Who Gave You Your First
Break?
On
January 25, 2008, for the 14th year, Philadelphia area
businesses/organizations
will welcome ninth grade students from the School District of
Philadelphia into
their workplaces to give them firsthand exposure to the everyday
working world. Shadowing Day is an
important component of
WorkReady Philadelphia, a partnership aimed at helping prepare
Philadelphia
youth for the regional workforce.
Shadowing
is an experience during which students are paired with
employee hosts for a day to learn about their particular careers. Last
year,
over 1,500 students and 160 businesses/organizations participated in
this
exciting 
educational
opportunity. The Day serves to ignite corporate interest
in creating on-going work-based mentoring opportunities for youth.
Organizations
interested in participating in
Shadowing Day must select a coordinator. The coordinator is responsible
for attending
an orientation session, recruiting at least five employees to serve as
shadow
hosts, and organizing and facilitating the day.
Click here for a copy of the Getting
Started Guide.
WorkReady Philadelphia is a
partnership led by the
Philadelphia Youth Network, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania,
the
Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia Academies and
the School
District of Philadelphia.
For
more information on Shadowing Day, click here,
Another
component of WorkReady’s efforts is Business Mentoring Youth (BMY),
the
region’s leading work-based 
mentoring
program for 10th grade high school
students that supports the community initiative to cultivate, provide
professional and personal growth for the region’s future
business leaders.
By
donating your time as a BMY mentor you and your organization are able
to create the future leaders of the regional business and cultural
community.
BMY is a way to get directly involved in the education of students by
relating
to them on a personal and professional level and students realize that
they can
dream big and accomplish their goals.
For
more information, visit here
or
contact Stephanie Gambone
or call 267-502-3800.
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Tech
Tool available for MLK planning
The
Center for National and Community Service has created the MLK Day Tech Tool to
help plan 2008 MLK Day of Service projects
Besides
listing project details, the tool can be
used to recruit and select
volunteers, customize a webpage 
to promote
your project, communicate with your
volunteers, and coordinate supplies - and that is just a fraction of
what is
available.
CNS
is offering a series of webinars to help everyone familiarize
themselves with
the Tech Tool. Even if you have used the Tech Tool previously, there is
probably a lot more that you may not have been aware of. Take a minute
and
register for the Webinar of your choice. If you have any questions
please
contact David Premo
or call 202-606-6717.
MLK Day 2008
Tech Tool Webinars
-- Tuesday, December 18, 2007 11:00am-noon. To
register go here,
-- Tuesday, January 8, 2008 2-3:00pm. To
register go here.
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Events
celebrate holiday customs
Want
to learn about the holiday customs of your neighbors?
Welcoming
Center West, the newest location of the Welcoming Center for New
Pennsylvanians
at 246 S. 52
nd St. in Philadelphia, has
transformed itself into a
Global Holiday Village where community members learn about how
immigrant
merchants and leaders in West Philadelphia celebrate their own
holidays.
Every Saturday in December from noon
to 4pm, the
Center celebrates
Miracles
on 52nd Street: Celebrating Holidays 
Around
the World, in collaboration with
the El SEPTA@Work Project, the 52nd Street Business Association, and
the
Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation.
For
the kick-off event on November 24
th, families
were invited to ride
with Santa on a specially decorated SEPTA EL and SEPTA bus to Welcoming
Center
West. The event attracted over 300 people. Community leaders are
already
requesting that this become an annual event.
Last
weekend, children tasted foods from Mali and Cambodia, learned about
healthy
snacking, read holiday stories from around the world, and most
importantly, got
pictures taken with Santa!
The
Miracle on 52nd Street series continues on the following Saturdays from
noon to
4pm:
-- December 15 - Bengali performance and
Holiday gift shop
-- December 21 - Special luncheon for seniors
(Fiday afternoon, 12pm)
-- December 22 - Holiday party for a local
shelter
Join
the Welcoming Center and neighborhood residents as they learn about the
cultures of our diverse community and get excited about the holiday
season.
For
more information, visit
here.
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State
renews heat assistance fund
Residential
customers of the Philadelphia Gas Works whose annual income is between
150
percent to 250 percent above the federal poverty level may apply for
grants of
$300 for help in having their service restored, or to stop an imminent
termination, thanks to a special program announced in early December by
Governor Rendell, Sen. Vincent Fumo, and Rep. Dwight Evans.
Income
requirements vary with the size of household. Families of four earning
between
$30,975 and $51,625 would qualify.
The
program is a continuation of a similar grant they had created last
year, which
they said aided 1,500 families. Adult
heads of household may also apply for assistance at any of the 13 Neighborhood
Energy Centers
in Philadelphia. Applicants are asked to provide proof of household
income,
Social Security cards for all household members, and their most recent
PGW
bill.
Families
that receive assistance will still be obliged to pay the balance of
their
outstanding PGW bills and their heating bills accumulated this winter.
The
PGW hotline for further information about the program is 215-978-1051.
The line
is answered between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
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Audioconference
on serving immigrant families
set
The
Youth, Education and Families Institute of the National League of
Cities will
sponsor a free, hour-long audioconference on Reaching and Serving
Immigrant Families on Thurs., December 13th
at 12:30pm.
The
audioconference will highlight cities that are responding to
demographic change
by building more inclusive communities. Municipal officials in these
cities are
strengthening relationships between immigrant residents and local
government,
building partnerships to improve public safety, helping residents
contribute to
local economic growth, and connecting immigrant families to child care,
educational opportunities, recreation, tutoring and mentoring programs,
and
mainstream financial services. Listeners on this call will hear from
local
elected officials and senior municipal staff on efforts they have made
to
strengthen immigrant families and communities.
To
register for this free call, send complete
contact information (name,
title, organization, address, city, state, phone, fax, and email) to here or by fax to (202)
626-3043 by close of business Tues., Dec. 11.
No phone registrations can be accepted. One day prior to the call, each
registrant will receive an email or fax providing a toll-free, dial-in
number.
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Homelessness
among former foster youth
The
Blueprint to End Homelessness, a project of the Greater Philadelphia
Urban
Affairs Coalition, will hold a special meeting on Thursday, December
13th from
10 to 11:30am to share findings from Aged-Out and Homeless in
Philadelphia, a
report which GPUAC commissioned from Philadelphia Safe and Sound
The
report examines the needs and experiences of youth in Philadelphia who
become
homeless after aging out of the foster care system. Based on interviews
and
focus group discussions with 77 homeless young adults who had been in
substitute care, the report analyzes some of the challenges of the
current
system and offers concrete solutions to ensure better outcomes.
Research
staff from Philadelphia Safe and Sound and consultant, Paul Di Lorenzo,
will
summarize the findings of the report at the meeting, which will be held
at
GPUAC’s 4th floor conference room at 1207
Chestnut Street. Please
confirm your attendance by sending an RSVP to Rachel Greene.
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VOAD
offers free disaster workshops
Southeastern
Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is
offering free
disaster preparedness trainings for staff, members & clients of
area health
and social service organizations.
VOAD
is a project of the American Red Cross, Southeastern Pennsylvania
Chapter.
By
taking this training, participants will then be eligible for free CPR
and First
Aid certification through the American Red Cross.
Organizations
that sign up for the training will
receive a disaster
preparedness kit compliments of VOAD & Citizen Corps.
For
more information, call Tania Clinger at 215-299-0143 or visit here.
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LGBT
students of color & allies organize
The
Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Students of Color Organizing
weekend will gather Middle and High School students of color from all
over the
country during the Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend.
The
mission of this weekend is to provide networking and skills building
opportunities to empower young people of color to organize and become
engaged
in safer schools work. To learn more or apply to attend, visit here.
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Employment
Opportunities
FIGHT seeks case manager
Philadelphia
FIGHT is seeking a case manager to work with people living with
HIV/AIDS.
MSW preferred; previous experience with HIV or a serious commitment to
working
in this field is encouraged. An opportunity to work with an
agency
serving the most disenfranchised members of our community in an
energetic
multicultural atmosphere. We are looking for people who share
our
commitment to client empowerment and who would welcome an opportunity
to
coordinate closely with our medical staff and our consumer education
programs.
Competitive salary and benefits. To apply, send a resume to Terry Trudeau.
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National BBBS seeks fund development manager
Big
Brothers Big Sisters of America is seeking a Manager of Foundation and
Corporate Philanthropy. The
position ensures
on-going cultivation and stewardship of major foundation and corporate
funding
partners while comprehensively managing a defined portfolio of six
figure
funders.
To
apply, email your resume (including salary requirements) to Girna Adkins.
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disabilities. Grant awards are
directed to instructional programs, caddie or other work-based
curriculums, and
the construction of facilities that make the game more affordable and
accessible.
are in
grades nine through twelve. Students
may be attending a public, private, or parochial school, or
participating in a
high school correspondence program. Entries from home-schooled students
are
also accepted.
Monday
from Kate's Place, 20th & Sansom Streets, and the Honickman
Learning Center, 1936 North Judson Street.
