The Journey
A newsletter for chapter advisors, chapter officers, and
regional officers.
October 2000
Issue
“Promising” Opportunities for Your Chapter
America’s Promise: The Alliance for Youth” is Phi Theta Kappa’s 2000-2002 International Service Program. In April 2000, Phi Theta Kappa joined more than 1,000 organizations, businesses and government agencies that have made a commitment to America’s Promise to build and strengthen the character and competence of our youth.
Partners work to provide five basic promises to every child: 1) MENTOR, an ongoing relationship with a caring adult; 2) PROTECT, a safe place to be with structured activities after school; 3) NURTURE, a healthy start; 4) PREPARE, a marketable skill through effective education; and 5) SERVE, an opportunity to give back through community service.
If your chapter would like to participate in America’s Promise and has not yet registered as a Chapter of Promise, please register at our web site or call Jennifer Westbrook, Director of Programs, at 800.946.9995, ext. 532.
Chapters of Promise may select one or all of the five promises to incorporate into their service program. To ensure efforts in your community are not duplicated, chapters are encouraged to work with local organizations. Below are some ready-made opportunities for your chapter to consider:
PROMISES ONE AND FOUR: MENTOR AND PREPARE
Junior Achievement, a member of the America’s Promise coalition, is a not-for-profit organization whose focus is economic education for K-12 students, helping them understand that people assume roles as individuals, consumers and workers and how they can prepare for their roles throughout their academic and professional lives.
JA’s sequential kindergarten through grade 12 programs are designed for a specific age group. There are three key program areas:
- Elementary School Program
- Middle School Program
- High School Program
Junior Achievement’s Elementary Program teaches K-6 students the basic concepts of business and economics and shows children how education is relevant to the workplace.
Junior Achievement’s Middle Grades Programs reinforce the value of education and teach students about the future economic benefits of staying in school.
Junior Achievement’s High School Programs help students make informed, intelligent decisions about their future, and fosters skills that will be highly useful in the business world.
JA’s programs are unique in that they are presented in the classroom during the school day by a volunteer from the community. JA provides the training, materials, and support system necessary to ensure a positive experience for the classroom volunteer and the students.
College students, parents, representatives from businesses large to small, military personnel, and other community individuals make up the pool of JA volunteers. These individuals present the lesson plans provided, and serve as mentors and role models to students through their one-on-one interaction. The JA classroom experience often fulfills college requirements for service learning components for students looking to enter the business or teaching fields.
To learn more about JA programs, visit their web site at www.ja.org and tour “About JA.” JA serves students in over 20,000 communities in the United States. To find the JA office nearest you, simply tour “Local Offices” for local office information.
PROMISES ONE, TWO, AND FIVE: MENTOR, PROTECT AND SERVE
Between the Lions,
PBS Children’s Series
This new series of 30 half-hour episodes, geared for children ages 4-7,
uses a combination of music, stories, live action, puppetry and animation
to help children learn to read. The series is based on a comprehensive
literacy curriculum, developed with reading and literacy experts across
the country and produced by WGBH-Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd.
Between the Lions is accompanied by an extensive educational outreach campaign designed to rally families, teachers, and community leaders around the goal of helping kids learn to read. The campaign consists of an interactive web site (www.pbskids.org/lions), a parent video on reading aloud, print materials, model outreach initiatives and the Designated Reader campaign, aimed at reinforcing the message that children should be read to every day.
For more information, contact Eileen Hughes, Outreach Coordinator at WGBH-Boston, at 617.300.3754.
PROMISE THREE: NURTURE
Children’s Defense
Fund
The Children’s Defense Fund is actively seeking volunteers to target and
enroll uninsured children in every state’s Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP). This free or low-cost health insurance plan is available
for children of working parents and covers regular checkups, immunizations,
eyeglasses, dental care and more.
Although eligibility and benefits vary, most states cover children in a family of four with an income up to $33,400 per year. Families must register for the health insurance, but the application process is quick and easy.
To help spread the word in your area, visit the Children’s Defense Fund web site at www.childrensdefense.org/signup where you will find state-by-state information as well as the name and phone number of your state’s outreach coordinator. Or call 1.877.KIDS.NOW (1.877.543.7669).
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