Recycling event brings in the green for Simon Youth Foundation

You've heard it before. One man's junk is another man's treasure. Or is it one man's trash? Either way, that old proverb sums up very well a recent Simon Youth Foundation fundraiser that was sponsored by Northlake Mall, a Simon Property Group mall in Atlanta, GA.

The mall with its partner, Northlake Community Alliance, hosted an Electronics Recycling Day on Saturday, March 20. Hundreds of area residents brought in old TVs, computers and other gadgets from days gone by. The Electronics Recycling Service took the items to dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way. In all, some 32,000 pounds of electronics were collected and kept out of landfills.

As patrons dropped of their items for recycling, they also were asked to make a donation to benefit charitable organizations. More than $300 was collected to benefit Simon Youth Academies and Simon Youth Scholarships. A portion of the proceeds also benefited event sponsor Northlake Community Alliance.

Event photos courtesy of Northlake Mall

Simon Youth Academy teacher ignites hope and is named her district’s best

We are always proud to tell people about how dedicated and innovative our Simon Youth Foundation teachers and administrators are at our Simon Youth Academies throughout the country.

Carolyn Kelly is a perfect example.

 

Award winner Carolyn Kelly is pictured at middle
with Simon Youth Metrocenter Academy's
two other teachers, Janet Johns and Trent Grahamm

 A teacher for 24 years, the last nine with the Simon Youth Metrocenter Academy at Metrocenter, which is located in the Metrocenter mall in Phoenix, AZ, Kelly was just named her school district’s top special programs teacher for 2011.

“I began teaching in an alternative school setting after 10 years in traditional classrooms because I wanted a new challenge,” Kelly says. “I’ve stayed in alternative programs for the last 14 years because it is a great opportunity to work more directly with students and impact their development.”

On April 6, 2011, Kelly was recognized with the Achievement Above All Award as the Special Programs Teacher of the Year by the Glendale Union High School District, which partners with SYF to operate the academy at Metrocenter. The recognition came complete with a table top award that Kelly proudly displays in her classroom.

“Mrs. Kelly is a great teacher,” says academy junior student Karina Ahumada. “She has helped me so much, and she encourages me to keep coming to school and to do my best”.

Kelly says that she has helped more than 840 at-risk students earn their high school diploma while working at Metrocenter. She says there is a mutual respect between her and the students.

“Our Simon Youth Metrocenter Academy students are so motivated and strong,” Kelly says. “They inspire me each day.”

Kelly’s students will tell you that she inspires them, too, providing hope that they can go anywhere their dreams take them.

“Mrs. Kelly is a role model for me; I would like to be like her when I get older,” says academy junior student Paulina Velazco. “The more time I spend at this school, the better person I become.

“I appreciate all the teachers at Metrocenter Academy, especially Mrs. Kelly, because she makes me a better person without even realizing it,” Velazco says.

Diploma wall inspires hope in Simon Youth Foundation students

Seith Bedard remembers his parents tacking his A+ papers to the refrigerator when he was a kid.

Now an adult and working as the director of Simon Youth Peabody Learning Academy at Northshore Mall, which serves high school students at risk of dropping out, Bedard remembers how seeing his school work prominently hung at home pushed him to work hard in the classroom.

"This is the same idea behind our academy's diploma wall," Bedard says. "The wall is a daily reminder for the students of what they are working for and what they have achieved."

Not too long ago, Bedard came upon his old high school diploma from Peabody Veterans Memorial High School - the high school and Peabody Public Schools system are partners that support the academy in partnership with Simon Youth Foundation. Bedard thought he could use the image of his diploma as motivation for his 30 students, so he ran off 30 photo copies of it with the name section left blank.


"I added a different student’s name to each diploma copy, and I've had them laminated and added magnets so that they could be attached to one of our classroom white boards, which we now call the diploma wall," Bedard says.

Underneath each student’s diploma is a column of other laminated cards bearing symbols that represent each of the required courses students must complete to graduate. As students complete a required course, Bedard pulls that card down off the wall.

"This is a visual way to show students how far they've come and what they have left to accomplish," Bedard says.

He adds that since establishing the diploma wall, strong attendance has gotten even better with students going as far as calling into the academy if they are running just a few minutes behind.

"Seeing their names on a diploma, even if it’s not yet the real thing, gives them a lot of pride," Bedard says. "And we've set up the diploma wall right at the entrance to the school so it is the first thing the students see when they come to class and the last thing they see when they leave for the day."

"It really helps me stay on track and motivates me to get what I need done," says Michael Nolan, an academy student who dropped out of his traditional high school at the start of the 2010-11 academic year but will still graduate in May because of the work he's completed in recent months at the academy. "When I get the chance to take down a class from the diploma wall, it give me a sense of accomplishment."

When a student's column on the diploma wall is clear and all classes required for graduation are passed, as was already the case for two of the academy's 30 students on April 22, 2011, Bedard pulls their diploma magnet from the diploma wall. The students can then take it home to proudly display until they receive their real diploma at a large ceremony with students from the Peabody system's traditional high school, which is planned for May, 2011.

2011 The ExxonMobil Middle East and North Africa Scholars Program, USA

What is it?

The program is funded by ExxonMobil and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Through this unique scholarship opportunity, ExxonMobil aims to contribute to the Middle East and North Africa region by helping to develop highly skilled and culturally adept individuals. The program also seeks to build relationships with academic leaders by offering a Faculty Sponsor Program to the home academic departments of successful scholars. Some students may qualify for the opportunity to apply their skills through internships with ExxonMobil.


Who should apply?

Citizens of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia or the UAE who have a Bachelor's degree in Geoscience, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Math or Geography. Candidates must have lived in the Middle East/North Africa for 15 years & be fluent in Arabic

How do I apply?

Applicants must fill out an online application. The application includes: essays, 9 application pages with itemized sections, 1 signature page, letter of reference forms and the submission of university transcripts and TOEFL & GRE score reports

What is included?

Recipients will receive full tuition for the completion of a Master's Degree in Geosciences, Engineering, or Business. The program also provides a stipend for housing and living expenses and includes medical insurance, textbook and computer allowances, transportation to the U.S. at the inception and conclusion of the program, visa and academic support, and an intensive orientation program.

Submission Deadline: 1 October 2011

For more information, CLICK HERE

TYLENOL® Scholarship Program 2011, USA

TYLENOL® Scholarship Program is offered to students who have completed at least one year of undergraduate or graduate course of study.

Study Subject: Healthcare

Employer: McNeil-PPC

Level: Undergraduate, Graduate


Scholarship Description:For the 21st year, the makers of TYLENOL® are awarding $250,000 in scholarships to help college students who are planning to take care of others. The TYLENOL® Scholarship Program has provided financial support for students who seek healthcare-related degrees for more than 20 years because the makers of TYLENOL® cares about the future of healthcare and recognize that dedicating yourself to healthcare is no small commitment.

Based on leadership qualities, academic performance and community involvement, the makers of TYLENOL® will award ten students $10,000 scholarships and 30 other students $5,000 scholarships to help manage the rising costs of education. The annual TYLENOL® Scholarship Program is offered to students who have completed at least one year of undergraduate or graduate course of study in the Spring of 2011 at an accredited two or four year college, university or vocational-technical school.

Scholarship Application Deadline:May 27, 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application: CLICK HERE


MAKULILO, Jr.

California, USA

Kofi Annan Fellowships for Developing Countries Student 2011

Kofi Annan Fellowship for outstanding leadership potentials from developing countries. The Kofi Annan Fellowship provides the opportunity for talented and motivated students from developing countries who do not belong to a privileged class and lack sufficient financial means to study management at ESMT in Berlin and graduate with a prestigious MBA from the most international business school in Germany.

Upon return to their home countries, the fellows are expected to contribute to the strengthening of entrepreneurial capacity and the fostering of a stablemarket economy as an effective catalyst for their country’s development, job creation, and poverty alleviation.

About ESMT

ESMT European School of Management and Technology was founded in October 2002 by 25 leading global companies and institutions. The international business school offers Full-time MBA and Executive MBA programs, as well as executive education in the form of open enrollment and customized programs. The School also features in-house research-oriented consulting services in the areas of competition and regulation. ESMT is a private university based in Berlin, Germany, with an additional location in Schloss Gracht near Cologne.

What is the Kofi Annan Fellowship?
A fellowship grant for an emerging leader from a developing country for a one-year full-time MBA education in Berlin, Germany.

Purpose
To make significant contributions to least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs); to strengthen the awareness for responsibility in leadership in developed countries.

Partner
ESMT in cooperation with the Kofi Annan Business School Foundation in The Hague, Netherlands.

When
Starting annually in January. Application deadline is September 30, annually. Up to three fellowships are available each year.

Financials
Value of the fellowship is € 58,000. Fellows will have a full scholarship from ESMT plus fair compensation for costs like travel, accommodation, and program-related fees.

Support
Travel, visa, housing, insurance, placement, networking.

Requirements
Bachelor degree of any kind, a minimum of three years’ professional experience, GMAT, fluency in written and spoken English, willingness to contribute to building the economy and society of the home country with entrepreneurial impetus.

ESMT
European School of Management
and Technology
Schlossplatz 1
10178 Berlin
Germany

Dean
Prof. Dr. Wulff Plinke
Phone: +49 (0) 30 212 31-1020
Fax: +49 (0) 30 212 31-1012
E-mail: plinke@esmt.org

MBA Director
Nick Barniville
Phone: +49 (0) 30 212 31-1400
Fax: +49 (0) 30 212 31-1409
E-mail: mba@esmt.org
Website: www.esmt.org

SOURCE: CLICK HERE

Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship Awards

The Endeavour Awards aim to:

*Develop on-going educational, research and professional linkages between individuals, organisations and countries,

*Provide opportunities for high achieving individuals from Australia and overseas to increase their skills and enhance their global awareness,

*Contribute to Australia’s position as a high quality education and training provider, and a leader in research and innovation, and

*Increase the productivity of Australians through an international study, research or professional development experience.


The Endeavour Awards are a part of the Australia Awards initiative. The Australia Awards have been established to maximise the benefit to Australia of its extensive scholarship programs, and to support enduring ties between Australia and our neighbours.

The Australia Awards brings together under a single recognisable brand, the Endeavour Awards administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and the international development awards administrated by the Australia Agency for International Development (AusAID). Further information is available at the Australia Awards website.

You can read about the experiences of Australian Endeavour Award holders who have undertaken overseas study and International Endeavour Award holders who have undertaken study in Australia.

Endeavour Awards brochures:

Endeavour Executive Awards ( PDF 547KB | RTF 46KB)
Endeavour Postgraduate and Postdoctoral Awards ( PDF 517KB | RTF 47KB)
Endeavour Research Fellowships for Indigenous Australians ( PDF 703KB | RTF 49KB)
Endeavour VET Awards ( PDF 543KB | RTF 55KB)


Further information on the Endeavour Awards:

Frequently asked questions

Applicant Guidelines

Key Dates

1 April 2011 Applications open for the 2012 round of the Endeavour Awards.

30 June 2011 Applications close for the 2012 round of the Endeavour Awards.

July - October After the closing date, DEEWR will review applications to ensure applications meet Award eligibility requirements.

Applications which meet eligibility requirements will then proceed to an external selection panel where they will be assessed against the selection criteria.

The selection panel makes recommendations to DEEWR with the final decision on Award allocation being made by DEEWR.

November 2011 Applicants are advised of the outcome of the 2012 Endeavour Awards


SOURCE: CLICK HERE

KAAD Scholarships for Developing Countries

Who can apply?

For the scholarship programme 1 of KAAD you can apply if you:

*come from a developing or emerging country in Africa, Asia, the Middle East or Latin America
have a university degree and professional experience from your home country

*want to acquire a master's degree or a PhD at a German university or do a post-doctoral research project (2-6 months for established university lecturers) at a German university
are a Catholic Christian (or general belong to a Christian denomination). Candidates from other religions can apply if they are proposed by Catholic partners and can prove their commitment to interreligious dialogue

*possess German language skills before starting the studies (KAAD can provide a language course of max. 6 months in Germany).



What does KAAD expect from you?

Above-average performance in studies and research

The orientation of your studies or research towards permanent reintegration in your home region (otherwise the scholarship is turned into a loan),

Religious and social commitment (activities) and willingness to inter-religious dialogue.

KAAD is working with focus- and partner countries in your region. There are so-called Partner Committees in these countries and applications are channelled via them. Applications from other countries can be considered only in exceptional cases.

For more information about your region, visit the following sites:
Africa (sub-Sahara)
Asia
Latin America
Near and Middle East (including North Africa)


Deadline: 30 June/30 Nov (annual)
Study in: Germany
Course starts Sept 2011

Source link: http://kaad.de/1/scholarships/scholarship-program-1/

Jeans are a means to keep Simon Youth Foundation at-risk youth in the classroom

They might have been Levi's or Wranglers, maybe something a bit swankier, like Citizens for Humanity. Whatever the brand, the jeans that made their way into the Simon Property Group headquarters on Friday, April 15, 2011, were the favorite fit of the Simon Youth Foundation, because they helped raise $2,285 to benefit youth at risk of dropping out of high school. Some 457 SPG employees paid $5 to participate in the Jeans for Teens fundraiser, which was the third in 2011 and pushed the program's total year contributions to nearly $7,000.

Come back to the blog for details on the next Jeans for Teens set for June 17, 2011, or send Adjei Nortey an email.

CBS radio: SYF academy is model of community partnerships to improve education



©2011 CBS Local Media,
a division of CBS Radio Inc. 



The Simon Youth Peabody Learning Academy at Northshore Mall in Peabody, Mass., was featured in an April 1, 2011, report from the CBS radio affiliate in Boston, WBZ NewsRadio 1030. In the story, the superintendent of our local partner in education, the Peabody Public Schools system, says the academy is a model for providing crucial educational opportunities through community partnerships for at-risk students.

Superintendent Milton Burnett, Ed.D., goes on to tell the story's reporter that opening the academy was "absolutely the right thing to do" for the students whose personal circumstances require a learning an environment that differs from the traditional classroom model.

You can listen to the entire radio story by clicking the link below. You can learn more about the Simon Youth Peabody Learning Academy at its website.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/04/01/the-parent-report-the-learning-academy/

Simon Property Group regional event sinks big donation for SYF

If the best score in golf is a hole in one, Simon Youth Foundation scored the fundraising equivalent at a recent annual meeting for Simon Property Group's Florida Region.

SYF's administrators were presented with a check for $131,000 dollars during a mini golf and Hawaiian luau themed event that was hosted as part of the two-day meeting.

Florida Region staff worked with more than 60 sponsor companies to raise the funds, collecting donations ranging from $200 all the way up to $10,000. Enjoy some fun event photos in the slideshow below!

Tight budgets could make for lost futures

Photo property of the TC Palm
Photo by Deborah Silver

Simon Youth Foundation President and CEO J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., is currently touring some of our nationwide academies. While visiting the Simon Youth Academy at Indian River Commons in Vero Beach, Fla., he worked with administrators on ways to save the school. Despite strong success since opening in 2007, difficult budget realities facing the local school district, our partner, Indian River County Schools, have put the academy's future in jeopardy. Durnil, photographed by photojournalist Deborah Silver at left, spoke to the TC Palm, the local newspaper, about the academy's uncertain future, saying school systems throughout the country must try to save programs that benefit at-risk youth otherwise "it's a lost future" for too many students. You can read the full story at the link to the paper's website below.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/11/indian-river-schools-simon-mall-dropout-program/

SYF thanks you for wearing your blue jeans

Who doesn't want to wear jeans to work? I mean, for those of us stuck in the rut of business casual dress codes, a jeans day is a chance to shake things up and sit comfortably all day long. The only thing better than your average jeans day is one that also benefits a great cause, like say, Simon Youth Foundation.

As of April 7, 2011, SYF Jeans for Teens, or JFT, fundraisers supported by Simon Property Group employees have already raised nearly $5,000. For a five-dollar donation to SYF, employees at SPG headquarters are able to break free of business casual on five selected dates each year by wearing their jeans into the office. We are grateful for their support!

In recognition of their willingness to support JFT, our SYF team and some students representing Indianapolis-area Simon Youth Academies hosted a thank-you luncheon for the volunteers who coordinate selling JFT event tickets on each floor of the SPG building. The students spoke about the impact of SYF on their lives, and SYF provided free boxed lunches to attendees, which were donated by Jug's Catering.

Simon malls hop to support SYF dropout-prevention mission

Spring is here and Easter is upon us. The season is a great metaphor for Simon Youth Foundation. Just as the season promises new beginnings, our 25 Simon Youth Academies offer hope for the future to hundreds of high school students at risk of dropping out of school by giving them a fresh start in the classroom. Similarly, our Simon Youth Scholarships over the last 11 years have helped nearly 3,000 students from 42 states begin college careers, many of them becoming the first person in their family to attend a university.

SYF can only extend these second-chance educational opportunities through the financial support of its amazing donor network, including our partners at Simon malls throughout the country and their generous patrons. Simon malls and their shoppers donated more than $1.7 million to benefit SYF schools and scholarships in 2010 alone.

On Saturday, April 2, 2011, the Northshore Mall in Peabody, MA, hosted a breakfast with the Easter Bunny for members of its kids club network. Around 200 parents and kids attended the event, and families donated five dollars to SYF to participate. SYF sponsors the Simon Youth Peabody Learning Academy at Northshore Mall, so the community's support of SYF is really an investment in its own future. You can read more about the event and see more photos like the one above, which is courtesy of Tara Vocino, by visiting the community's Peabody Patch website.

SYF students go for win at international DECA contest

Senior high school student Amanda Miller spent much of the current academic year refining a proposal for the business she wants to start, a nonprofit that would use community donations to purchase bundles of blankets, coats and Bibles and distribute them to the needy.

Now the business she thought up to help others may actually help Miller advance her young business career with a win at a major competition.

Miller and three other students from an alternative learning academy in Missouri that is supported by Simon Youth Foundation will compete with as many as 14,000 other worldwide students in a business entrepreneur contest at the DECA International Career Development Conference, April 30-May 3, 2011, in Orlando, FL.

“You want to always do your best, but I did not expect to even be named a finalist of the district competition,” Miller says. “I ended up winning the DECA district competition, finished third at the Missouri statewide competition and earned my place in the international conference.”

Amanda Miller, third from left. Janessa Mitchell, fourth from left.
Blake Bolin and Caleb Carlisle, sixth and seventh from left.

Miller and fellow seniors Blake Bolin, Caleb Carlisle and Janessa Mitchell will represent the Simon Youth Academy at Independence Center located in Independence, MO, at the DECA international competition. The school, which operates inside the Independence Center mall that is owned and managed by the Simon Property Group, offers its students an alternative, business-focused curriculum.



Bolin and Carlisle, working as a team, and Mitchell and Miller, working independently, have spent their senior year at the academy developing their three business projects. Bolin and Carlisle went on to win the statewide DECA contest in their respective category, and Mitchell and Miller both placed in the top four of their judged events to move on to the international competition.

“Our Simon Youth Academies exist to bring hope to students that their academic and professional dreams can be realized,” says J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., president and CEO of Simon Youth Foundation. “We are so proud of the students from the academy at Independence Center who have chased their dreams and caught them by earning a spot in the international DECA competition.”

Carol Bolin, the academy’s administrator and its single teacher, says that in addition to their DECA business proposals, the students in her program complete eight-week internships and are responsible for managing the Independence Center’s gift wrap service.

“Simon Youth Foundation’s support of our academy has given these students opportunities that most kids their age do not have access to, and they will prove very successful in their future endeavors because of their experiences,” Bolin says.

“I did not know what Simon Youth Foundation was until I began studying at the academy this last year, but I now appreciate every little thing I’ve been able to do with its support,” Miller says.

The students behind the business presentations selected as the best at DECA’s international conference could receive scholarships and trophies or ribbons of recognition.

SYF President and CEO is leaving on a jet plane

Simon Youth Foundation President and CEO J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., is trading the comforts of his office chair for the cramped confines of an airplane seat. Durnil is taking to the friendly skies as part of a tour of Simon Youth Academies throughout the country in April and May, 2011, to meet our great educators and inspiring students.

At all of his stops, which include cities in Texas, Missouri and Massachusetts, Durnil also is taking time to thank the leaders at the Simon mall locations that support so well the SYF mission with their time and treasure each year. In particular, he's attending Simon mall regional meetings, and alongside Simon Youth Academy students, he's sharing the story of how the malls' support is changing the lives of at-risk high school kids who came critically close to dropping out of school.

The praise for the Simon mall family and Simon Property Group is well deserved. Together, in 2010 alone, they generated more than $1.7 million for SYF, including coins collected in SYF wishing wells, which our mall partners graciously locate in high-traffic areas in their shopping centers.



In the slideshow above are a few photos from the Simon malls Central Region meeting attended by Durnil and SYF students. The students, from the Simon Youth Academy at Independence Center, a Simon mall in Independence, MO, are seen in a couple of pictures presenting an SYF Best Fundraising Award to representatives from Simon's Orange Park Mall, which is located in Florida.