Promise the Children News http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news en mbaier1@verizon.net Copyright 2009 2009-08-19T15:16:14+00:00 Children Left Behind, A Documentary about High Stakes Testing http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/children_left_behind/ Please check out this trailer for the new film focusing on MCAS testing in Massachusetts by:
Louis Kruger, Psy.D.
Associate Professor and Director, School Psychology Program
Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology
Northeastern University

To find out more about the film and to link to an “action page”, please go to the website.

To find out more about the new bill to improve MCAS please click here

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]]> 2009-03-26T17:24:48+00:00 Winter Newsletter “The Advocate” http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/winter_newsletter_the_advocate/ Click on the link to read our newsletter, The Advocate.
The_Advocate_08.pdf

]]> 2009-01-14T15:18:00+00:00 Promise the Children and Friends on YouTube! http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/promise_the_children_and_friends_on_youtube/ Becky Richardson from Promise the Children and Emily Goodstein from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice speak out for Overhauling No Child Left Behind and Comprehensive Sexuality Education at GA 2008. Take a look! Becky Richardson from Promise the Children and Emily Goodstein from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice speak out for Overhauling No Child Left Behind and Comprehensive Sexuality Education at GA 2008. Take a look!

]]> 2008-10-14T14:25:04+00:00 Legislative Action Day Workshop Guide http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/legislative_action_day_workshop_guide/ Based on our annual event for youth in Boston. Now available for you to download! This guide will help adult facilitators to develop and put into place an annual Legislative Action Day in their Community. Designed to help youth learn to advocate and lobby for change, this workshop is a fun and informative day that will leave young people feeling empowered to be the change they want to see. Please take the time to look at it and make it an event in your community. Down load the pdf version here! LAD_workshop_guide.pdf

]]> 2008-07-14T14:48:00+00:00 Winners chosen for 2008 Sermon and Story Contest http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/winners_chosen_for_2008_sermon_and_story_contest/ Read the winners submissions here! Reverend Greg Ward of Carmel, California and Reverend LoraKim Joyner, D.V.M., from Gainesville, Florida are the winners for Promise the Children’s Sermon and Story contest! The Sermon “How the Game Was Saved” is brought to us by Rev. Greg Ward of the UU Church of the Monterey Peninsula. Rev. Ward asks the question, “Are you saved?” We are thrilled to bring Rev. Ward’s introspective and humorous voice to our pages. The Story for all Ages is brought to us by the Rev. LoraKim Joyner, D.V.M., from Gainesville, Florida. Titled, The Dump Community, La Comunidad de Basura, it tells the story of a city dump in Mexico and the community who lives around it. This is a fabulous teaching story and we are proud to bring it to our readers.

To read the winners submissions in full please link to them through our site or stop by our booth at GA 2008 in Fort Lauderdale and check them out there. You’ll be glad you did!

How_the_Game_was_Saved,_Rev._Ward.doc

The_Dump_Community.Rev._LK._Joyner.doc

]]> 2008-06-12T17:46:00+00:00 Early Education for All in Massachusetts http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/early_education_for_all_in_massachusetts/ Making young children and their families a top priority in Massachusetts! We are excited to report that on Wednesday, May 28, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass H.4706, An Act Relative to Early Education and Care. We commend Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and House Education Chair Patricia Haddad for continuing to make young children and families a top priority by leading the effort to advance this important bill.

An Act Relative to Early Education and Care is landmark legislation that formally establishes the Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program, laying the foundation for voluntary, high-quality, universally accessible early education for preschool-aged children delivered through a mixed system of providers. The Early Education for All Campaign is grateful to the House of Representatives for demonstrating its commitment to young children and families through the passage of this bill. An Act Relative to Early Education and Care has been referred to the Senate and if approved will be sent to Governor Deval Patrick for his signature.

Promise the Children wants you to know that we support this legislation because it will improve children’s lives. Research shows that the opportunity to attend a pre-K class makes a child 40 percent less likely to need special education services, 40 percent less likely to repeat a grade and twice as likely to attend college. UPK does not push children into over-educating at too young an age. Rather, it brings youngsters from “the world of me to the world of we”. UPK allows children to be with peers and better identify fine motor skills. UPK also reaches out to families and the greater community offering a more holistic view of early education.
We will keep you informed of the bill’s progress and we thank you for your continued support for early education for all!

]]> 2008-06-10T16:34:31+00:00 A Fabulous Legislative Action Day 2008 http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/a_fabulous_legislative_action_day_2008/ What an incredible day it was! What an incredible day it was! 30 participants met at First Church in Boston for the 2008 Legislative Action Day. This annual event teaches lobby skills to youth in a fun and interesting way. It is our hope that the youth leave with a new found skill and interest in public policy and the effective way that their voice can be used to create change and work toward reform.

UU Youth attended from Framingham, Gloucester, Essex, Ipswich, Haverhill, and Quincy. Out-of-state youth were from Brooklyn, NY and Portland, OR. They were first welcomed with continental breakfast and an issue orientation. The issues that we focused on were the Health Education Bill and the update on the Bottle Bill. Sarah Steinfeld, director of CARE for Youth, the coalition working for the Health Education Bill in Massachusetts was the first speaker. Sarah explained the motives, progress and current status of the bill. She also gave very specific direction for the youth to take into the meetings with their legislators. Thanks to Sarah’s guidance, they were very well informed and highly prepared. The issue of the Bottle Bill update was discussed as well with facts that promoted increased state revenue and recycling habits. There was heavy emphasis put on the global warming effects and landfill limitations as well. In this vein, we also introduced the campaign of “Think Outside the Bottle” which asks us to reevaluate our consumption of bottled water and drink tap water from reusable containers instead.

Following the information period, we had training sessions with role playing. The weather was fantastic so most groups took their activities outside. Under the volunteer guidance of several RE facilitators, our youth were ready to lobby. They filled up their reusable water jugs and headed up to the State House!

The youth whom I observed made strong and well prepared cases before their legislators. One group was welcomed into the House Chamber for their presentations. They were composed, informed and ready to challenge any misinformation that they were confronted with. They were so very impressive! The meetings were followed with a return to First Church and ice cream sundaes to end the day. This time was also used to write thank you cards to all who had made their day eventful at the State House.

If this event shows us anything, it is that our youth are ready and eager to learn how to make a difference and use their voices to make change. This group demonstrated their talents and their commitment to making a positive impact on lawmakers in their state. If you are interested in using this program in your own state, stay tuned. A “how to” guide is in the editing shop and will be up on the website very soon. This workshop, in the form of a “how to” will also be given during RE week at Star Island this summer. It is our hope that we can influence all RE to turn this into an annual event across the country for our future lobbyists who want to make a difference!

]]> 2008-04-29T17:59:06+00:00 The Green Sanctuary Workshop: A Guide for Leading an Environmental Workshop for Youth http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/the_green_sanctuary_workshop_a_guide_for_leading_an_environmental_workshop/ A workshop to introduce youth to social action…check it out! The Green Sanctuary Workshop is a guide for leading an environmental workshop for Unitarian Universalist youth groups. We chose global warming as the subject matter to introduce young people to social action. During the 2006-2007 congregational year, Promise the Children developed and facilitated the Green Web Workshop (GWW). We have now changed the name to the Green Sanctuary Workshop. One of our main goals for the Green Sanctuary Workshop is to give youth the skills to advocate for change. In order to be change-makers, youth need to be able to analyze a problem, come up with solutions as a team, and advocate for these solutions. The Green Sanctuary Workshop teaches these skills, which youth can use in many arenas including congregational life, community organizing, and political advocacy. Please feel free to use the Green_Sanctuary_Workbook.pdf  in your church. There are also opportunities for us to facilitate this program for/with you. Please contact for more information.

]]> 2007-10-03T13:00:01+00:00 “Why Bother Contacting My Representative?” : An Advocacy Tool from Promise the Children http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org/news/item/why_bother_contacting_my_representative_an_advocacy_tool_from_promise_th/ We’ve published a tool to explain how constituents can send powerful messages to their legislators. Take a look! Have you ever wondered if your letters and phone calls make a difference? Or have you tried to convince someone else to join your lobbying effort?
We’ve published a new tool to explain how constituents can send powerful messages to their legislators.

Our policy consultant, Ann Barham, has drawn on her experience to write an insider’s view of the process. She explains what happens to your correspondence once it reaches the legislator’s office. She also gives tips on how to call and write effectively. "Why Bother Contacting My Representative" is a short, informative piece you can read and share with other UU activists.
 
Please download a free copy today by clicking in the upper-righthand corner of this box!

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