ICP NEWS

ICP Blog: A Week of National Service

This past week (April 18-25) has been quite a whirlwind week for service! Service was the name of the game this week as National Volunteer Week kicked off on April 18th, and brought with it a number of service events and activities in which people across the country could participate. Read more

ICP receives Summer of Service grant from Learn and Service America to engage nearly 600 young people in environmental service learning

The Corporation for National and Community Service announced in March 2010 that Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) will receive a grant from its Learn and Serve America (LSA) Program to support seven Summer of Service (SOS) program sites across the nation this summer. At $297,000, the grant makes ICP the largest LSA grantee for this year's program. Read more here.

ICP Blog: Healing the Earth with Service

As the temperature warms and the flowers bloom, allowing people to take the time to stop and smell the proverbial roses, across the world people are celebrating the beauty the Earth graciously offers. Fittingly, Earth Day always falls during this spring awakening, providing a perfect opportunity for communities around the world to celebrate the Earth and environment. With over 1 billion people from around the world gathering on April 22, 2010, to commemorate Earth Day, a great way to show your appreciation and dedication to preserving the environment is through service projects. Read more

New Talloires Network Blog:

Just last month, members of the higher education community convened in Philadelphia to discuss new ways of promoting student success. The conference, hosted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, focused on the role of faculty in the development of university students. One of the keynote speakers, Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor, gave a speech addressing how faculty and students can work together in order to foster greater civic engagement opportunities. Read more here.

ICP Blog: Come Hell or High Water, Neighbors Reach Out

Since the start of the New Year, the world has been experiencing quite a reckoning from Mother Nature. 2010 seems to be the year of ravaging inclement weather, from the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, to the "Snowmageddon" in Washington, DC, to the record breaking rain and flooding along the Northeast corridor. Read more here

New Talloires Network Blog:

In order to facilitate discussion of important development issues in Mozambique, eight universities have joined in collaboration to produce a new journal about economic, policy, and development studies. A recent article explains the journal, called "Economia, Politica e Desenvolvimento," will produce three annual issues that address topics such as participation in the democratic processes and analysis of socio-professional mobility among civil servants in Maputo. With the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), students and researchers from institutions of higher education will be able to discuss, debate, and discover ways to improve society with other prominent members of the Mozambican community. Read more here

Talloires Network April Newsletter

Update from the Chair: President Larry Bacow

Talloires Network Blog: New award announced to recognize student leaders in public service

ICP Blog: Students Exchanging Sand for Service

As the middle of March quickly approaches, there is one thing on the mind of college students across the United States: Spring Break. While infamously known as a week when college students flock southward for sun, sand, and parties on the beach, many college students are using their week off from school to do something worthwhile and serve communities in need instead. Read more here.

ICP Blog: Youth Service as a Pathway for Careers in Public Service

ICP Blog

New Entry--January 27, 2010

Young People Supporting Relief and Recovery Efforts

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, young people throughout the world are asking what they can do to help Haitians recover. Many responses to young people suggest that they can organize fundraising events to funnel needed funds to relief agencies operating in Haiti. In the immediate aftermath, securing financial support for relief agencies is crucial and a clear way young people can be contributing to the effort from afar. Click here to read more.

White House creates the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation

The White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation will coordinate efforts to enlist all Americans - individuals, non-profits, social entrepreneurs, corporations and foundations - as partners in solving our great challenges. Visit NPR for more information. The Chronicle of Philanthropy also has an interview with the two coordinators Melody Barnes who is the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Sonal Shah who is the head of the new office.

Talloires Network News, June 2009

The Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation will present the first annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship at an award ceremony on June 6 at the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France. In early May, the Talloires network reached 100 members! Click here for the Talloires Network June Newsletter and also here for more information on The Talloires Network.

Investing in Young People as Contributors in Climate Change Efforts

As momentum grows for service and job opportunities in a green economy, Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) undertakes efforts to promote engaging young people in green service and applauds the US Congress for its promising legislative support for the Clean Energy Corps. To read the full press release, click here. To visit ICP's Green Youth Service webpage, click here.

Dame Elizabeth Hoodless Awarded Alec Dickson Servant Leader Award

Dame Elizabeth Hoodless, Chairman of the IANYS Global Council and member of the Innovations in Civic Participation Board of Directors, was awarded the Alec Dickson Servant Leader Award at the 20^th Annual National Service-Learning Conference which was held on March 18-21 in Nashville, Tennessee. The award recognizes individuals who lead by example, and through their initiative, inspire and help others to grow and become more capable of service. Hoodless, Executive Director of Community Service Volunteers, Chairman of IANYS, and Member of ICP's Board of Directors, was recognized for her leadership in helping and inspiring others to serve. Click here to read more.

Congress Passes the Serve America Act

On March 31, 2009 the U.S. House of Representatives approved the version of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act passed by the Senate on March 26, 2009. The bipartisan House vote of 275 to 149 followed the Senate�s overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 79 to 19. Information on how legislators voted can be found here for the House and here for the Senate. In a statement President Obama said he looks forward to signing the bill into law when he returns from his overseas trip. Congress moved rapidly after Barack and Michelle Obama both expressed their support for the legislation and desire to see it passed. Click here for more information.

Diverse Stakeholders Gather to Discuss Youth Active Citizenship in India

New Delhi - Over 100 participants representing different stakeholder groups and organizations from across India and from Nepal, South Africa and the United States convened in New Delhi during 3-4 March 2009 for a consultation on youth development and nurturing active citizenship. To read the full press release, click here. To visit the Consultation webpage, click here.

ICP Blog

New Entry--March 19, 2009.

Stimulus funds provide opportunity to strategically build Summer of Service programs.

On March 7, 2009, the US Department of Education (USDE) released guidance for disbursing $10 billion in new funding for Title I that was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A strategic use of these funds within the USDE�s guidance includes opportunities to support Summer of Service (SOS) programs. Click here to read more.

Summer of Service Legislation Update

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act includes funding for Summer of Service (SOS) programs. Stimulus funds may be used to strategically build and implement SOS programs.Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) worked with legislative staff of Senator Dodd and Representative DeLauro to draft the Summer of Service Act of 2007, and continued to help advance support, which led to SOS being included in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The Summer of Service Act stemmed from ICP's report, Summer of Service: A New American Rite of Passage?, which details the need to engage young people in constructive opportunities during the summer months, particularly in the transition from middle to high school. The report also highlights existing initiatives of the type this legislation supports. Click here for more info.

ICP Receives Grant for Summer of Service from Lumina Foundation

Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) has received a 3-year grant of $500,000 from Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private foundation dedicated to expanding access and success in education beyond high school, for investment in the organization's Summer of Service (SOS) initiative. Click here to learn more.

ICP Granted Special Consultative Status with the UN

Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) will be building further partnerships with the United Nations to advocate for service as a strategy for development through its newly designated special consultative status to the UN. Click here to learn more.

ICP Co-Sponsors AUC Conference in Cairo, Egypt

The John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement based at the American University in Cairo, in partnership with the Talloires Network, announce �Tadamun: Toward Civic Engagement in Arab Education.� This first of its kind regional conference on the role of Arab universities in promoting civic engagement will take place in Cairo, Egypt at the American University in Cairo from October 13-14, 2008.

The two day event will launch a regional network of Arab universities by bringing together university presidents and student leaders in order to discuss definitions of civic engagement in the Arab context, the practices and challenges of implementing civic engagement programs on campus and the ways in which Arab universities can collaborate to promote stronger programs and a deeper ownership of civic engagement in the region. In discussing the above, the conference will look to South Africa as a case-study of a developing nation that has been able to make use of the opportunities afforded by civic engagement in education. The South African Minister of Education, Ms. Naledi Pandor, will speak on the impact of civic engagement on the educational sector of her country.

For more information on the conference please click here

ServiceNation Summit 11th-13th September 2008

The journey towards a unified service movement and a new America begins September 11-13 when the ServiceNation Summit commences in New York City. The Summit will bring together leaders of all ages and every sector of American society to celebrate and enact a new era of power and potential for citizen service. The summit will also aim to lay out a new bold policy outline for addressing America�s greatest social challenges through expanded opportunities for volunteer and national service. We at ICP are happy to announce that as a proud member of the Organizing Committee for ServiceNation, we will be participating in the Summit next week. Our participation is in conjunction with our vision of a �world where young people in every nation are actively engaged in improving their lives and their communities through civic participation�. We at ICP look forward to our participation in the summit and will update this space on our experiences at ServiceNation. Stay tuned!

For more information on the summit click here.

ICP World Bank Experts Meeting

Over 50 experts in the field of youth service gathered at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC on May 8-9 to discuss the evidence base for youth service as a strategy for youth development and to develop a research agenda for building the field. Click here to learn more.

Interns arrive at ICP!

On September 2nd, two undergraduate students from universities across the country joined the ICP team for the fall semester.

To read more about the interns, click here.

ICP Board Member Peter Edelman Recognized

ICP Board Member and Professor at Georgetown School of Law, Peter Edeleman, was interviewed by Tim Wells for the Legends in Law Series. Click here to read the interview.

ICP Launches New Website!

In an effort to make our website more accessible, user-friendly and dynamic, ICP has been working with our web hosting company, Orchid Suites, to redesign our website. We hope you find it to be useful. Be sure to check out some of the features of the new site including the global youth service database, Susan's blog, and updates on all our programs. Over the next month, we will continue to work out the kinks in the new site and welcome your feedback during this process. Please contact Kelly Fox, Office Manager, at fox@icicp.org with comments or concerns.

Meet Our New Development Fellow

ICP is pleased to introduce our new Development Fellow, Jean Manney. Jean recently completed her Master's in International Service through the International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership. Prior to her graduate studies, Jean served with AmeriCorps*VISTA with Massachusetts Campus Compact. As Development Fellow, Jean will focus on strengthening ICP�s organizational development through fundraising and partnership development. For more, read Jean's Bio.

ICP Recieves Support from State Farm

Thanks to a generous grant from State Farm, ICP will be working to develop an online resource center for Summer of Service programs. ICP would like to thank State Farm for their generous support of Summer of Service.

Older News and Press Releases

ICP becomes the new IANYS secretariat

Susan Stroud Testifies Before Congress