This issue of Service-Learning Network focuses on youth leadership. Empowering students and getting them more involved with helping others are two basic themes of youth leadership training. They also anchor service learning. Hence the natural link between the two.

In this issue, Ellen Petruzzi, the magnet coordinator of Westside Leadership Magnet, a school in Los Angeles Unified School District, tells how leadership programs can benefit all students. The technology page lists various web sites and listservs devoted to leadership. We also have reviews of leadership books and profiles of leadership programs. Summaries of the programs awarded 1997–98 Robinson Mini-Grants are included. Plus we have other information of interest to educators and others working with youth.

By Ellen Petruzzi

In May 1996, our school-based management (SBM) team took the bold step of turning our school into a K–12 leadership magnet, the only school of its kind in California and perhaps in the United States. Our small school (420 students), which had previously been an alternative school, draws students from throughout the Los Angeles area, many coming from the inner city. We formed a partnership with the California Association of Student Councils (CASC). CASC is committed to student-led leadership programs, a basic tenet of service learning. Through its training and coaching, CASC helps empower students with leadership skills.

CASC sees leadership as a way of life. Leadership teaches students to model what they want to see in others, to act with integrity, to take responsibility for their education and life. Leadership, in short, is a form of character education. And in the CASC model, it is character education of the most powerful sort, because it is taught by students.

My first CASC event was its four-day 1995 Summer Leadership Camp in Santa Barbara. I had just finished my first year as student activities advisor and I thought it would be a good idea to find out more about leadership. So I dragged two reluctant teenagers along with me—my eighth- grade daughter and our newly elected student body president, a 10th grader. The camp changed our lives.

At CASC's camp, the 500 student delegates are divided into groups of 10. Each group is led by a counselor (a student who has completed grade 10). All counselors must have attended CASC camp, gone through a rigorous Staff Development Program (SDP) training, had extensive one-on-one coaching with Gammas (trainers of trainers), and passed the expectation of the Gammas that they not only know the curriculum, but model behaviors that my 93-year-old grandmother calls "doing the right thing." The Gammas themselves are college students, have been counselors, and have passed through challenging Gamma training.

The camp was magical. Students leading students. Everyone encouraging others. I thought my counselor (yes, CASC insisted I attend a student-led group) must be the best in the camp. But others, including the no-longer- reluctant delegates I had brought, insisted their counselor was the best. It was clear that all the counselors had undergone incredible training.

It was this training that our SBM team, after a year of deliberation, wanted for all our students at Westside. We felt that leadership would unify our school, which had fragmented into three separate schools—high, middle, and elementary. We saw leadership as offering life skills that every student needs to succeed.

In essence, this was our school plan: We would each summer send some students to CASC Summer Camp. These students would serve as core trainers for our school. Trained high school students would train middle school students, middle schoolers would train elementary students, and upper-elementary students would train K–1 students. We would hold two all-school K–12 trainings each year led by students. While student training occurred, the staff would undergo leadership training conducted by trained staff. As our students grew more skilled, we would send them to train students at other schools and in the community. We would do all this with aid of CASC.

As we begin our second year as a leadership magnet, we have already done some truly amazing things. To mention just a few:

• We have held three all-school K–12 trainings.

• Our students now run parent and new-student orientations, open house, and back-to-school night.

• We have sent student teams to train students in high, middle, and elementary schools throughout California.

• We have held several SDP trainings at Westside for students from all over Southern California.

• Last year's student body president, Joseph Harris, is now CASC's special projects director and runs various CASC events throughout the state.

• Three of our middle school counselors dazzled teachers at a University of Phoenix teacher training.

• Our trainers have twice led sessions at Constitutional Rights Foundation's Intensive Youth Program, a leadership training program for selected high school students in Southern California.

• Our school was one of three in the state to be named a CASC gold medal school.

The leadership focus has profoundly affected our school. It has created a positive direction for students. Fights and other negative behavior have dropped significantly. I would like to note a few of the numerous benefits of leadership training that I have observed from our students:
Leadership improves self-esteem. I have seen students who are shy or who have previously failed to achieve academically or even inclusion students grow into positions of leadership. By training younger students, they gain confidence that transfers into their everyday life.

Leadership empowers students. It gives them skills that they can use in their life—how to get along with others, how to work in a group, how to plan. At our school, we have a committee for trainings composed of an eighth grader and two seventh graders. These students ask what people want as the desired outcome of  their trainings and design a program to fit their needs. An 11th grader on his own initiative went to his sister's elementary school, explained our program to the principal, and is planning a two-day leadership conference for 60 students using our student trainers.

Students learn closure techniques. A debriefing ends each small-group activity. A student counselor learns how to take the group through a description, interpretation, generalization, and application of the activity. By developing questioning techniques, students discover that learning can be pulled from any activity. After internalizing these techniques, students approach any situation with the attitude that something can be learned. I have observed low-achieving students ask the most incredible process questions. Our English teachers have remarked that classroom discussions have taken on a higher level of thinking since we have students trained to ask debriefing questions.

Leadership gives students a structure for planning conferences and events. Every training, whether it' a three-hour or three-day training, has the same structure—an SDP, pre-camp, camp (the training), and post camp. At the SDP, students receive the curriculum (as a delegate will at the training). The pre-camp serves as a dress rehearsal. Counselors present the curriculum in front of each other and are coached by Gammas and other counselors on how they can improve their delivery. At camp, the counselors present the curriculum, with Gammas available for coaching. After the training, counselors go through post camp—a chart-paper evaluation of what went well and what needs to change next time. The items to be changed are stated in the positive form. Instead of "counselors didn't stay in role," we say "counselors stayed in role." We then can use these positive statements as expectations for next time. The Gammas also personally coach their counselors on what they did well and where they can improve next time. This extra piece of coaching helps counselors improve rapidly.

Leadership teaches students how to appreciate accomplishments and encourage others. Leadership stresses recognizing each student's effort. If someone steps out of their comfort zone by presenting, they are typically validated by three loud claps. This allows everyone making an effort to receive recognition.

Students learn to evaluate. Last week one school wanted our students on a shortened day at their campus. I was happy because that gave us plenty of  time to return. But a student reminded me that we needed at least 15 minutes with the other school for our evaluation process. The other school wanted to know what that meant. He explained that after each training we evaluate  with people from the other site so that we can improve our performance next time.

Evaluation is crucial. Students learn to take notes on peers and think about three things the person did well and one thing that needs improving. Through peer-coaching and focusing on one thing at a time, students can improve much faster.

Students learn how to gauge the energy and interest level of groups. One tool we use is a quick "check-in" at the beginnings of meetings. People give a short description of how they are doing. This takes little time and you get valuable information from your group members. One high school counselor related that everyone in her middle-school group said they were tired. She knew she couldn't start teaching them meeting skills without doing a wild group energizer. She said the energizer took her five minutes and the group was able to sit and process the information, which took about 45 minutes after lunch. No behavior problems!

Leadership encourages student and teachers to take on the role of coach. We have learned that coaches encourage and support, but they also help push you to the next level. When students are coaching other students, they make sure students are doing the best they can. As a staff, we are also learning the same skills. When one of us facilitates a faculty meeting, someone coaches that person before the meeting and provides feedback after the meeting. Constantly reflecting on what went well and what needs improvement has opened up our students and our staff to admit that they are not perfect and that they are always learning and continuing to grow and improve.

Leadership shows students how  to work in and facilitate groups. As educators, we know that cooperative learning requires more than just putting students in groups and assigning them particular roles. Leadership teaches a process of getting along in a group. For example, every group begins by writing expectations (what everyone expects to learn) and agreements (what the group agrees to do to meet the expectations). These get group buy-in and they can be referred to if someone is misbehaving. They should also be referred to periodically so the group stays focused on its goal.

Students receive many tools helping them be neutral facilitators. They learn intervention and mediation techniques to guide groups through problems. In my sixth-grade social studies classes last year,  I had many limited-English students. As I was learning how to coach students in facilitating small groups, I taught my classes the same skills. After I gave a note-taking lecture, I would have different students facilitate the review of the notes the following day. Everyone in the class, including limited-English speakers, wanted to facilitate the review. People came in at lunch to get their notes right. Higher-level students offered to coach students or co-facilitate the lesson with them. Students are now facilitating classroom discussions, SBM meetings, and parent orientations. They have the confidence and skills to lead all types of discussions.

Leadership training encourages students to step up and do the right thing as modeled by a peer. When I was growing up, my family always wanted me to step up and do the right thing. The right thing was seeing someone else's point of view even when you were mad at them, putting yourself in someone else's shoes and walking around in them for a while, and stepping up and doing the job even when you weren't asked. Peer modeling encourages other students to step up and do what is right.

Leadership training is transforming our staff. As students are learning these skills, our staff is also. We have devoted over six staff development days to improving our own skills. The trainings are causing a ripple effect. Teachers are starting to see themselves in a leadership role. Our faculty meetings have gotten better. So have our SBM meetings. We have developed a school plan and three-year objectives and one-year goals with all staff buying in to the time line. As the students accomplishments grow, our strength and energy are also growing.

How have we done it?

We have  restructured the school with people power alone. We have not gotten any major grants or any extra support from the district. Our parent group has helped us send over 40 students to CASC Summer Leadership Camp for two summers. Our parent group also helped pay for extra weekend trainings for our students and teachers. Our teachers provided many hours of their own time to supervise these weekend trainings. The administrative team of Rodger Salkeld, principal, and Bess McAdoo, vice principal, has given this restructure their full support. It allowed for students to receive extra trainings and teacher support. Students have begun taking ownership for the progress of the school. Last year, for example, our ASB secretary went through the arduous process of describing every step we've taken as a leadership magnet. Her work resulted in our being named a medalist school. We have also had the energy and guidance of the CASC executive director, Dr. June Thompson, and Gamma Darlene Okamoto. They have given many hours to this project in the area of design, next steps, and personal coaching. CASC designed our three all-school leadership camps. CASC has helped us in more ways than we can express.

Has it been worth it?

We are all learning about stepping up and reaching our full potential. If two years ago you had told me that taking two disgruntled teenagers to camp would have resulted in all of this, I would never have believed it.

In all my years of teaching, I can't imagine a finer program for young people and teachers alike. I believe in the life skills we are giving these students. As a parent, I have my own daughter involved in the same trainings as my students. As an educator, need I say more?

Ellen Petruzzi is the magnet coordinator and leadership teacher at Westside Leadership Magnet, a K–12 school in Los Angeles Unified School District. Last summer, she directed the CASC Summer Leadership Camp in Santa Barbara. She can be contacted at Westside Leadership Magnet, 104 Anchorage Street, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, (310) 821-2039. For information about CASC, contact CASC, 1212 Preservation Park Way, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 834-2272, www.casc.org.
 

Here is a sampling of web sites listservs devoted to leadership:

• Detailed instructions on more than 25 icebreakers, energizers, and meeting-starters have been compiled from a Cornell Trainer Network Icebreaker-Mini Conference held on July 2, 1996. They are available at www.cornell.edu/Admin/TNET/ Icebreakers/Icebreakers.html.

• Student Leader, the national magazine for college leaders, has a web site with selected articles from current and past issues and links to other leadership sites (www.studentleader.com/).

• The National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (NCLP), housed at the University of Maryland, College Park, provides a central clearinghouse of leadership materials, resources, and assistance for college leadership educators (www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/OCP/NCLP/). Membership to NCLP costs $35 annually.

• Yahoo, an Internet catalog, lists student government sites. So far the list is overwhelmingly of colleges, but a couple high schools are on it, and more will come. www.yahoo.com/text/education/organizations/student organizations/student_government/

• The Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation (HOBY), founded in 1958 by the actor who played Wyatt Earp on television, seeks out and develops leadership potential in high school students through seminars in each of the 50 states and in 35 countries around the world. The main HOBY site at www.hoby.org/ is under construction. But many different HOBY organizations participate in a "web ring," which by clicking on you go from one HOBY site to another. You can start at any point, here's one (it's HOBY Canada): www.hoby.ca/. For a listing of all the HOBY web ring sites, go to www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=hoby&list. HOBY also has a listserv. To subscribe, send e-mail to LISTSERV@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU with the command SUBSCRIBE HOBYAA in the body of your e-mail.

• The Association for Experiential Education (AEE) is a not-for-profit, international  professional organization with roots in adventure education, committed to the development, practice, and evaluation of experiential learning in all settings. It has an extensive web site at www.princeton.edu/~rcurtis/aee.html. AEE's listserv is a forum for the discussion of experiential education issues. Send an email message to LISTPROC@LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU In the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE AEELIST Napoleon Bonaparte (if your name is Napoleon Bonaparte—otherwise insert your first and last name). This message must be sent from the e-mail address that you plan to correspond from.

• To subscribe to a listserv about all aspects of leadership, e-mail LDRSHP@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU and in the body of your message say: SUBSCRIBE LDRSHP.

• The Leadership Studies Web (LSW)  is an electronic journal on the Internet focusing on educational leadership programs and activities, mainly related to colleges. LSW (www.Colorado.EDU/SLI/LSJ/) is composed of an online discussion group centered on leadership studies. The discussion group is provides a forum for people interested in leadership studies to share ideas about successful leadership programs. The site also provides a guide to leadership resources on the Internet.

The Department of Student Activities of the National Association of Secondary School Principals publishes each month Leadership for Student Activities. The magazine addresses all non-athletic activities at the middle and high school levels, including spirit groups, academic clubs, service groups, debate, drama, journalism, music, speech, honor societies, and student council. It deals with the problems and issues confronting student groups today and serves as a resource for student leaders throughout the country.  A primary focus is leadership development through involvement in student activities.

The magazine is mailed to more than 59,000 advisors each month, who typically share each issue with officers and other student leaders. Membership in DSA costs $85 per year for a school, which entitles three activities advisors to benefits of membership including the monthly magazine (Leadership), liability insurance, and discounts on various other publications, workshops, and conferences. Contact DSA Membership/NASSP, P.O. Box 3250, Reston, VA 20191-1250, (703) 860-0200, www.nassp.org..

For four years, CRF's Maurice R. Robinson Mini-Grant Program has given grants of $100 to $800 as seed money to teacher-student teams and community organizations for service-learning projects. These projects exemplify service learning on a shoestring. We feature this year's winners in the hopes of stimulating your creativity.
 

Elementary School

Peer Mediators Push Public Safety
Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST)—Albany, New York

Peer-mentoring students will establish and lead a conflict resolution program to address problems of public safety in Albany. High school mentors will train elementary school students in grades 4–6 to be peer mediators. These elementary school mediators will use the strategies they have learned to introduce conflict resolution techniques to younger children.

Fourth-Graders Bond with Senior Citizens
Perkiomen Valley South Elementary School—Collegeville, Pennsylvania

Fourth-grade students will interview senior citizens in their community to encourage interaction between the generations. Students will create an oral history interview sheet and design projects to stimulate communication between young people and senior citizens. During class, students will practice conducting oral histories with a partner. The final interviews and projects will be displayed at a school and community Intergenerational Celebration.

Special Ed. Students Learn Nutrition While Caring for Others
Martin Luther King School—Piscataway, New Jersey

Special education students will provide homeless persons in Piscataway with hot meals and caring young friends.  Students will study nutrition, plan menus, and prepare nutritional meals to be delivered to homeless people in a local soup kitchen. Students hope to learn the importance of good nutrition and the value of care for others.
 

Middle School

Science Students Sow Community Food Supplements
Arizona Intermediate School—Riverside, California

Science students will grow campus gardens to help supplement the dietary needs of low-income families. A follow-up plan calls for gardening tools and seeds to be provided for students interested in starting gardens at home.

Middle Schoolers Study Electoral Practices
Suzanne Middle School—Alta Loma, California

Students will complete a worldwide study of voter participation, assess the information, and identify the most successful voter registration practices. They will create a web site to present effective voter registration practices to Congress and state governments. This ongoing project is designed in response to the decline in voter turnout.

Eighth-Graders Address AIDS with Activist Measures
West Hills Middle Magnet School—New Haven, Connecticut

Four eighth grade classes will research AIDS issues and plan a three-pronged strategy involving advocacy (a letter-writing campaign), education (AIDS-information presentations for 5th, 6th, 7th grade students), and human needs (fundraising). Students also plan to visit patients, construct an AIDS banner and quilt, and participate in the World AIDS Day candlelight vigil.

Future Advocates Fight Fire with Policy Advice
Redlands Middle School
Grand Junction, Colorado

Eighth grade social studies students will advocate the construction of a fire station. In response to a call for more fire protection, students will conduct research and a survey, make presentations to local government agencies, prepare and distribute brochures, and meet with community members. As a result, students will learn about public policy making.

Middle Schoolers Place Local Wildlife in the Limelight
Nipher Middle School—Kirkwood, Missouri

Sixth and seventh graders will teach younger students about the character and caretaking of Missouri animals. Students will create an animal lending library for elementary school teachers and students. They will also develop videos about the care, handling, and feeding of the animals.  The goal is to create a heightened awareness of the roles of animals in the environment.
 

High School

Concerned Students Support Senior Safety
Beattie Technical School—Allison Park, Pennsylvania

To help bridge the gap between youth and the elderly, students will address the issue of crimes against senior citizens by studying factors affecting senior safety. Students will plan and implement defensive living workshops, create an information brochure, and offer a safety check for senior citizens' homes, yards, and neighborhoods.

Young Adults Advocate Abuse Awareness
Scotia-Glenville High School—Scotia, New York

"For the Children" project will promote child-abuse prevention and responsible parenting skills to student residents of homeless shelters and the community at large. Students will develop a parenting and baby-sitting workshop based on research and classroom study. During child abuse prevention month, students will conduct workshops on child-abuse awareness and prevention. Students will present their project information at statewide service-learning fairs.
 

Other exciting Robinson Mini-Grant recipients include:

Elementary School
 

• Jackson Elementary School, San Diego, California—3rd graders become mentors.

• Fairsite Elementary School, Galt, California—Students publish a historical guide to Galt.

• Jasper Elementary School, Jasper, Georgia—4th and 5th graders read to K–1 classrooms.

• Eisenhower School, Ottawa, Kansas—4th graders write and perform conflict resolution skits for senior citizens.

Middle School

• Strawberry Mansion Middle School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—8th graders work with primary school students to improve literacy.

• Washington Intermediate School, Honolulu, Hawaii—ESL students present diversity studies to faculty, friends and younger students.

• North Kirkwood Middle School, Kirkwood, Missouri—Students partner with autistic children to develop increased awareness.

• New York Institute for Special Education, Bronx, New York—Students organize a healthy eye information day for school and community.

• Redlands Middle School, Grand Junction, Colorado—ESL students at teach firefighters the Spanish language.

• Gregg Middle School, Summerville, South Carolina—Students interact with school and community leaders to explore community service.

• H.D. Perry Middle School, Miramar, Florida—Computer students mentor others on computer and Internet use.

High School

• Dunmore High School, Dunmore, Pennsylvania—Students recruit community volunteers to mentor high school seniors.

• Greene County Vocational Technical School, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania—Cosmetology students in grades 10, 11, and 12 will prepare hygiene tip sheets and health advice.

• Ripley Union Lewis Huntington School, Ripley, Ohio—Students will design and implement landscaping for the house of former slave John Purcel Parker.

• Tuloso-Midway Academic/Career Center, Corpus Christi, Texas—At-risk students promote literacy, safety, and nutrition for abused mothers and their children.

• Terrell County Independent School District, Sanderson, Texas—Student wellness group develop a program to promote a healthy lifestyle.

• The Enlightenment School, Waterbury, Connecticut—At-risk students recycle flowers, clothing, and jewelry for senior citizens and home-bound community members.

Community Organizations
 

• First Ward Community Center, Saginaw, Michigan—Participants in Project PUSH & PULL write and perform sketches about poverty and drug use.

• Foundation for the Homeless, Children's Outreach Program, Austin, Texas—Children of Monarch Apartments improve community relations, establish recycling and landscaping programs.

GALLUP, NEW MEXICO—The National Indian Youth Leadership Project (NIYLP) is a Native American, non-profit organization that operates programs in leadership development, experiential learning, service learning, and prevention based on the traditional Native value of service to the community. NIYLP runs the Turtle Island Project, a service-learning program funded by the Kellogg Foundation and based on the premise that young people best learn to lead through service to others.

The Turtle Island Project includes 14 secondary schools serving predominantly Native students and communities as well as eight colleges in new Mexico, Arizona, South Dakota, Michigan, and Minnesota. The goal of the Turtle Island Project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of service learning and to incorporate service into the curriculum.

The Turtle Island Project takes its name from the traditional name for this continent, used by many indigenous tribes of North America. When Europeans first encountered the indigenous people of Turtle Island, native communities had an organized system for educating young people. A complex experiential process included watching, listening, and experimenting under the mentorship of elders and extended family members. Customs, skills, spiritual practices, and languages were transmitted according to locally determined priorities. Appropriate roles were learned by emulating examples in the community. NIYLP believes that these Native approaches have much to offer the educational reform effort.

The Turtle Island Project advances a two-part theory about Native education: 1) Native youth learn best within the context of culture and community; 2) learning rooted in the indigenous cultural context rejuvenates Native communities and establishes linkages between community, school, and young people. Service-learning methodology supports the inclusion of indigenous languages, ecology, and history and results in increased levels of communication between schools and communities.

Many Turtle Island projects center around cultural preservation. Students at Taos pueblo have initiated a project with indigenous youth in Chihuahua, Mexico, to combine modern agricultural methods with the planting of ancient seeds. Students at Hopi pueblo are exploring maize as the cornerstone of their culture. In South Dakota, a mural depicting Lakota culture has replaced gang graffiti on a public building and students are working to place markers on old Indian graves. In Michigan, students are collecting oral histories as part of a curriculum focusing on Native culture.

NIYLP has been at the forefront of the national service-learning movement as a partner in the National Clearinghouse on Service Learning.

For further reading:

Cajete, Gregory. Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education. Durango, CO: Kivaki Press, 1994.

Deloria, Vine Jr. Indian Education in America. Boulder, CO: AISES, 1991.

Hall, McClellan. Full Circle: Native Educational Approaches Show the Way. The Journal of Experiential Education, December 1996, Volume 19, No. 3.
 

For more information, contact McClellan Hall, National Indian Youth Leadership Project, P.O. Box 2140, Gallup, NM, 87305, (505) 722-9176.
 
 

BUCKLAND, MASSACHUSETTS—In Contemporary Problems, a senior-year social studies elective, students critically explore the meaning and function of community. Students then develop projects that are designed to contribute to their own communities. Emphasis is placed on the development of leadership and networking skills.

While many service-learning units emerge out of an existing curriculum, Contemporary Problems emerges out of the issues that students identify as important to their own lives and the life of their community. Students have created courses of study around issues of poverty, hunger, domestic violence, sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy, the environment, eating disorders, learning disabilities, students' rights, public access to state lands, and recreational opportunities.

For example, identification of hunger as a contemporary problem led to the research, design, and construction of a 100'x 50' greenhouse. Students use the greenhouse to grow organic produce that is donated to the Ashfield Pantry, a local food distribution program. To build their greenhouse, students interacted intensively with the community. They organized fundraisers, solicited donations from local contractors and building supply companies, and met with local farmers to learn more about hothouse agriculture. They hired a skilled builder to supervise construction efforts and enlisted the local media to gain support and visibility for their project.

Issues of diversity motivated other Contemporary Problems students to organize a three-day symposium on disability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. The conference was open to the public and featured films and guest speakers. The program concluded with classroom surveys and follow-up discussions. Other Contemporary Problems students researched world hunger, then fasted to raise money for famine relief. The proceeds were donated to Oxfam.

Contemporary Problems is part of a series of social studies and service learning units developed and taught by public school teachers and compiled by the Eastern Regional Information Center at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

For more information, contact Kevin Freitas and Julianne Eagan, Mohawk Trail Regional High School, 26 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 (413) 625-9811,kfreitas@k12.oit.umass.edu.
 
 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY—Newark Do Something, chartered in 1994, has sought to find innovative ways to strengthen Newark's community identity. Newark Do Something focuses its efforts on creating networks between service organizations, concerned citizens, and local schools. One of its primary strategies is the establishment of a Community Coach Program.

The Newark Community Coach program began as a partnership between Newark Do Something, the Newark Superintendent of Schools, and the Newark Teachers' Union. Coaches, usually from the targeted school, develop and guide student leadership teams. These teams seek to build basic leadership skills including public speaking, conflict resolution, and self-esteem.

Community Coaches help students plan and implement service projects that benefit the school and the community at large. For example, over the last two years, 24 Newark schools participated in a Kindness and Justice Challenge that encouraged students to report acts of good citizenship. That effort has been translated into a two-week curriculum that Do Something will promote nationally. Interested teachers can find out more about the Kindness and Justice Challenge at www.kjchallenge.org.

The Newark Community Coach program organized and maintained a neighborhood-based soccer and chess league that combines physical and intellectual activity with the promotion of sportsmanship and leadership skills. A school-based Do Something team started a letter-writing campaign to protest New Jersey Transit's plan to place tobacco advertising on buses and at transit stations.

In addition, Newark's Do Something program has helped secure a Department of Education grant to implement character education curriculum in the Newark schools.

For more information, contact Jill Rottman, Programs Director, Newark Do Something Fund, 35 James Street, Newark, NJ 07102, (973) 643-6373, or. . . Do Something, 423 W. 55th Street, New York, NY 10019, (212) 523-1175, www.dosomething.org.
 

Outdoor Leadership: Technique, Common Sense, and Self-Confidence
John Graham, The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, Washington. 6 X 9. 176 pp. No index. ISBN 0-89886-502-6

What does it take to be a good leader? Good leaders must be able to plan effectively, develop skills, make tough decisions, and deal with conflicts. They must also develop trust, communicate with sensitivity, and balance intellect with intuition, head with heart.

Outdoor Leadership is a practical, readable guide to the skills, attitudes, and inner resources young people need to be effective leaders. The book covers all aspects of leadership including forming a personal style, finding courage, making decisions, communicating effectively, building teams, coping with stress, and inspiring others to do their best. Separate chapters discuss women in leadership, running organizations, and forming and leading political initiatives.

In Outdoor Leadership, author John Graham has applied his experience in hiking and mountaineering to the task of preparing young people for leadership roles. His own history as an active citizen places him in a unique position to write about leadership and civic participation. In his career as a foreign service officer, Graham headed a joint military-civilian team in Vietnam and worked in the field for the United Nations. Today, Graham is the executive director of The Giraffe Project, an international non-profit organization that promotes leadership in civic participation and encourages people to "stick their necks out" for the common good (See Network, Summer, 1996 for more information on The Giraffe Project).

While the author draws on his wilderness experience, Outdoor Leadership combines gripping personal tales with a universal exploration of what makes leadership succeed or fail. Gardner looks far beyond the hard-edged clichés of authority to explore thoughtfulness, trust, sensitivity, the balance between intellect and intuition, and inspiration. Gardner offers his advice in an engaging series of anecdotes, tips, and lists. He sums up each chapter with user-friendly paradigms called "Learning to Lead." Students and teachers can apply Gardner's methods and examples to the planning and implementation of any school and community effort.
Available for $16.95 from The Mountaineer Books, 1001 S.W. Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle WA 98134, (206) 223-6303.
 

The Encyclopedia of Group Activities: 150 Practical Designs for Successful Facilitating
Edited by J. William Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer and Company, San Diego, California. Loose-leaf binder. 6 X 9. 431 pp. No index.ISBN 0-88390-231-1

The Encyclopedia of Icebreakers: Structured Activities That Warm Up, Motivate, Challenge, Acquaint, and Energize
Sue Forbes-Greene. Pfeiffer and Company, San Diego, California. Loose-leaf binder. 6 X 9. 417 pp. No index.

This two-volume set offers an incredible collection of activities and icebreakers that can be used to facilitate sessions on leadership development, team building, role clarification, strategic planning, workplace diversity, and organizational change. The activities from both Encyclopedias range from simple designs requiring little preparation and group time to more complex designs.

Directions for each activity follows a consistent format that includes goals, group size, time required, materials needed, and the physical setting. A step-by-step procedure provides specific instructions for the facilitator and participants. Handouts are printed on separate pages so they can be reproduced easily for distribution to participants.

The Encyclopedia of Group Activities draws on material from a variety of sources to present strategies for experiential learning, values clarification, and group communication. Activities are arranged in six categories: "Personal Awareness," "Values Clarification," "Communication," "Group Process," and "Feedback." A "Miscellaneous" section covers life and career planning, conflict resolution, consensus decision-making, competition and collaboration, leadership styles, and coaching.

The Encyclopedia of Icebreakers uses a format similar to The Encyclopedia of Group Activities. Icebreakers are designed to foster interaction, stimulate creative thinking, challenge basic assumptions, illustrate new concepts, and re-energize participants at workshops, conferences, or training programs. This volume offers activities in six categories: "Energizers and Tension Reducers," "Feedback and Disclosure," "Getting Acquainted," "Games and Brainteasers," "Openers and Warm-Ups," and "Professional Development Topics."

Each volume is available for $99.95; both volumes are available for $169.00 from Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94104 (800) 274-4434.
 

101 Ways to Develop Student Self-Esteem and Responsibility
Jack Canfield and Frank Siccone. Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights, Massachusetts 02194. 9 X 7. 510 pp. No index. ISBN 0-205-16884-1

The authors of 101 Ways to Develop Student Self-Esteem and Responsibility begin with the premise that teachers play the most important role in building a quality educational environment for students. Therefore, the best place to start working on students' leadership abilities is by encouraging teachers to review and rejuvenate their own roles as leaders.

Part I of 101 Ways to Develop Student Self-Esteem and Responsibility is addressed directly to the teacher. It contains activities that are designed to help teachers revisit their commitment to teaching. Procedures for Part I focus on self-definition for teachers (mission, vision, and goals) that leads to action. Chapters explore the teacher as leader, role model, and coach. Activities include "Letting Go of the Past," "Teacher as Learner," and a "Good Kid/Bad Kid Kinesiology Demonstration."

Part II shifts focus to address student needs. This section presents a view of students as self-determining beings. Self-esteem and personal responsibility are major themes. It contains activities teachers can use to help students accept themselves and take responsibility for their lives rather than seeing themselves as victims of circumstances or their surroundings. Chapters address teaching as a loving and transforming activity. Procedures include "Ice Breakers," "An Introduction to Guided Imagery," "How Do You Spell Fear?," "Deactivating the Robot," and "Negative Feelings: A Disappearing Act."

Part III, titled "The True Purpose of Education," begins with a quote from Galileo: "You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself." In keeping with this premise, this section is designed to provide students with opportunities to exercise their responsibility, develop their own leadership skills, and expand their capacity to participate in the world as happy, effective citizens. Activities focus on peer counseling, conflict resolution, and the introduction of methods for young people to apply their skills to the world beyond the classroom.

Although the activities in Chapter One and Two ("Teacher as Leader," "Teacher as Role Model") were designed for the individual teacher, the authors suggest that they could be used in a teacher training or in-service training.

Available for $34.95 from Longwood Division, Allyn & Bacon, 160 Gould Street, Needham Heights, MA 02194 (800) 278-3525.
 

Constitutional Rights Foundation(CRF) is among the leading national organizations promoting school-based youth service and service learning. Since 1962, CRF has used education to address some of America’s most serious youth-related problems: apathy, alienation, and lack of commitment to the values essential to our democratic way of life.

Through a variety of civic-education programs developed by CRF staff, young people prepare for effective citizenship and learn the vital role they can play in our society. Empowered with knowledge and skills, our youth can interact successfully with our political, legal, and economic systems.

CRF is dedicated to assuring our country’s future by investing in our youth today. For more information about CRF programs including Youth Task Force L.A., Active Citizenship Today (a collaboration with Close Up Foundation), CityYouth, California State Mock Trial Competition, History Day in California, Sports & the Law, or curriculum materials, please contact our office.

We welcome your recommendations of themes for future issues, conference listings, resources materials, program evaluations, book reviews, or curriculum and activities ideas. Thank you for your contributions and most of all for your dedication to youth.
 

©1997, Constitutional Rights Foundation, 601 South Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90005 (213) 487-5590  Fax (213) 386-0459   www.crf-usa.org
 

Susan Troy, President; Knox Cologne, Immediate Past President; Todd Clark, Executive Director; Marshall Croddy, Director of Program and Materials Development; Kathleen Kirby, Senior Consultant; Charles Degelman, Julie Glaser, Writers; Bill Hayes, Editor;  Andrew Costly, Production Manager.