Week 4 Discussion 2 Features Chart

Review each of the following nationally recognized programs’ websites:

· Whatever It Takes: Athens, GA (Links to an external site.) (http://www.witathens.org/)

· Harlem Children’s Zone (Links to an external site.) (http://www.hcz.org/)

· Girl Scouts USA (Links to an external site.) (http://www.girlscouts.org/)

· Boys and Girls Clubs of America (Links to an external site.) (http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx)

· Boy Scouts of America (Links to an external site.) (http://www.scouting.org/)

· Communities in Schools (Links to an external site.) (http://www.communitiesinschools.org/)

· YMCA (Links to an external site.) (http://www.ymca.net/)

· Special Olympics (Links to an external site.) (http://www.specialolympics.org/)

· The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Links to an external site.) (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx)

Select three from the list and identify the following using a semantic feature analysis chart:

· Their Mission/Vision Statement

· Do they provide free resources?

· How do you start a program in your community?

· Any grant or scholarship opportunities?

· Are they part of a collaborative project? If so, with whom?

· Do they have a presence in your community?

Instructor Guidance

Week 4

In week four we continue many of the things that we started in the first three weeks. We continue to analyze programs that support youth. And as you at these community efforts, we’re going to extend that you to include state and national level organizations. We will update the table created in Week 1, and we will also continue our work on creating a program for our final project. In the list of required resources for this week, you will find links for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, Special Olympics, and many other national and state level organizations. All these organizations are aimed at getting youth involved and providing support for youth to help address one or other issue within the communities. You will need to review these organization for the discussions and assignments this week. In the first discussion you are asked to update the table created in week one. Since we first created this list, you have found many additional resources in your community or school that can be added the table. Please be sure to review the specific information to be included in the table. You’ll find the list of requirements posted in the discussion description. When you respond to your peers in this discussion forum, be sure you ask your classmates about how they see these organizations working together, if they do. Also, make suggestions to your classmates about how they could improve their table or master list. If your peers do make suggestions for improvement, please pay attention to that and update your response to be used for your final project.

In the second discussion forum for the week, you are asked to review the state and national organizations. From this list you will pick three organizations and describe the mission and vision, whether their resources are free, how you might start a branch of the organization locally, and the rest of the questions that are included in the posted description discussion. You may wish to choose three organizations that closely align with your ideas for your final project.

In the written assignment for this week you are reflecting on the process you have followed so far in creating your final project. There is an outline provided which you should follow to reflect on how you have arrived at deciding what your initiative will be. You will continue by discussing the process you have followed to develop your mission and vision. You will also include a defense of how your initiative includes at least four of the five action strategies discussed early. Of course your paper must be formatted according to APA standards and cite at least three scholarly sources in addition to the textbook. For an additional jump-start in creating community programs, please see this Ted Talks at: TEDxKnoxville – Amy Gibson – Envisioning Community Development (Links to an external site.).

TedX Knoxville. (2011, December 27).  TEDxKnoxville – Amy Gibson – Envisioning Community Development (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM7vA02YIrA

Required Resources

1. Read from your text,  Assets in action: A handbook for making communities better places to grow up :

· Chapter 7 – Over the Long Haul: Sustaining Your Initiative

· Epilogue – Nourishing the Spirit of the Community Change Leaders

2. Boy Scouts of America (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.scouting.org/

· This is the website for the national program dedicated to supporting boys.

3. Boys and Girls Clubs of America (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx

· This is the website for the national program dedicated to supporting and empowering youth in the communities that they serve.

4. Communities in Schools (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.communitiesinschools.org/

· This is the website for the national program designed to support youth through their communities.

5. Girl Scouts USA (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.girlscouts.org/

· This is the website for the national program dedicated to empowering girls.

6. Harlem Children’s Zone (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.hcz.org/

· This website how a local collaborative project is improving the Harlem, NY community.

7. Special Olympics (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.specialolympics.org/#

· Through the power of sport, Special Olympics strives to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people.

8. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx

· This is the website for an educational initiative program.

9. Whatever It Takes: Athens, GA (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.witathens.org/

· This website exhibits how local collaborative partnership work to improve the Athens, GA community.

10. YMCA (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.ymca.net/

· This is the website for the national program dedicated to empowering and supporting communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.