Free Help for St. Louis Seniors Entering College

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Kiana Fleming

The transition from high school to college can be daunting! That’s why, this summer, St. Louis Graduates is opening the St. Louis Graduates High School to College Center where students can get free counseling in the Delmar Loop. Students will be encouraged to come into the Center, but assistance will also be available via phone and e-mail.

National research shows that 10% of students who graduate high school with an acceptance to college will not actually enroll, a phenomenon referred to as “summer melt.” A survey of St. Louis area counselors found that one-third of their students are at risk. The goal for the High School to College Center is to prevent summer melt and help more students enroll in college and ultimately persist to a degree.

“Having an acceptance letter or financial aid award letter can give the mistaken impression that all a student needs to do is show up on campus in the fall,” notes Faith Sandler, Executive Director of The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and Co-chair of St. Louis Graduates. “[The Center] will help students through the steps they need to take to ensure their financial aid is in place, they are enrolled in classes, and they are ready to go in August.”

WHERE: 618 N. Skinker Blvd. in the Delmar Loop
WHEN: Open daily 12 Noon to 5 p.m., June 1st through August 18th

St. Louis area students can visit the free St. Louis Graduates High School to College Center if they are recent high school graduates and:

Need assistance with financial aid, where to live and how to get to college,
Are having trouble accessing the college online enrollment and course registration system, or
Need help completing necessary paperwork.

The Center will tailor its counseling to students who recently graduated from high school, have plans in place to continue their education, and have questions over the summer and aren’t quite sure where to turn. The Center is designed to work primarily with low-income and/or first-generation college-going students. All services are offered free of charge.

“We want to make sure that all students who are enrolled in college for the fall have the information, encouragement and guidance they need to make it to campus. We launched the Center because we believe there are potentially thousands of students who don’t make it to campus, despite their best intentions,” said Jane Donahue, Vice President of the Deaconess Foundation and Co-chair of St. Louis Graduates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Phone: (314) 932-6956
E-mail: info@stlouisgraduates.org
Website: www.StLouisGraduates.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HStoCollegeCenter
Twitter: @STLGraduates

Participating counselors include representatives of Wyman Center, College Summit, Missouri College Advising Corps, St. Louis Community College and The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis as well as individual counselors from several area high schools, nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions.

What Does ‘Readiness’ Mean? : Live Chat with Forum CEO Karen Pittman

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Kiana Fleming

On May 16th, Forum CEO Karen Pittman will host a live radio conversation tonight about what it means for young people to be ready for college, work and life! She will be the guest on Real Talk for Teens, a call-in program for young people that airs on BlogTalkRadio. Pittman will speak and take calls about what teens are doing to ensure that they are ready; what teens need from the people and institutions in their lives; and why businesses, colleges and young people themselves say that so many teens are not ready.

Tune in tonight at 7 pm.. ET. Click here to listen live or hear the recording!!!

Enter the 2013 Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Kiana Fleming

The Afterschool Alliance is seeking youth artwork in afterschool programs for this year’s Lights On Afterschool poster! On Oct 17^th, 2013 communities nationwide celebrate Lights On Afterschool to shine a light on the afterschool programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families.

The winning image will be printed on 70,000 posters sent to afterschool programs from coast to coast for Lights On Afterschool celebrations. The artist and/or program will be credited on the poster, and the image will be featured on our website.

The winner will also receive $500 in Art Supplies from Discount School Supply!

Applications due June, 1 2013! Click here for details on how to apply!

Share Positive Stories About Teens

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Emily Black

Help Change the Conversation about Teens

Wyman teens took to the streets of their neighborhood to share positive messages about causes they care about. Sharing positive stories about youth can contribute to their positive development.

At the Regional Youth Violence Prevention forum, teens from across the community shared their insights on what would make a difference in reducing violence in St. Louis. One unanimous request from teens:

“Validate what we do well, and share positive stories about teens.”

Their words echo the research, and ring true in every community. Holding and supporting young people to high expectations is a powerful and necessary contributor to their positive development, while low expectations and assumptions are leading risk factors for negative behavior. In other words, consistent and negative press and discussions about teenagers will only exacerbate the problem.

Together, let’s change the conversation! At Wyman, we personally know hundreds of young people in St. Louis, who are doing great things for themselves and their communities. We know tens of thousands of teens across the country in Wyman’s Teen Outreach Program® (TOP®) that are rising above their circumstances and achieving some truly amazing things:

In recent weeks, a group of teens in Wyman’s TOP® spent a day with children in a local day care, leading them in activities, singing songs, playing games, and being great mentors and role models. Meanwhile, their classmates were busy preparing for an upcoming service project, in which they’ll conduct conservation projects with grade school students.

Another group provided structured activities and lots of Valentine’s Day fun for students at an early childhood education center while parents participated in the school’s PTO meeting. Their consistency in volunteering to provide childcare at this school has significantly increased parent participation in PTO meetings!

We’re immensely proud of the contributions and success of Wyman teens. And like these young people, many others are being productive, giving back, and are positively engaged in their communities.

Do you know someone who needs to hear about the great contributions teens make in our community? Please pass this along, or share another positive story about a teen you know!

Email it to us, share it on our Facebook page or tweet it using #realteens!

Together, we can support and encourage teens to make a real difference, and it can start by acknowledging and rewarding their success

#BarackTalk: State of the Union for Youth

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Emily Black

On Tuesday, February 12th, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union Address (SOTU), where he will outline his legislative agenda around a variety of issues – issues like climate change, education, marriage equality and immigration reform – issues that affect you, and your future.

That same day, youth leaders head to Washington, D.C. to set the tone for the president’s State of the Union address. #BarackTalk, an interactive State of the Union watch party and online discussion, will broadcast live on Ustream from the heart of the nation’s capital.

How can you participate?

“Millions of Americans will watch online as President Obama delivers his fourth State of the Union Address,” Biko Baker, Executive Director of the League of Young Voters, said. “We’re harnessing cutting-edge streaming technology to let people nationwide talk back in real time.”

The League of Young Voters is hosting the largest interactive watch-party featuring special guest speakers, including hip-hop artists, community leaders and respected journalists. #BarackTalk is an open forum for youth activists and citizens to address the most important political topics of 2013, and it gives YOU, the young people of America, the chance to have your voice be heard – loud and clear.

Host a watch party with your friends, tune in to the livestream all day on Tuesday, and join the conversation on Twitter with #BarackTalk. Let your voice be heard!

Free Events Help Missouri Students Obtain Financial Aid for College

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Emily Black

Missouri students and parents can get help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at 55 FAFSA Frenzy events around the state in January, February and March.

More than $150 billion is provided by the U.S. Department of Education to help students with financial need attend college. FAFSA Frenzy events make applying for financial aid easier by providing students with free, on-site help to fill out the FAFSA, which is the first step in applying for most federal, state and institutional financial aid.

2013 marks the 10th year Missouri has held statewide events to help students and their parents complete the FAFSA. During the past nine years, more than 9,500 Missouri students have received help at such events, and 65 percent of them were from groups that are under-represented in higher education, such as low-income, minority and first-generation college students.

The events help the state progress toward its goal of having 60 percent of the adult population possess a degree or high quality certificate by 2025. Currently, about 46 percent of Missourians ages 25 – 64 hold a postsecondary certificate or higher.

The events also boost college-going rates of low-income, minority and first-generation students. Commissioner of Higher Education David Russell said raising educational attainment among these groups could boost the state’s economy by $4 billion.

“In order for Missouri to grow economically, it is essential to invest in the education of our citizens,” Russell said. “FAFSA Frenzy helps remove the sometimes daunting barrier of applying for financial aid to make college more accessible.” Russell will volunteer at a FAFSA Frenzy event Feb. 16 in Columbia.

Missouri students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA as early as possible, but certainly by April 1 for timely consideration for financial aid. Students and families do not need to have filed their federal income taxes for 2012 in order to participate in a FAFSA Frenzy event or to complete the FAFSA.

A majority of FAFSA Frenzy events will be held Saturday or Sunday, February 16 or Feb. 17. To find a location near you, click here or visit the Missouri Department of Higher Education website (dhe.mo.gov) and click on the FAFSA Frenzy banner.

Participants are asked to bring:

2012 W-2 forms.
Copies of their 2012 tax forms, if they are ready. If students or their parents have not yet filed 2012 returns before they attend a FAFSA Frenzy event, they should be sure to bring any statements of interest earned in 2012, any 1099 forms, and any other forms required to complete taxes. This will allow students and their parents to submit FAFSA online during the event. The student will then need to go back to the FAFSA and submit corrections once tax returns are filed. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool should be available to help submit corrections accurately within a few weeks after the tax file date.
Student PIN and parent PIN. Students and parents may apply for PINs at www.pin.ed.gov before attending a FAFSA Frenzy event.

Students who attend a FAFSA Frenzy event will be entered into a statewide drawing to win a scholarship. Scholarship funds are being provided by the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and by the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel. All students receive gift bags with helpful information for planning and paying for college.

Submit Your Idea for a Healthier Community

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Emily Black

Do you have an idea on how to improve health challenges in your community? Are you raising awareness about nutritional issues in your school? Do you want to help create better and healthy communities? Ashoka’s Youth Venture is excited to announce the launch of the Making More Health Campaign!

Whether you’re passionate about healthy eating, or helping to provide medicine to areas in need, the “Making More Health” partnership wants to help. They’re looking to identify and support teams of young people age 13 to 22 (can be new ideas!) that are working around health. Here you can find some examples!

The youth that share their ideas before December 21st, will get the opportunity to:

Enter a draw to win one of 20 partial scholarships for a virtual course in Social Entrepreneurship accredited by the University of Florida in partnership with Youth Venture
Participate in webinars to help you further develop your idea
Access loan-based funding for launching your project
Join the YV global community of 6,000+ venture teams all around the world

Ashoka’s Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to design and launch their own lasting social ventures, enabling them to lead positive social change. Youth Venture has supported more than 6,000 ventures in 20+ countries.

Visit Making More Health‘s website to learn more and submit your idea.

Scholarship Central

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Emily Black

Financial aid is frequently cited as one of the biggest barriers to a college education. But it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to St. Louis Graduates, young people in the St. Louis area can access a database of scholarship opportunities in Scholarship Central.

Simply visit the site and sign up with a valid email address to create a secure user profile that will allow you to quickly and easily find and apply to many funding opportunities through this common application.

Scholarship Central currently connects students to approximately 30 area scholarships. Please note that only scholarships currently accepting applications will be visible when you open Scholarship Central. Most scholarships accept applications January through April. Check Scholarship Central frequently to find ones that meet your needs.

St. Louis Graduates is a coalition of educators, service providers, business people and philanthropic leaders who have come together to help first-generation and low-income students get ready, get in and get through a postsecondary degree.

“Do Your Own Thing” Guide to Service for Teens

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Emily Black

Do you want to do something to help out your community – big or small – but don’t know where to start? Have no fear! GenerationOn has created a step-by-step “Do Your Own Thing” Guide for teens that gets you thinking about what’s important to you, how that impacts your community, and how you can turn your passion into positive action! This handy guide will help you figure out:

WHAT project to tackle
WHERE the need is
WHO benefits and who can help
HOW to manage your project

Start with the Do Your Own Thing Guide and get out there and, well, do your own thing!

GenerationOn is helping young people develop into healthy, empowered, creative problem-solvers and global leaders by experiencing their power and potential through service, service learning and giving back.