One of the projects was painting the Friendship, Healing and Hope mural, which will be sent to an elementary school in Miss. affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Students also made 500 travel emergency kits.
The Foundations' video production team was in charge of taping the entire conference and presenting Saturday morning. And a second-grader rivaled Clinton's speech by speaking to 2,000 guests about Y.O.D.A.
"It was amazing," Cohen said. Elisha McGovern, 14, was the team captain for the Clothesline Project, which donates and decorates T-shirts for abused women. She plans to continue doing service in high school at Penn Charter Academy.
"There's a class for service-learning that I'm interested in," she said. Foundations alum Kevin Dobbins, 15, was part of the production crew.
"There's more people and workshops, a lot to learn," he said.
On Thursday night, Clinton discussed public service, calling it a nonpartisan American idea, "with no red or blue." He developed several service-learning initiatives, including AmeriCorps, during his presidency.
"This weekend I hope will sweep the world," Clinton said. "And I hope it can convince Congress not to cut the budget this year."
Clinton said recent trips to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Louisiana and previous visits to areas destroyed by the 2005 Asian tsunami convinced him that civic service is imperative today. There are, he said, many who are reaching out; he recalled when a woman approached him and gave him cash for Katrina victims.
"If there were enough like-minded people, they could change the world," he said.
The conference arrived in town Wednesday and ended Sunday. The NYLC aims to blend community service with education about real-world issues, like hunger, diversity and the environment.
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March 30, 2006
Written by Lauren Fritsky, Northeast News Gleaner
Local elementary school students worked on service projects and met former President Bill Clinton at the National Youth Leadership Council's 17th Service-Learning Conference held at the National Constitution Center last week.
About 75 students from second to eighth grade at the New Foundations Charter School, 8001 Torresdale Ave., co-sponsored and participated in the conference, which features service-learning projects and presentations from youth and adult practitioners from around the country. This year's theme is "We the People."
New Foundations is one of nine schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that receives a Youth Organized for Disaster Action (Y.O.D.A.) grant from the Institute for Global Education & Service Learning, who sponsored the NYLC conference. Y.O.D.A. is a service-learning program involves students preparing their communities for unexpected emergencies and natural disasters.
Foundations students have attended past NYLC conferences, but this year they are more involved.
"Our kids are definitely a huge presence within the conference," said Shira Woolf Cohen, director of service learning and the community care center at the school. "It's a really great opportunity."
"It's cooler in Philly," said Carolyn Donnelly, 14. "We're a bigger part of it."
"It's great just to be in Philadelphia," said first-time conference guest Eddie Portley, 14. "It's like a working vacation."
In addition to participating in workshops and professional development activities, guests get the chance to do on-site service projects.
One of the projects was painting the Friendship, Healing and Hope mural, which will be sent to an elementary school in Miss. affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Students also made 500 travel emergency kits.
The Foundations' video production team was in charge of taping the entire conference and presenting Saturday morning. And a second-grader rivaled Clinton's speech by speaking to 2,000 guests about Y.O.D.A.
"It was amazing," Cohen said. Elisha McGovern, 14, was the team captain for the Clothesline Project, which donates and decorates T-shirts for abused women. She plans to continue doing service in high school at Penn Charter Academy.
"There's a class for service-learning that I'm interested in," she said. Foundations alum Kevin Dobbins, 15, was part of the production crew.
"There's more people and workshops, a lot to learn," he said.
On Thursday night, Clinton discussed public service, calling it a nonpartisan American idea, "with no red or blue." He developed several service-learning initiatives, including AmeriCorps, during his presidency.
"This weekend I hope will sweep the world," Clinton said. "And I hope it can convince Congress not to cut the budget this year."
Clinton said recent trips to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Louisiana and previous visits to areas destroyed by the 2005 Asian tsunami convinced him that civic service is imperative today. There are, he said, many who are reaching out; he recalled when a woman approached him and gave him cash for Katrina victims.
"If there were enough like-minded people, they could change the world," he said.
The conference arrived in town Wednesday and ended Sunday. The NYLC aims to blend community service with education about real-world issues, like hunger, diversity and the environment.
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