Out of Poverty

Challenges for Pennsylvanians Transitioning Out of Poverty: Research & Policy video teleconference

Learn more about the barriers to Pennsylvania’s low-income individuals retaining work, Pennsylvania’s migrant youth’s expectations for their future, and current Department of Welfare’s changing policies that are impacting Pennsylvanians. The research and policy implications that will be presented are Pennsylvania based. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about diverse clientele groups living in Pennsylvania.

Poverty & Place: Facilitating Successful Transitions into the Workplace
Jill Findeis, Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics & Demography

Pennsylvania’s Hispanic Youth’s Challenges to Achieve Their Dream
Jill Findeis, Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics & Demography; Tasha Snyder,
Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology & Demography; and Leif Jensen, Professor of Rural Sociology & Demography

2006 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) Impact Upon Pennsylvania’s DPW Programs
Cheryl Davis, Director of Bureau of Employment and Training Programs, Pennsylvania
Department of Public Welfare

For more information, contact: Natalie Ferry, D.Ed., Penn State Cooperative Extension, (814) 863-6150 or nmf3@psu.edu

Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams

Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams

No more Excuses for Me! ...jim

"It took us three years," says Adrian's teacher, George Rehmet, of the amount of time they spent trying to locate a place on Adrian's body that would allow him to communicate using a computer. This particular computer has pictures tailored especially for Adrian: photographs or pictures of friends and family, including his baby sister, Alexis, and pictures or words depicting situations or events he would like to write about, such as the weather, trips with family, and meal preferences.

Money, Love and Responsibility

Your Money Counts
------------------------------------
Sunday, October 29, 2006 - 12 PM to 4 PM
St. Benedict the Moore - Social Hall
91 Crawford Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219

Adult Financial Literacy Workshop

There is NO registration fee for the workshop and
lunch will be provided for FREE!


PRE-REGISTRATION FORM
+++ 3 ways to Pre-register

* By faxing a form to Your Sister's Project, Inc. (412) 227-0922
* By Calling Your Sister's Project, Inc. at (412) 288-2501
* By e-mailing: YurSisterProject@aol.com

Pre-Registration ends Oct. 26, 2006***
Free Gift Card to the first 27 participants who Pre-register by Oct. 26, 2006.

See recent photos from a Your Sister's Project seminar at: http://flickr.com/photos/jimuleda/
**Photos compliments of Your Sister's Project - 23 Oct 2006.

Allegheny County Community Seminar

Groveton Village Community Seminar

No-Cost Transitions Seminar
October 23rd thru 26th, 2006
11am to 1pm-Mon-Tues-Weds
8am-12noon-Thurs ONLY!

Groveton Community Center
511 Groveton Drive, Coraopolis, PA 15108
Phone:412.279.2888---Fax:412.429.2014

--Jobs, Work Readiness & Careers.
--CCAC Courses
--YOUR SISTER'S PROJECT--Financial Literacy
--Self-Assessments
--Challenges to Success
--Work Acquisition/Maintenance Strategies

26 OCT 2006-Thursday--
Bidwell Training Center--

--Academic Assessments & Campus Tour

Contact:
Barbara Baulding ACHA- 412-402-2523
bbaulding@achsng.com

Wives in Danger from Gun Toting Culture

AlterNet: Wives in Danger from Gun Toting Culture

At later gun shows, I started to pay more attention. Were ex- wives and their demands a threat to some guys at the gun shows? I frequently saw books for sale at the shows such as The Predatory Female by Rev. Lawrence Shannon, whose field guide to dating includes a set of tactics to undermine the supposed Gestapo power of women who rule the divorce and child-custody judicial system. In a radio interview, Shannon said that "victims of the predatory female are strewn all over the nation, writing alimony checks, recovering from gunshot wounds, treating cat scratches, trying to see their children, paying attorney's fees, picking through the detritus of their lives, and struggling to recover from ruined years." The Predatory Female is a collection of warnings about women who prey on the feelings and bank ac- counts of unsuspecting men. Female predators have their eyes on one thing alone -- money. They marry and divorce to get alimony. They use emotions of love, trust, and care to undermine the sacred contract of marriage. They are the new scourges of secular life, hunting down unsuspecting men to get bucks and tear out their hearts.

The Network on Transitions to Adulthood

The Network on Transitions to Adulthood

A new Network book, The Price of Independence: The Economics of Early Adulthood, is in the works. Network members Sheldon Danziger and
Cecilia Rouse have asked economists to examine the economic situation of today's young people. The book will include chapters on:

* Job Stability - Does job churn delay the transition to adulthood?
* Housing Costs - Do housing costs delay the transition to adulthood?
* Earnings and Wages - Do lower paying jobs force youth to move back home?
* International Perspective - Are U.S. young adults alone in staying home longer?
* And more...

Check out the Network website to catch a sneak peak at the chapters.

Chapters, policy briefs, and summaries

A+ Schools

A+ Schools


Community Forum on Charter Schools

Mark your calendars now! A+ Schools is sponsoring a Community Forum on Charter Schools to be held on Tuesday, November 14th (please note change of date) at Bidwell Training Center, 1815 Metropolitan Street from 6-8:30PM.

Please share this information with your friends, family co-workers and make plans to attend this event.

Join us for a discussion of the process by which charter schools are established; the state laws that govern that process; the process for funding charter schools, and how it might be improved;
and the relationship between charter schools and local school districts in Pennsylvania and how that relationship can be improved to benefit all students.

Sing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra!

From: Lauro, Maria
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 10:46 AM

Subject: Sing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra!
Importance: High

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is returning to Wilkinsburg High School on Saturday, November 4 at 7PM. The theme of this year’s concert is “Anthem of Praise.” Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $3 for students in K-12, and can be ordered by calling Maria Lauro at (412) 871-2125.

Covenant Church of Pittsburgh, which is located in Wilkinsburg, will be singing with the Orchestra. Any member of the community who enjoys singing is welcome to join the choir. There are no auditions -- all you need is the desire to sing to the best of your ability with one of the greatest orchestras in the world! The choir will perform two numbers at the end of the concert.

Choir members *must* attend *all* of the following 3 rehearsals:

REHEARSAL 1: Thursday, October 19, 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Covenant Church of Pittsburgh at 2110 Andrew Drive, in the sanctuary. A mapquest map and directions to this location can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/pwev9

REHEARSAL 2: Thursday, October 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Covenant Church of Pittsburgh at 111 Wood St.- in the sanctuary. This location is at the corner of Wood and Wallace, near 718.

REHEARSAL 3: Wednesday, November 1 6:30-9:30 PM (Location to be determined.) The final rehearsal is with Maestro Daniel Meyer and the entire PSO. They are rehearsing several choirs that evening, and cannot rehearse at Heinz Hall. As soon as their operations department has secured a location, we will let you know.

Dress for the choir will be all black. Women may wear pants, although dresses are preferred. The men will be wearing black shirts with red ties.

If you are interested, please contact either Maria Lauro at (412) 871-2125 or Lois Clark at (412) 371-9504 ext 2717, or just show up at the first rehearsal!

The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog: War on Drugs Victimizes Women

The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog: War on Drugs Victimizes Women


October 10, 2006
War on Drugs Victimizes Women

War on Drugs victimizes women
By LOIS AHRENS
Op-Ed- Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA
We live in Orwellian times. We are asked to believe that the peacekeeper missile delivers peace and declaring war on a nation will bring democracy.

Now Sally Van Wright, soon to be assistant superintendent of the Hampden County House of Correction, a new jail for women, states ''We incarcerate to set free.''

Despite the beliefs of jailers, when the public is polled, as they were in a study by Peter Hart (''Changing Public Attitudes Toward the Criminal Justice System,'' February 2002), they say incarceration cannot solve the deep social and economic problems that drive crime, nor is criminalizing addiction more viable than treating it as an illness.

Jailing women does not set them free. It also drains money from programs that could treat drug addiction, prevent and treat childhood sexual abuse, and fund quality education.

Philanthropy News Digest Message Board: Fee Structure for Consultants

FROM: Philanthropy News Digest Message Board: Fee Structure for Consultants

Fee Structure for Consultants

Posted by cwoods on 9/27/2006, 8:29 am

An alum of the University in which I serve as Assistant Director for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has asked me to assist him in identifying resources/research for establishing fee structures for those programmatic advisors who offer their expertise to advance the goals of the nonprofit action agency in which he works. He made it clear that these advisors are not the Board, but rather collectively work on one of the organization's programs.

I suggested he look at the IRS regs and the fee structure they have established assigning a minimum dollar amount/hour for "volunteer" time. This figure, approaching $19/hour, is often used to calculate in-kind match requirements for grants, as well as being used in some financial reporting.

However, in terms of hourly rates applied to various expertise/skillsets, I am not certain how to advise and have come up with little. I do believe his organization should consider hiring an HR consultant with nonprofit backgrounds to tackle this project, as they would be more inclined to consider regulations that are tough in the employee/consultant differentiation as well as ethical implications, etc.

Do any of you have any experience in these areas or do you know of someone who has had similar experiences? I am hoping to identify people who have worked with professionals over and above fundraising.

Thank you for your time!

Pop City - Pittsburgh to host 2,500 for National Preservation Conference

FROM:Pop City - Pittsburgh to host 2,500 for National Preservation Conference

On October 31-November 5, Pittsburgh hosts the National Preservation Conference, the country’s premier educational mechanism for historic and community preservation.

Presented by The National Trust for Historic Preservation, with support from partner Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), the event presents strategies for protecting and restoring historic structures and communities.

“We’ll have planners, advocates, preservationists, municipal officials and leaders in community revitalization from across the county,” says Cathy McCollum, PHLF’s chief programs officer.

Over 2,500 participants are expected to attend fifty educational sessions to learn from best case studies and approaches. Author, historian and Pittsburgh native David McCullough will present the keynote address.

PodCamp Pittsburgh

PodCamp Pittsburgh


PodCamp Pittsburgh is coming - on Nov 10-12

This will be the second in what's become a growing number of PodCamp "un-conferences" around the country. This is a free grassroots event dedicated to sharing information and ideas regarding blogs, vlogs, audio and video podcasting and portable media in general.

The event is free to attend, and all sessions will be developed and carried out by the participants rather than the organizers.

Pop City - Development News

Pop City - Development News

with each edition of this weekly journal i wonder why some traditional media don't just fold their tent and quietly disappear into the night.

from the Desk of Nicola Jones

Certified or Degreed Medical Assistants, Medical Billers and Medical Front Office associates needed for temp; temp to perm: and direct hire positions.

You must have one year of experience in either a clinical or healthcare setting to be considered.

Salary $10.00 plus, depending on experience.

We have multiple positions available for professional, eager candidates.

Fax resume to 412-325-2748 or
email resume to: njones@countymedicalstaffing.com

After sending your resume please call Nicole Jones at 412-325-2746 to schedule an interview.

The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog: Hurricane Recovery & Women- a new report

Before Katrina, fifty-six percent of families in New Orleans were not two-parent but female-headed, single-parent households with median annual income of just $16,450-notching them below the federal poverty line. The Institute for Women's Policy Research recently found that women represent more than 90% of prime-age American workers (age 26-59) who average low earnings over 15 years. For many of Hurricane Katrina's female survivors, the loss of their home meant the loss of a home-based business as well.

Attempting to turn around their lives' upheaval, Hurricane Katrina's survivors are hoping for better prospects than they had before. The women's funding movement has set out to help make this a reality.

Throughout the South and in other parts of the country, women's funds are delivering resources to create sustainable economic opportunities and to reverse social injustices as the centerpiece of long-term relief for the direct impact of the disaster.
The role of the women's funding movement in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath is to identify the ways in which women and girls are impacted, and to make them integral to the disaster recovery and rebuilding of their communities.
Thirty years of partnership with grassroots women puts women's funds in a crucial position to funnel support to local activists dealing with economic and social justice issues as well as the long-term reconstruction effort...MORE

Home-Health Aides Struggle

Home-Health Aides Struggle
With Low Pay, Lack of Benefits
By Kristen Gerencher

From MarketWatch

Home health worker Merlin Willis looks on the bright side as he helps disabled and elderly people with dressing, bathing, food shopping, light housekeeping and feeding.

"In general, it's a decent job," said Willis, 55, who works for San Francisco's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, which helps low-income Californians remain in their homes. "You don't have a boss hanging over you every five seconds. You meet interesting people and you're making a difference."

The little things -- when a patient begins to walk on his own again or says a heartfelt thank you -- go a long way toward making the job satisfying, he said. But the flip side can be intense, such as when an unstable patient doesn't want the intrusion.

"I've been in the position where I've had knives pulled on me, bottles thrown at you," Willis said. "You do get clients that have drug problems, alcohol problems and they live in a single room of a sleazy hotel. You have to take care of them also. They're people."

Despite growing demand for their services, home-health workers often face tough working conditions, spotty low pay and lack of health insurance, experts said. Such issues are poised to become even more serious as Baby Boomers age and seek to remain out of nursing homes...MORE

Business - International Herald Tribune

Retraining laid-off workers, but for what?

Retraining laid-off workers, but for what?
By LOUIS UCHITELLE
The New York Times
SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2006

Layoffs have disrupted the lives of millions of Americans over the last 25 years. The cure that these displaced workers are offered - retraining and more education - is heralded as a sure path to new and better-paying careers. But often that policy prescription does not work, as this book excerpt explains. It is adapted from "The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences" by Louis Uchitelle, an economics writer for The New York Times. Knopf will publish the book on Tuesday.

JO GOODRUM, a thin, energetic woman older than her audience of aircraft mechanics - old enough, perhaps, to be their mother - got their attention with a single, unexpected sentence, which she inserted early in her presentation. Her husband, she said, had been laid off six times since the late 1980's. And yet here she was, standing before them, in one piece, cheerful, apparently O.K., giving survival instructions to the mechanics, who would be laid off themselves in 10 days.

They were, in nearly every case, family men in their 30's and 40's who had worked for United Airlines since the mid-1990's. Summoned by their union, they had gathered in the carpeted conference room at the Days Inn next to Indianapolis International Airport, not far from United's giant maintenance center, a building so big that 12 airliners could be overhauled in it simultaneously. That no longer happened. Most of the repair bays were empty. The airline was cutting back operations, and the 60 mechanics at the meeting were in the fourth group to be let go.

Confrontation had brought on the layoffs. Influenced by militants in their union local, Hoosier Air Transport Lodge 2294 of the International Association of Machinists, the 2,000 mechanics at the center had engaged in a work slowdown for many months, and then a refusal to work overtime. But rather than give ground, United responded by outsourcing, sending planes to nonunion contractors elsewhere in the country.

That scared the mechanics. They quieted down and, in effect, authorized the leaders of Lodge 2294 to make peace. Their hope was that if they cooperated, United would ease up on the layoffs and revive operations at, arguably, one of the most efficient, high-tech maintenance centers in the world. In this state of mind, the union was helping to usher the 60 laid-off mechanics quietly away. It had rented the conference room on this cold January evening in 2003 to introduce the men to what amounted to a boot camp for recycling laid-off workers back into new, usually lower-paying lines of work. MORE

The Housing Crisis Goes Suburban

The Housing Crisis Goes Suburban

By Michael Grunwald
Sunday, August 27, 2006; Page B01

In the past five years, housing prices in Fairfax County have grown 12 times as fast as household incomes. Today, the county's median family would have to spend 54 percent of its income to afford the county's median home; in 2000, the figure was 26 percent. The situation is so dire that Fairfax recently began offering housing subsidies to families earning $90,000 a year; soon, that figure may go as high as $110,000 a year.

Seventy years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that the Depression had left one-third of the American people "ill-housed, ill-clothed and ill-nourished," Americans are well-clothed and increasingly overnourished. But the scarcity of affordable housing is a deepening national crisis, and not just for inner-city families on welfare...

....(Still), Fairfax County illustrates how the creative solutions to the current crisis are emerging locally. It was one of 130 communities to adopt "inclusionary zoning," requiring developers to reserve a percentage of affordable units. It is one of more than 300 communities with affordable-housing trust funds; Fairfax voters approved a "Penny for Housing" initiative that will divert one cent of property taxes to subsidized projects. The Fairfax housing authority is also at the cutting edge of "workforce housing," offering 20 single-room apartments for day laborers in its own offices, while building and buying several dozen townhouses to rent to nurses, police officers, firefighters, teachers and bus drivers...MORE

Reason: The Amazing Colossal Poorhouse: Ten years after welfare reform, the welfare state is even larger than before

Ten years after welfare reform, the welfare state is even larger than before

The Amazing Colossal Poorhouse
by Jesse Walker

Ten years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, known more colloquially as welfare reform. The president had promised to end "welfare as we know it," and by signing the bill he did exactly that: In 2006 the welfare state is larger than ever before, but the way Americans think and talk about it has been radically changed. As a function of the government, welfare is thriving. As a culture war issue, it's practically dead...MORE

Job Corps Launches Innovative STARS Initiative

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/training/jobcorps.htm

Job Corps Launches Innovative STARS Initiative

Targets Raising Student Retention and Academic Achievement

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor"s Office of Job Corps today announced the launch of an initiative designed to improve students" preparedness for high-demand industries of the 21st century.

The new program called STARS (Speakers, Tutors, Achievement, Retention and Success) will increase Job Corps students' academic achievement, career skills attainment and retention in the program by providing motivational speakers to inspire them, and highly-qualified tutors and mentors to assist them in academics and personal skills.

"The STARS initiative is a major component of Job Corps' Vision for the 21st Century," said Job Corps National Director Esther R. Johnson. "STARS resources will help students strengthen their literacy, numeracy, and personal and social development. STARS will increase student retention in Job Corps, ensure completion of their program of study, and ultimately prepare them for the 21st century workplace."

Motivational speakers will offer students the opportunity to hear and interact with real-life achievers who will provide motivating and inspiring messages about what it takes to succeed and the challenges they will face. Tutors will provide students with academic assistance based on their individual needs. Mentors will provide guidance in career technical areas and offer strategies to enhance personal development and life skills.

Thirteen Job Corps centers across the country have been selected for the STARS pilot phase. The STARS initiative began with a motivational speaker at the Woodland Job Corps Center in Laurel, Md. on Aug. 24, 2006.

Job Corps is the nation's largest and most comprehensive residential education and job training program for at-risk youth, ages 16 through 24. Job Corps combines classroom, practical, and work-based learning experiences to prepare youth for stable, long-term, high-paying jobs.

Job Corps is administered by the Department of Labor's Office of the Secretary. For information on Job Corps, including eligibility requirements and location of the center nearest you, call (800) 733-JOBS.

DOL Web Pages on This Topic
Job Corps Center Locations
There are 122 Job Corps centers located throughout the United States, each offering educational training and a variety of vocational training programs. Visit this page to learn more about centers located near you and what they have to offer.

Job Corps Contracts
Provides information about contracts that are available for providing Job Corps services and how to apply for them.

Laws on This Topic
Public Law 105-220
Workforce Investment Act of 1998

U.S. Department of Labor
Frances Perkins Building
200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Burning Man

Published: September 1, 2006
Burning Man
Former Baltimore cop and teacher Ed Burns isn't a masochist. The writer-producer for the HBO series The Wire is just feverishly trying to save public schools.
By Scott J. Cech

Stand at the intersection of Baltimore’s Guilford Avenue and East Lanvale Street and look up at the façade of the old brick school in front of you. Paint peels from every window frame, and even the boarded-up windows are broken. That in itself isn’t too surprising in an urban school system as troubled as this one. But check your watch. It’s a Tuesday morning in November, and there are no children in sight at an hour when students should be hustling up the littered sidewalks to beat the tardy bell. Instead, the street is jammed with shiny black semi-trailer trucks. The only humans in the vicinity of the building’s metal doors are a burly man and a young woman, each with a laminated ID and a walkie-talkie headset...MORE

WireTap: Student Debt Crisis: Are There Any Solutions?

AlterNet: WireTap: Student Debt Crisis: Are There Any Solutions?

By Talia Berman, WireTap. Posted August 23, 2006.

Many would argue that higher education in this country is the best in the world. France has some of the best culinary schools, and Oxford and Cambridge have rivaling histories of literary renown, but only in the United States will you find comparable culinary and literary prowess as well as thousands of virtually every other topic one could imagine -- only to the United States do more than half a million students come every year to study...more

Chapin Hall

Negotiating Among Opportunity and Constraint: The Participation of Young People in Out-of-School-Time Activities
2006
Robert Chaskin, Stephen Baker

Out-of-school opportunities--such as arts and music programs, sports teams, community service and youth entrepreneurship opportunities--are increasingly seen as potentially powerful tools to promote positive youth development and to prevent problematic behaviors. Based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with 99 students in 10th grade in four Chicago Public Schools, this Chapin Hall report explores young people’s perspectives on their use of out-of-school time and the influences, barriers, contexts, and processes that contribute to their choices and experiences. The report investigates how young people learn about and choose to get involved in different kinds of out-of-school opportunities and the influence that family members, peers, and non-family adults have on their thinking and decision making. It also explores the relationship between young people’s participation in out-of-school programs and their interests, aspirations, and assessments of the kinds of opportunities and barriers found within their families, schools and neighborhoods. Finally, it offers conclusions and recommendations about how to improve opportunities for young people based on the insights provided by them, including specific suggestions about approaches to outreach, access, ongoing engagement and program provision...
MORE

Chapin Hall

MORE

NONPROFIT QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER

LINK

August 2006, Issue 67

Dear Friends,
A friend of mine from Northern Ireland recently visited, and over a very bad fish dinner at a local watering hole that we should have tagged as suspect for anything more than a basic brew, he caught me up on what was
going on in his neck of the woods. Stevie runs a big NGO that provides many different types of adult education. He told me about his funding, some layoffs, the changes in emphasis in national policy that drove some of thatand then we talked about our families and such.
In amongst what he told me, was that the Enron fiasco has to some extent changed the face of work in Northern Ireland because it nearly destroyed many people's pensions. A key platform of the Conservative government during the 80s and 90s was to encourage private pension provision that relied mainly on stock market growth. When Enron collapsed, so did confidence in stocks and people found their pensions decimated.

Where people had been poised to quit work at a fairly young age (compared to the U.S.), retiring and moving over to allow younger people a shot, many must now work longer than they had expected. This ties up the job market in a region where economic growth has been limited and young people already emigrate in relatively large numbers. Northern Ireland has problems enough to deal with given it is still trying to consolidate a peace process after 30 years of conflict; this is one more strain they could have done without.

The High Price of Being Poor

The High Price of Being Poor:

Turns out that being poor is expensive. Everything from a loaf of bread to a mortgage costs more in Hub City than in more plush areas of Los Angeles, like Manhattan Beach or Beverly Hills, even though nearly one out of every three people in Compton lives below the poverty line.

Take a drive down Compton Boulevard and you can see some of these higher prices in storefront windows. But you won't see many banks. According to research I did for a Brookings Institution study of poverty, where cities like Manhattan Beach have roughly one bank for every 4,000 residents, Compton only has one for every 25,000. Instead, it has hundreds of alternative financial services—mostly absent from wealthy areas of Los Angeles—that charge jaw-dropping prices. Cashing checks, for instance, costs 3% or more of the check's value. And customers who take out a short-term loan can be hit with an annual percentage rate of 400% or more—a rate estimated to be more than 35 times higher than the average credit card rate in California...

...Other communities facing similar situations have launched initiatives to help solve these problems. For example, New York spurred the opening of 26 new bank branches in lower-income neighborhoods by supplementing consumer deposits in these areas with state treasury deposits. And nearly a dozen states and cities have curbed the development of high-priced alternative financial service companies like check cashers and payday lenders. more

What Does Education Cost?

What Does Education Cost?:

American adults enrolled in part-time college or university programs reported out-of-pocket tuition and fees with a median of $1,144 compared to $218 for part-time vocational or technical programs. Students of basic skills, GED preparation, and work-related courses or training had median expenses of $0. "
Source: Adult Education Survey of the 2005 National Household Education


Crime victims in 1992 lost $17.6 billion in direct costs,
according to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
These costs included losses from property theft or damage, cash losses, medical expenses, and amount of pay lost because of injury or activities related to the crime. The crimes included in this figure are rape, robbery, assault, personal and household theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.
Crimes include attempts as well as completed offenses.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

• The average yearly cost of incarcerating a federal prisoner in 2004 was $23,205

..The average cost of incarcerating a community prisoner in 2004 was $20,102.

...It is three times more expensive to incarcerate a prisoner over the age of 55.

The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog: ACLU Report Details Horrors Suffered by Orleans Parish Prisoners in the wake of Hurricane Katrina

"'The sheriff's office was completely unprepared for the storm,' said Tom Jawetz, Litigation Fellow for the National Prison Project. 'The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals did more for its 263 stray pets than the sheriff did for the more than 6,500 men, women and children left in his care.'

Prisoners went days without food, water and ventilation, and deputies admit that they received no emergency training and were entirely unaware of any evacuation plan. Even some prison guards were left locked in at their posts to fend for themselves, unable to provide assistance to prisoners in need."
More...

Conference Calling!

For me, one of the more exciting prospects of the up-coming meeting is the introduction to Innovation/Prototyping. I like the idea of delivering a service in an unexpectedly novel way and
i'm interested to see how/what prototyping brings to the mix of design and implementation.

Accelerated Learning Academies

Accelerated Learning Academies

As part of the Superintendent’s Right-Sizing Plan, several schools will become new Accelerated Learning Academies, if the School Board approves the Plan on February 28th.

The new Accelerated Learning Academies are being designed to raise the student achievement of all children at every level. This is not a remedial program. It is a new approach that provides the academic rigor and additional instructional time that can help your child meet high expectations and advance his/her academic performance. To ensure success, the Pittsburgh Public Schools will be using a comprehensive school design model that has a proven track record, such as America's Choice.

Below you will find links to several documents that will provide more information about how Accelerated Learning Academies will help every child achieve to even higher standards in school.

*
Frequently Asked Questions (pdf file)

*
Accelerated Learning Academy Community Presentation (pdf file)

*
Accelerated Learning Academy School Calendar (adopted March 29, 2006)

Gates Foundation Expands Scholars Program

PND News - Gates Foundation Expands Millennium Scholars Program

As part of its work to increase college access and opportunities for more students across America, the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided an additional $58 million to expand the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program.

Administered by the United Negro College Fund, the program works to increase the number of minority students pursuing graduate studies in areas such as epidemiology, biomedical science, tropical disease, public health practice, and nutritional science, and has already helped more than ten thousand high-achieving students of color from low-income backgrounds prepare for success in a wide range of undergraduate fields and graduate programs."

PND News - State Arts Agencies Need to Improve Relationships With Elected Officials, Report Finds

PND News - State Arts Agencies Need to Improve Relationships With Elected Officials, Report Finds:

"State arts agencies seeking increased state government support for the arts should strengthen their relationships with elected officials and raise their profile with the public, a new report from the Washington, D.C.-based RAND Corporation argues.

The second in a multi-year study commissioned by the New York City-based Wallace Foundation, The Arts and State Governments: At Arm's Length or Arm in Arm? recommends that councils reach out to the public and government officials to position the arts higher on the list of government priorities."

The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog: "Global women prisoners top 500,000

Monday August 7, 2006 3:08 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-5998243,00.html

More than half a million women and girls are held in prisons globally, new research has revealed.

The first World Female Imprisonment List, drawn up by the International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS) at King's College, London, brought together data from 187 countries."

The Real Cost of Prisons Project brings together justice activists, political economists, artists, justice policy researchers and people directly experiencing the impact of mass incarceration to create popular education workshops and materials which explore both the immediate and long-term costs of incarceration on the individual, her/his family, community and the nation. Real Cost of Prisons Project works to strengthen and deepen the organizing capacity of grassroots prison/justice activists, to provide a social, economic and political context for understanding mass incarceration and to broaden public understanding of the economic and social consequences of mass incarceration. Our goal is to expand the organizing capacity for people and communities struggling to end mass incarceration.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao on Importance of Wor

OPA News Release: U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Addresses 37th General Convention of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Union

"A clear trend is emerging in our workforce. The majority of new jobs being created require higher skills and more educational attainment than before," said Secretary Chao. "Some of the strongest demand is for workers with specialized training in the skilled trades like the UA provides in its apprenticeship program.

"The UA is placing its bet on the future by investing over $120 million a year to train approximately 100,000 apprentices and journeymen in over 400 local training facilities at any given time.

As they say in Las Vegas, that's a safe bet," said Secretary Chao. "Our country is experiencing a skills gap — the growing mismatch between the skills required for the new jobs being created and the skills of our workforce. That's why the Department of Labor invests the largest part of its budget in apprenticeship and other training programs."

STAFFING ISSUES! call NICOLA

ACT-1

Our company has multiple positions available for experienced professionals with positions that range from data entry to Attorneys.

1. Please visit our website at www.act-1.com to complete an online application.
2. Schedule an interview on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between the hours of 9:30-3:00 via our website.
3. email a Word attachment of your resume to njones@act-1.com

You must be professionally dressed, and bring a hard copy of your resume along with id for your I9.

Nicola R. Jones
Staffing Manager
Act-1 Personnel Services
2 Penn Center West
Suite 225
Pittsburgh, PA 15276
(P) 412-787-2403
(F) 412-787-2404
njones@act-1.com
www.act-1.com

Helping Hands

Trauma and Critical Incident Care

Our second online training module "Trauma and Critical Incident Care" is now online for free. This module aims to help humanitarian workers understand the dynamics of trauma and stress reactions, recognize common trauma reactions, and learn how to care for themselves and others after a traumatic event..more

URL:
http://www.headington-institute.org/Default.aspx?tabid=2084

Can I Get A Dollar?

Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, 718 Fifth Avenue / 4th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-3099

For more information or to register, please call Jarrett Lambright at 412-397-6806 or email lambright@rmu.edu.

Need to raise more money? Remember the Essentials.

If you're charged with raising funds, you know that it can be an overwhelming task! The Association of Fundraising Professionals, Western Pennsylvania Chapter is a great resource for information and support. This summer, the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management is teaming up with AFP to bring you the nationally recognized Essentials of Fundraising Series.

The series is ideal for anyone seeking to understand the knowledge and skills required to successfully raise charitable funds for a worthy cause.

Join us on August 18, 2006 for two modules:

Starting an Integrated Development Program 9 a.m. to 12 noon
Instructor: Lisa Young, CFRE; The Salvation Army

Is your nonprofit working to build a diversified funding base? If you're looking to create a strong foundation for future giving, this class will outline board/staff roles, donor motivations, assessing current efforts, crafting a compelling case for support and shaping a plan to guide your work throughout the year. It also serves as great background for newer staff, volunteers and board members seeking to understand the complexities of securing philanthropic gifts. Veteran fundraisers know that planning your work is the key to reaching philanthropic goals.

Identifying and Soliciting Annual Donors 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Instructor: Teresa Gregory, CFRE; Consultant

Annual gifts are the life's blood of most nonprofits and many organizations have potential to grow their donor base! But there is more to a successful annual giving campaign than sending a letter every December 1. This workshop will help participants think through their annual calendars, through their contact lists and their agency's operations to determine the most successful strategies. We'll also discuss the importance of stewardship- communicating with donors and understanding their needs and interests, too.

Cost per session is $50, or attend both and pay just $75 including a light lunch.

For more information or to register, please call Jarrett Lambright at 412-397-6806 or email lambright@rmu.edu.

Gmail - Duquesne University ~ VOLUNTEERING FOR BUSY PROFESSIONALS

Gmail - Duquesne University ~ VOLUNTEERING FOR BUSY PROFESSIONALS

---this is an excellent opportuniy for anyone with even a few hours to spend with our youth! jim r.

Volunteer Opportunities For Busy Professionals 2006-2007

Career Literacy for African American Youth (CLAAY), a program of Duquesne University is seeking enthusiastic and motivated volunteers who want to positively contribute to the lives of high school students. 2006-2007 is the fourth program year of CLAAY.

Check out the website (www.iet.duq.edu/claay) and look under Learn About CLAAY/Press Coverage for articles on CLAAY.

How can I get involved as a CLAAY mentor?

Total Time Commitment: 15 Hours (Total Mentoring Time) From Beginning of October 2006 to May 2007

Career Literacy Mentoring

¨ Participate in a one-time 3 hour mentor training session

¨ Commit 2 hours per month during the academic year to working with a high school student in a one-to-one mentoring setting inside the school day (for a total of 12 hours from beginning of October 2006 to May 2007)

¨ One-to-one career mentoring in a group setting

Contact Megan at 724.650.9545 or grabski@duq.edu for more info!

Mobility and Workforce Development Specialist

Position: Mobility and Workforce Development Specialist
Location: 425 Sixth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Reports To: TRWIB Chief Operating Officer

TRWIB, Inc. (Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board)
Interested parties can send resume and cover letter to McCrae Holliday, COO,
at mholliday@trwib.org or at 425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 650, Pittsburgh PA 15219.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Create or cause to be created a database of jobseekers and job orders by working with the local CareerLink offices in order to better understand where the workers and the jobs are located in the region.
• Using GIS, produce a map of job growth, transit availability and worker location in the region.
• Create and implement a survey of jobseekers using the CareerLink system
• Develop a workforce analysis worksheet to be used by municipalities when determining the impact of proposed developments.
• Develop and implement a plan to integrate workforce analysis worksheet into the local municipalities
• Develop an employer relocation packet that connects new employers to workforce and transportation
• Provide ongoing assistance to the Access to Work Interagency Cooperative
• Develop an understanding of current programs that encourage employer support/investment in employee transportation needs.
• Prepare a weekly report that summarizes activities, objectives and time spent as required for grant related activities.
• Report regularly (bi-weekly meetings) with the designated project steering committee
• Other duties as assigned.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gif

Supervisory Responsibilities

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge or ability to learn assigned geographic area(s) and the current transportation services available.
• Ability to read maps and transportation schedules.
• Strong computer skills, including knowledge of Internet and knowledge of CIS/GIS (Geographic Information Systems).
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Effective interpersonal skills, respecting diversity and working with people.
• Ability to work autonomously, with little supervision and manage multiple tasks.


Education/Experience Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in related field*, plus a strong knowledge of the Pittsburgh area and/or experience in the area of workforce development and/or transportation policy is preferred.
-OR-
Any equivalent experience which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities to fulfill the job requirements.

Compensation

$36,000-$40,000/annually depending on experience

CareerJournal | 2006 Best Careers: The Results Are In

CareerJournal | 2006 Best Careers: The Results Are In

What are the best careers? CareerJournal.com found out by asking people what makes them satisfied in their careers and then finding careers with those qualities. Here are the results (in alphabetical order):

* Curriculum and instructional coordinators
* High-school special-education teachers
* Hospital and clinic managers
* Management consultants and analysts
* Medical researchers
* Physical therapists
* Sales, marketing and advertising managers
* Social workers, counselors and related managers


Best Careers Profiles
• Health-Clinic Executive
• Social-Work Manager
• Management Consultant
• Special-Ed Teacher

How did we get this list? CareerJournal teamed with polling company Harris Interactive, to survey U.S. adults and find what qualities are most common in the jobs of highly satisfied career-focused people. The four attributes cited most were:

• Good intellectual stimulation
• Strong job security
• High level of control and freedom in what to do
• Extensive direct contact with customers/clients

Consumers Union:

Consumers Union:

Last month, Congressional offices began to adopt new software that blocks the delivery of email their constituents send from a wide range of nonprofit organization websites. The Internet has opened up democratic communication between millions of Americans and their elected representatives. This new, higher level of participation should be welcomed, not disabled. This new technology--launched just a short while ago and already in use by more than 30 Representatives--requires you to answer a "logic puzzle" question before you can submit a comment.

PND News - USA Funds Awards $8.2 Million in Scholarships to Low-to-Moderate-Income Students

PND News - USA Funds Awards $8.2 Million in Scholarships to Low-to-Moderate-Income Students

Indianapolis-based student loan guarantor USA Funds has announced scholarships totaling more than $8.2 million to help 5,497 low-to-moderate-income students nationwide pursue higher education.

In this round of funding, $3.5 million was awarded to 2,334 first-time recipients of USA Funds Access to Education Scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year. In addition, $4.7 million renewal scholarships were awarded to 3,163 students who previously had received awards under the program.

To qualify, students must come from households with annual incomes of $35,000 or less. Full-time and half-time undergraduate students, as well as full-time graduate and professional students, are eligible for the $1,500 scholarships. Recipients who maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale may have their scholarship renewed annually until the student receives a degree or certificate, or the total amount awarded reaches $6,000, whichever comes first.

CareerLink Pittsburgh

CareerLink Pittsburgh

Free Biotechnology/Medical Device Manufacturing Training, Biotech Manufacturing Training Project
Biotechnology/medical device manufacturing is one of the fast growing industries in our region. Pittsburgh/Allegheny County CareerLink is participating in a medical device manufacturing training project. This project will allow PA CareerLink customers to obtain a FREE 40-hour training certificate from CCAC. The program includes instruction, course materials, and parking. Classes are available for 5 days in July and 5 days in August. For more information click here or contact your local PA CareerLink office by call 1-866-317-JOBS, 1-877-TTY-JOB1.

PND News - IRS Warns Tax-Exempt Groups to Avoid Campaigning

PND News - IRS Warns Tax-Exempt Groups to Avoid Campaigning

In notices to fifteen thousand nonprofits, church denominations, and tax preparers, the IRS detailed its Political Activity Compliance Initiative, through which the agency will expedite investigations of claims of improper campaigning. No longer waiting for an annual tax return to be filed or the fiscal year to end, the agency has empowered a three-person committee to make an initial review of complaints and then vote whether to pursue the investigation in detail. "While the vast majority of charities and churches do not engage in politicking, an increasing number did take part in prohibited activities in the 2004 election cycle," said IRS commissioner Mark W. Everson in a statement.

Since that year, the IRS has investigated more than two hundred organizations, and determined that sixty-two were in violation. Three nonprofits lost their tax exemption and fifty-nine received warning letters, with some ordered to pay an excise tax.

PND News - IRS Accused of Investigating Churches for Political Activity

PND News - IRS Accused of Investigating Churches for Political Activity

An Internal Revenue Service threat to revoke the tax-exempt status of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, because of an antiwar sermon delivered there during the 2004 election cycle has some watchdogs saying it's part of a larger federal effort to suppress political activity at churches and nonprofit organizations, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Japan Times Online - Better schools trump caste preferences

The Japan Times Online - Better schools trump caste preferences

Better schools trump caste preferences

By ARINDAM CHAUDHURI

BOMBAY -- The United States has long been divided over what it calls "affirmative action," a system of racial preferences intended to overcome the lingering consequences of slavery and discrimination against black Americans. India is now becoming divided in much the same way, and for much the same reason -- the emerging system of "reserved places" aimed at redressing centuries of caste discrimination.

more
Arindam Chaudhuri is honorary dean at the Indian Institute of Planning and Management and editor in chief of Business & Economy Magazine. His most recent books are "Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch" and "The Great Indian Dream."
Copyright 2006 Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org)
The Japan Times
(C) All rights reserved

ABLE: On-Line GED Lesson Plans

ABLE: GED Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans

As part of the national training project sponsored by the GEDTS and USDOE, trainers were required to submit a lesson developed based on their training. The criteria were pretty simple develop interesting, GED level lessons that covered three or more content areas of the test. This approach is recommended by the GEDTS. Some of these lessons are included in the binders made available through AdvancE.

Taking this project to the state level, the people trained in Pennsylvania have been required to develop similar lessons. We will begin making these available, as well, through the ABLEsite. Our goal is to post two or three new lessons each week over the next month or two (so check back here often). The hope is that GED instructors will be able to use these to help transition their instruction to adapt to the changes in the GED exam. Also, these should serve as a good example for staff to use in developing lessons on topics that will be particularly interesting to themselves and their learners.

All lessons follow a similar format. Each indicates which content areas are covered as well as the skill level to be developed. The lesson plans also provide objectives, required materials, an outline and script for the lesson plus possible extension or follow-up activities.

If you have any questions, requests, or comments, please contact Chuck Klinger at (717) 248-4942 or cklinger@tiu11.org.

CONFERENCE

Adolescence and the Transition to Adulthood: October 18-19

A detailed schedule of Chapin Hall’s upcoming research and public policy conference is now available. Read the complete conference program and a list of speakers.

Co-sponsored by The MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy, the conference will feature experts discussing the challenges faced by young people in the transition to adulthood. Programs will be held on young adults with health and mental health needs, youth with disabilities, immigrant youth, and youth involved with the criminal justice and child welfare systems. Laura Sessions Stepp, who writes about adolescence issues for The Washington Post, will give the keynote address.

The conference takes place at the University of Chicago's Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago. The 2004 conference filled up quickly, so register now to secure your spot!

Learn more about the conference and register online.

A limited number of discounted hotel rooms has been reserved at the Allerton Crowne Plaza for October 18. To get the special rate, make your reservation by September 18 and ask for the 'University of Chicago-Chapin Hall Center for Children' rate. To make your reservation, call (312) 440-1500."

Diplomas Count!

"Diplomas Count, the first in a new annual series from Education Week, finds large gaps in graduation rates across racial and ethnic groups, and by gender.
The report, released Tuesday, June 20, provides detailed data on graduation rates for the 2002-03 school year, the most recent data available, for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and in the nation's 50 largest school districts.
The online version of the report includes 'State Graduation Reports,' containing policy indicators related to important graduation-rate issues as well as state-level graduation rates for specific subgroups, broken out by race and gender.
View your state graduation report.
The report is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation."

Workforceusa.net Articles

Workforceusa.net Articles: "City Job Agency Lets Go of 55 Employees

By Jane M. Von Bergen
The Philadelphia Inquirer
June 12, 2006

Employees in agencies that help welfare recipients find work will soon be looking for work themselves, as federal and state funding cutbacks pinch budgets and force layoffs.

On June 8, the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp., which funnels state and federal money to agencies that provide workforce training to the unemployed and to people on welfare, handed layoff notices to 55 of its 260 employees.

Two weeks ago, 84 pink slips went to caseworkers, job coaches, job developers and community liaison counselors at Jewish Employment and Vocational Service, a Center City social-service agency that provides training and support services to people on welfare.

Read the full text of the Philadelphia Inquirer article here.

"