Overview

KIDS Consortium collaborates with organizations to offer special programs and projects connected to our core service-learning work. These initiatives change from time to time, so check back often!

Student Summit

The Student Summit is a two-day annual event held in March at the University of Southern Maine Gorham Campus. Each year, over 300 students and educators from across New England gather to share their service-learning projects and community impacts with each other, learn about issues in their communities, and develop new leadership and project skills. This event is open to KIDS grantees.

Teaching, Learning, Changing New England (TLC)

Expanding service-learning opportunities for K-12 students throughout the six New England states is the primary objective of this significant three-year initiative supported by the Learn and Serve America Program of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Project Citizen

KIDS Consortium is the state of Maine coordinator for Project Citizen. Contracting with the Center for Civic Education, we are part of a national network of state and congressional district coordinators. The program is conducted with the assistance of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

We offer Project Citizen trainings throughout the state for educators on integrating public policy with service-learning. Project Citizen is a great way to meet the new and revised Social Studies Maine Learning Results (application of social studies processes, knowledge and skills)!

YOUTHLEAD: Service-Learning and Substance Abuse Prevention

KIDS Consortium is currently engaged in a three-year (2006-2008) project with the Maine Office of Substance Abuse Prevention and three partner school districts – Millinocket, Mount Desert Island (SU98), and the Westbrook Public Schools. The intent of YOUTHLEAD is to reduce underage drinking in the three communities by engaging middle and high school students in service-learning projects aimed at the problem. The project is also designed to improve collaboration and coordination between schools and community-based health organizations related to prevention.

Living Democracy: Service-Learning Linked with History and Civics

For four years (2003 to 2007), KIDS Consortium was privileged to work with the Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Departments of Education and Professor Marcus Bruce of Bates College on a special project designed to help middle and high school social studies integrate service-learning into their history and civics classes. The initiative engaged thousands of students in extraordinary projects and provided participating educators with rich and rewarding professional development opportunities around the New England region.

Choices

KIDS Consortium was honored to be part of a three-year initiative with the Choices Program at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies and a team from Indiana about the integration of international and civic education. KIDS Consortium was particularly interested in exploring the connections between international education and service-learning.