Latest News

 

Board of Directors Announces Selection of Executive Director

On December 2nd & 3rd, the New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community hosted its 8th Annual Youth Practitioners Summit. During the course of this two-day event, the Forum Board of Directors made two important announcements regarding the future of the Forum and its commitment to youth and communities in New Mexico.

First, the Board announced the establishment of the New Mexico Forum Foundation, and congratulated Everette Hill as he will assume the role of Executive Director of the Foundation at the turn of the New Year.

In another major announcement, the Board of Directors announced the hiring of Anna Nelson, LISW, who will be assuming the role of Executive Director of the Forum and taking on the day to day operational duties of managing and operating the Forum. Her tenure begins December 13th, 2010.

Ms. Nelson is a graduate of the New Mexico Highlands University School of Social Work and a Robert Wood Johnson Ladder to Leadership Fellow. Ms. Nelson has served youth, their families and communities for seventeen years with experience in both direct practice and policy development.

New Mexico Youth...Expect the Best!

Public Allies New Mexico Recruiting for 2011-2012 Members

Do you have a passion to make a difference? Public Allies New Mexico helps you advance your personal mission and your career.  As an Ally, you’ll earn a $15,000 stipend over 10 months while working at a non-profit organization in your community. You will serve four-five days a week at your host organization to create, improve and expand services that address diverse issues such as youth development, education, public health, economic development, the arts and the environment. You will also participate in bi-weekly leadership training and team service projects. Other benefits you will receive are healthcare, childcare, and student loan deferments plus a $5,550 education award upon graduation.

Minimum requirements to be a Public Ally are:

 

•  U.S. citizenship or legal permanent resident status

•  be at least 17 years of age

•  a high school diploma or GED

You must be passionate about social issues, interested in working with a diverse group of people, and ardent about developing your full leadership potential. We are looking for potential Allies that are self-directed, energetic, creative, and resourceful.

 

Public Allies is a full-time commitment which frequently requires more than 40 hours per week. Allies are discouraged from enrolling in school or working other jobs during the apprenticeship period.

 

If you are interested in advancing your leadership skills and creating positive change in your community and would like to apply please click here. You'll be asked to set up a log-in and password, and you don't have to complete the application in one sitting. Once you have registered, you can come back any time to work on it.

 

If you would like to know more about our program before you apply please visit  the Public Allies New Mexico network button located on the New Mexico Forum’s home page or click here to learn more.

 

You can also contact Jasmine Cuffee, Program Manager at jasmine@nmforumforyouth.org. Deadline for applications is May 31, 2011.

We're changing the face and practice of leadership in New Mexico!

 

Public Allies New Mexico Recruiting for 2011-2012 Partners
 

Do you have a mission that needs support? Public Allies brings fresh talent to your organizations, expanding your capacity to carry out your mission. For 10 months, each ally works four-five days a week for you. Last year more than 500 non-profits saved more than $20,000 each compared to those doing the same work without an ally. They also gained access to a pool of passionate, talented young adults, without spending time on recruitment.

 

We are recruiting Partner Organizations for our 2011-2010 program year who can provide:

•  A positive and supportive work environment

•   A well-defined position with significant responsibilities and measurable service objectives that can be achieved working 32-40 hours per week for ten months

•   65% to 80% of Ally stipend and FICA taxes (depending on site)

•   Direct Ally supervision, support, and reporting on service objectives

 

In return Public Allies New Mexico would provide our non-profit partners with:  

•   Recruitment and selection of talented and diverse candidates and coordination of the apprenticeship matching process.

•   Ally coaching and support through a robust leadership development curriculum, personalized coaching, structured evaluation and reporting, and other supports

•   Contribution of 20% to 35% of the Ally stipend (depending on site), plus health care, child care and a $5,550 education award – all provided through our affiliation with AmeriCorps

 

If your organizations is interested in hosting an Ally and would like to apply please click here.  You'll be asked to set up a log-in and password, and you don't have to complete the application in one sitting. Once you have registered, you can come back any time to work on it.

 

If you would like to know more about our program before you apply please visit the Public Allies New Mexico network button located on the New Mexico Forum’s home page or click here to learn more.

 

You can also contact Debra Saine, Site Director at dsaine@nmforumforyouth.org. Deadline for partner applications is May 30, 2011.

We're changing the face and practice of leadership in New Mexico!

 

 

New Mexico Youth Alliance Partners with State Agencies to Convene Quarterly Gathering of Youth from Throughout the State

The New Mexico Youth Alliance is convening their quarterly youth leadership gathering, October 22-24, 2010.  The fall gathering will be convened at the Embassy Suites in Albuquerque.  More than 100 youth are participating in workshops and leadership training activities.  Events are being convened at the UNM main campus and also at the Embassy Suites hotel in Albuquerque. 

Nearly 25 workshop and activities will be provided to youth participating in the event; a similar number of volunteer presenters are contributing their time and another 30 volunteers are supporting the activities throughout the weekend.  Topics will include leadership, team-building, education, advocacy efforts, health, and public speaking.  Additionally, the participants will engage in a community garden project to learn about community service, environmental justice and stewardship as well as environmental awareness efforts.  Youth from throughout the state are invited to join.  Please contact Moneka Stevens-Cordova (moneka@nmforumforyouth.org) to register.

A sincere thank you to all the volunteers and sponsors who are creating an incredible youth leadership opportunity for young New Mexicans.  For more information about the New Mexico Youth Alliance, please contact Moneka Stevens-Cordova (moneka@nmforumforyouth.org) or visit our NMYA website (www.nmforum.org/nmya.html).

New Mexico Service Learning Network Event Calendar

The following listing provides a calendar of events for 2010 service learning-related activities.  Information about national days of service are taken from the Learn and Serve America website, www.servicelearning.org.   To learn more about how you can get involved, please click on each of the links provided.

January

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (January 18), http:///www.mlkday.gov/

 

March

• Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning (March 31), http://www.chavezfoundation.org/

 

April

• National Child Abuse Prevention Month, http://www.preventchildabuse.org

• National Poetry Month, http://www.poets.org/npm

• International Children’s Book Day (April 2), http://www:ibby.org/index.php?id=269

• Earth Day (April 22), http://www.earthday.gov

• World Book Day (April 23), http://unesco.org/culture/bookday

• National and Global Youth Service Day (April 23-25), http://www.ysa.org/nysd

• N.M. Forum for Youth in Community, Service-Learning Network Meeting (April 29)

 

May

• Older Americans Month, http://www.aoa.gov/

• Join Hands Day (May 1), http://www.joinhandsday.org

• N.M. Forum for Youth in Community, Service-Learning Network Meeting (May 27)

 

June

• National Conference on Volunteering and Service, New York City, (June 28-30) http://www.volunteeringandservice.org/plan/sessions.cfm

 

September

• Patriot Day (September 11)

• National Neighborhood Day (September 20), http://www.neighborhoodday.org

• National Public Lands Day (September 25),http://www.npld.com

 

October

• Habitat for Humanity – World Habitat Day (October 4), http://www.habitat.org/cd/local/affiliate.aspx?place=60

• Intergeneration Day/Week (first Sunday/week in October), http://www.intergenerationday.org

• Make A Difference Day (October 23), http://www.handsonnetwork.org/

 

November

• World Kindness Day (November 14) and World Kindness Week (November 8-14), http://www.actsofkindness.org

• National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 15-20), http://www.nationalhomeless.org/projects/awareness/index.htmll

• National Family Volunteer Day (November 20), http://disney.go.com/disneyhand/familyvolunteers/

• National Family Volunteer Week (November 21-27), http://www.nationalfamilyweek.org

 

December

• New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community, Annual Youth Practitioner Summit, (December 3-4)

• International Volunteer Day (December 5), http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/index.php?id=3060

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

Teen dating violence is defined as a pattern of actual or threatened acts of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, perpetrated by someone against a current or former dating partner who is 10-19 years of age. Abuse may include insults, coercion, social sabotage, sexual harassment, threats and/or acts of physical or sexual abuse. The abuser uses this pattern of violent and coercive behavior, in a heterosexual or same gender dating relationship, in order to gain power and maintain control over the dating partner.

What has New Mexico Done?

Did you know that New Mexico was the first to honor this monumental event nationally? In 2010, our state proclaimed February New Mexico’s month to celebrate healthy relationships and prevent TDV.  Since 2007, New Mexico youth, communities, organizations, and state agencies such as the New Mexico Department of Health, Children, Families and Youth and Public Education Departments, have partnered to  champion dating violence prevention. This collaboration is paying off! Though NM has dropped from 12th of 39 states to 31st of 42 states in its rate of physical dating violence since implementing the TDV SPI, the fact remains that nearly 1 in 10 high school students say they have been hit or hurt by their dating partner.

Click here to visit the Forum's Teen Dating Violence Prevention webpage.

For more information on the Forum's efforts during Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, contact Anna Nelson, Executive Director at:  anelson@nmforumforyouth.org.

National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) Seeks New Mexico Projects and Members

The National Civilian Community Corps is looking for New Mexico organizations to partner with on community projects in the state.  NCCC is also seeking young adults who might be interested in serving in the program.  Local community-based entities are able to apply for support for nearly any type of community-based or community-serving project. An application is required, and local partners must be able to accommodate housing for NCCC members (approximately 12 people) through the duration of the project (6-8 weeks). More information is provided below.

he National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps Program is looking for New Mexico organizations to partner with on community projects in the state. NCCC is also seeking adventurous young adults who are interested in serving communities throughout the United States. Local community-based entities are able to apply for support for many types of community service projects. An application is required, and local partners must be able to accommodate housing for NCCC members (approximately 12 people) throughout the duration of the project (6-8 weeks). More information is provided below.

Future Project Sponsors: When partnering with AmeriCorps NCCC, there is no cost for the dedicated labor of the team. We provide the team, a vehicle for transportation, food if necessary, and a supervisory support structure. We ask project sponsors to provide technical training and supervision, project materials and supplies, and lodging.

More information and current service dates, application deadlines, and notification dates for the upcoming year are available in the Request for Proposals. For a copy of the RFP or for questions, please contact Vicky Reinold at vreinold@cns.gov or 303-844-7437. You can also download the request for proposals below.

  Download the RFP (MS-Word format)

Future Corps Members: Are you interested in earning money for school and traveling the country while helping communities in need? If so, you may be interested in learning more about the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a branch of AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps NCCC is a residential national service program for men and women between the ages of 18 and 24. For 10 months, members serve on teams to meet urgent community needs in disaster relief, the environment, energy conservation, infrastructure improvement, and urban and rural development. Teams work on projects throughout the country with non-profit programs, state and local agencies, and other community and faith-based groups. During the 10 months of full-time service they will complete a variety projects, each approximately six to eight weeks long, throughout a multi-state region. Benefits include housing, food, a modest living allowance, travel expenses, health benefits, and $5,550 to use toward future college expenses or student loans.

  Corps Member Fact Sheet

  Team Leader Fact Sheet

  Application Cheat Sheet

 

Public Allies New Mexico Announces 2010 Graduating Class

Public Allies new Mexico is set to graduate it's 3rd cohort this summer.  Public Allies New Mexico is an AmeriCorps-funded initiative that provides leadership development, training and mentoring opportunities for young adults in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area.  The program places participants in community-based organizations as part of their year-long engagement with the Forum.  The program averages 15 participants each year.

This year, the graduation event will be convened at Amerind Risk Management training center in Bernalillo, June 30th (Wednesday), 10 am - 2 pm. Everette Hill, Executive Director of the Forum will be a guest speaker.  This event will honor the contribution of the 2009-2010 class which contributed more than 25,000 hours of community service and supported nearly 10,000 people in their communities.

Public Allies is currently recruiting potential participants for the 2010-2011 class.  Applications are due in If you would like to know more about the Public Allies New Mexico initiative, please contact Jasmine Cuffeee, PANM Program Manager, at :  jasmine@nmforumforyouth.org.