By MindOH! Guest Author Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., National Service Learning Consultant

Simply put, service learning connects school-based curriculum with the inherent caring and concern young people have for their world—whether on their school campus, at a local food bank, or in a distant rainforest. With the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, young students are especially attuned to how we as a nation, truly rely on the spirit and actions of volunteers to bring both essentials for daily living and to restore hope.

The results of participating in service, whether inspired by tragedies observed on television or developed in a classroom to establish relevance and meaning to subject matter, are memorable lifelong lessons for students that foster a stronger society for us all. When this becomes part of a school culture repeated in a variety of classes affording a range of experiences and opportunities, students gain the intrinsic motivation to participate in community.

By MindOH! Extern Patricia L. Kougar-Melton, Digital & Motions Graphics, Adobe Master Teacher, Spring Woods High School, Houston, Texas

This past summer I was fortunate to be part of the A+ Challenge Externship Program in Houston, Texas. My assignment was with MindOH and what a wonderful experience it was for this high school teacher. As an Instructor in Technology Applications and Digital Media, I expected that I would be doing work that revolved around the daily repetitive tasks of running an "e-business" I was pleasantly surprised to be included in exploring and building character education philosophy and content. In my job as a teacher and Advisor for Tiger TV, our campus broadcast team, I am forever instilling in young people a since of pride, purpose and passion. My school serves a very culturally diverse population and to have students relate to students in a respectful and meaningful way is, on most days, a challenge.

My job this past summer was to relate the real world of business to educational practices. In others words, to show the kids that what they are learning is what they need to know to be successful! MindOH not only gave me a way to do that through their use of technology but they actually lived the parts of what they were promoting. I could see the principles of character, moral and ethical behaviors demonstrated in their peer relationships and with their own families. (During the summer jobs were open to the sons and daughters of staff members and it was evident that these youngsters live the principles promoted by their parents.) The teamwork and passion for doing something that builds good will in all peoples will be the things I remember most. I look forward to having MindOH work with my students because I know they will help them become the caring, responsible and productive adults that we all want from our young high school graduates.

On November 3-5, 2005, national and international asset builders, including MindOH!, will gather in Dallas, Texas, for the 9th annual Search Institute Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth Conference. This one-of-a-kind conference brings together people from different community sectors who share a common goal: to work together to promote positive youth development through asset building. This year's theme, “Creating Intergenerational Community,” was chosen to showcase the ways youth and adults are building bridges across generations and across differences within communities to create healthy communities. “Intergenerational” asset-building work is youth and adults, older youth and children and elders taking new roles in the asset movement—each generation collaborating with another.

By Kris Hines, MindOH! Customer Support

On Saturday, August 27, MindOH! took part in an unprecedented volunteer effort sponsored by Houston A+ Challenge to bring dropouts back to school in the Houston area. More than 1,300 volunteers and HISD officials fanned out into neighborhoods around 16 high schools with lists of students who had not come back to school this August. The effort is believed to be the largest of its kind ever attempted. According to HISD, 706 dropouts agreed to come back to school. I would like to tell you about my experience.

Could your school use some help with technology on your campus? Would you like to offer your students more opportunities to improve their technical skills? What if you could do both at the same time while providing your students with mentors through qualified community professionals? TECH CORPS Texas (TCTX) is a Houston-based 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization that can help you do just that! They work to enhance K-12 education through the innovative use of technology and are now in more than 60 schools, primarily in the Houston, Austin, and San Antonio metropolitan areas. Thus far they have recruited, placed, and managed more than 400 volunteers, who’ve provided more than 8,000 hours of service, distributed over 500 refurbished computers, and impacted more than 350 students through direct program involvement, and thousands more through indirect support services.

For people not in Texas, Tech Corps is the leading national nonprofit mobilizing technology volunteers into schools, offering tech support and teacher training. We offer high quality technological resources that enrich K-12 teaching and learning and prepare tomorrow's workforce. Visit the National Tech Corps Web site.

By Amy Dow, MindOH! Content Writer

First for the good highlights ...

The Great Wall winds up and down across desserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 4,163 miles from east to west of China. The wall was originally built to protect China from northern nomads, and it now stands as one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.

Many sections of the wall are kept in good condition while there are areas of the wall that are now in ruins or have entirely disappeared.

My boyfriend and I had a hard time deciding on what section of the wall to hike. After talking to other travelers and reading The Lonely Planet guide, we decided on a 10K, 4 hour hike. After an hour bus journey and a flat tire (a whole other story) we were dropped off at Jinshanlin, the starting point of our hike to Simatai. Within in an hour we were hiking the wall. Phew, it was definitely a hike. Once we were on top of the wall it was an incredible feeling, it really made me feel that anything is possible. You really and truly feel like you are on top of the world.

Imagine the funds your school could raise by tapping directly into the $100 billion book, music, movie, video game and software markets – earning contributions every time a student, parent, teacher or other school supporter buys a product ... With so many fundraising programs available and the limited time to actively research and execute those programs, it can be challenging to find a program that is not labor intensive, doesn’t put kids at risk and that really works.

With that in mind, I wanted to tell you about a new and exciting fundraising opportunity MindOH! has recently discovered called Giveline! Giveline is an on- line retailer like Amazon.com, except that 16%-32% of every purchase gets contributed back to your school. It is free, easy to set up, and it is yielding six (6) times the profit of other consumption-based fundraising programs. For more about Giveline, see their recent article in the Houston Business Journal.

• 24/7 year-round automated fundraising source
• Safe program – students won’t have to go door- to-door to raise funds
• Support multiple fundraising projects with one store – band, athletics, PTA/PTO
• Block unwanted product categories
• Store management system to view your store’s activity
• Highlight particular titles, like those in your required reading list
• Promote fundraising through fliers, e-mails, and events prepared for you
• Offers 1.2 million products at prices comparable to other on-line retailers

For an example of how this works, here is a $5.00 gift certificate to our MindOH! Foundation Store. This certificate can be used toward the purchase of any book, audio book, DVDs, VHS, CD or software available in the store.

If you have any questions about this, or would like help in setting up your own store, please contact us at support@mindoh.com.

MindOH!’s TeleSeminars provide parents and educators a convenient opportunity to learn from experts about issues facing today’s youth. Each call will be formatted based on questions you submit prior to the call, and will include a question and answer session at the end of the call so that you can speak directly with the experts. In addition, following each call, we will provide you with free tools and resources that you can use immediately!

Our next FREE TeleSeminar is "Developing Empathy In Children And The Role Adults Can Play In Dealing With National Tragedies"

Thursday, September 29th at 6pm (CST).

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most powerful hurricanes in recorded history. Find out how to help young people develop empathy, the importance of putting good character into action by serving those in need, and what you can do to support youth in light of the tragedies to which they may be exposed.Our guest expert for this call will be Janet Pozmantier from ChildBuilders.

Janet Pozmantier, M.S., L.P.C., L.M.F.T., R.P.T. is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and Registered Play Therapist (RPT). She is the Director of the WHO (We Help Ourselves) Program for the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Houston and Harris County, and has trained volunteers to teach over 300,000 children how to avoid becoming victims of physical and sexual abuse. She created a program designed to teach parenting skills to children, known as Parents Under Construction: Building Healthy Relationships Today and Strong Families Tomorrow. Janet is a founding member of the Child Abuse Prevention Network (now known as Healthy Families Initiatives) and Children at Risk, and is co-author of "The First Years: A Parent and Caregivers Guide to Helping Children Learn", which was released by DK Publishing in 2001. Janet has presented a variety of her programs at local, state, and national conferences all over the country. For more information about Janet, read her bio.

ChildBuilders provides innovative services, programs, education, and collaboration to promote healthy child and family development. They are a non-profit organization that has brought education and assistance to Houston families since 1974 and is dedicated to making a positive impact on the community. Their primary focus is to improve the quality of family life by providing children and their families with valuable resources and information.