The Voice of Experience
JULY-AUGUST 2006
in this issue
MEMBER PROFILE
A Letter from the CEO
There’s so much debate here in Washington about education policy but so little discussion about what really matters in helping kids learn to read, especially kids who are struggling in school. Those in Washington often seem hard-wired to willfully ignore what every parent and every person who works with kids knows – that human connections in the form of support, encouragement, and caring are essential to unlocking a child’s ability to learn.

That’s why I was so pleased to read a recent article by New York Times columnist David Brooks.

"We in the policy world debate education, incarceration rates, poverty, productivity and competitiveness, and we try to figure out which qualities individuals need to thrive in the new economy," Brooks writes. "But often it’s the space between individuals that really matters, the nature of their attachments."

I hear that all the time when I visit schools. Experience Corps members often tell me how starved for love and encouragement the kids are; how the kids often have to tell Experience Corps members about their lives before they can settle down to learning. Principals and teachers know this too – they tell me that the profound connection between Experience Corps members and the children they tutor is the single most important reason for gains in achievement.

As Brooks recognizes, if we are serious about helping every child learn to read and succeed in school, then we need to pay attention to and invest in not only great teachers, rigorous curriculum, and better school facilities, but we need to make sure that every child gets the personal attention and support he or she needs. Then we will really leave no child behind.

John S. Gomperts
jgomperts@experiencecorps.org

P.S. I want to take a point of personal privilege this month. As you know, Experience Corps has the benefit of exceptional photographs by Duke University professor Alex Harris. Last summer, Alex’s pictures of Experience Corps members were displayed in the U.S. Senate. But this summer, it’s Alex’s wife, Margaret Sartor, who’s the star. Last weekend I read Margaret’s new book, Miss American Pie, in one giant gulp. It’s a wonderfully honest, funny, and totally captivating rendering of Margaret’s teenage years, told through actual diary entries from the time. If you don’t believe me, read these reviews of Miss American Pie in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Better yet, rush out to the store and get a copy. You won’t be sorry!

Experience Corps Expands to Five New Cities

This fall, Experience Corps will launch projects in five new communities, expanding the number of sites to 19. In each site, a community agency will host the program. Stay tuned for more details and new web pages for each site. If you'd like to get involved in any of these five communities, click here for contact information.

What Makes a Volunteer Program for Older Adults Successful?

A new report from Public/Private Ventures, a nonprofit research and policy organization, uses in-depth interviews with Experience Corps members to learn more about older adults’ motivations to serve, desire for challenging work that matters, and views on Experience Corps program elements – from training and teamwork, to stipends and on-site support, to the nature of the work with children who need help. PPV President Fred Davie comments: "As policymakers think about how to make the most of the aging of America, this study provides critical information and insights into what makes service and volunteer programs successful."  Read more »

New Study: Experience Corps Improves Volunteer Health

In an article just published in the Journal of Urban Health, Johns Hopkins researchers report a near-doubling in the physical activity levels of inactive adults who enrolled in Experience Corps. At baseline, there was no significant difference in physical activity levels between the Experience Corps members (59 people) and the control group (54 people). Four to eight months later, Experience Corps members reported an increase in the minutes expended per week in physical activities, from 220 to 270, while the controls decreased from 170 to 140. Among those who had low activity at baseline, Experience Corps members reported a doubling of time spent in physical activity per week (using 880 kilocalories instead of 420), compared to no change among controls. Read more »

P.S. Experience Corps San Francisco received a $150,000 grant from the California Wellness Foundation to support continuing efforts "to improve the health of seniors in Alameda and San Francisco counties." Read more »

Community Connections Key to Teaching Students in Poverty

After visiting three schools that "successfully work with children from impoverished backgrounds," writers for Teaching Tolerance magazine asked teachers what works. Their unanimous declaration: Rigorous, supportive programs that connect the children to their communities are the key to academic success. The article stresses the need for structure, routine, challenging work, rigorous demands, and connections to families and communities – and provides examples of each. "In the end," the authors note, "the underpinnings of teaching students in poverty are the hallmark of any good educator: create an emotionally safe environment where students have a sense that the classroom is a family, and offer academically rigorous school work with the structure that supports success."  Read more »

Four Purpose Prize Finalists Focus on Education

Civic Ventures’ newest program, The Purpose Prize, will soon award $100,000 each to five social innovators over 60 who are using their experience and energy to find new ways to solve serious social problems and make lasting change. Four of the 15 finalists work in the field of education. Charles Dey works to provide paid internships and assign workplace mentors to predominantly minority high school students with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. Wilson Goode, Sr., works to provide mentors for children whose parents are incarcerated. James Ketelsen started Project GRAD to increase the number of minority and low-income youth who graduate from high school and attend college. And Herb Sturz helped create the After School Corporation, which now involves 250 after-school programs serving 40,000 children. Winners will be announced in early September. Read more »

Congress Debates Reauthorization of Older Americans Act

Congress is drawing close to final action to reauthorize the Older Americans Act. Experience Corps has become a leading advocate for new provisions that would encourage civic engagement among older adults and acknowledge the importance of creating more meaningful opportunities for older adults to serve their communities. The House bill, passed in early June, included a number of very favorable provisions. The Senate bill, passed only at the committee level so far, contains even stronger language calling for a national strategy to create more opportunities for older adults to serve, plus support for demonstration programs, capacity-building, and more research in the field. Passage of robust civic engagement provisions in the Older Americans Act will be a shot in the arm for this growing field. Stay tuned for updates. Read more »

Tell a Better Story, Win Friends, Influence People

Communications expert Andy Goodman is offering a new online course for anyone who wants to find and tell stories that make their cause come alive and help them achieve their goals. It's called Storytelling iSchool, and it's an hour a week for four weeks starting on September 7. If you're reaching brains and not winning over hearts, it's for you. Full-time public interest professionals can also order free copies of Goodman's When Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes at his website. Read more and register online »

Experience Corps in the News

About Experience Corps

Experience Corps, an award-winning program, engages people over 55 in meeting society's greatest challenges. Today, in 23 cities across the country, 2,000 Experience Corps members tutor and mentor elementary school students struggling to learn to read. Independent research shows that Experience Corps boosts student academic performance, helps schools and youth-serving organizations become more successful, and enhances the well-being of the older adults in the process. Experience Corps is a signature program of Civic Ventures.

Learn more about Experience Corps in these cities: Annapolis, MD, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, MD, Beaumont, TX, Boston, MA, Cleveland, Evansville, IN, Grand Rapids, Greater New Haven, Marin County, Mesa, Minneapolis, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Port Arthur, TX, Portland, OR, Revere, MA, San Francisco, St. Paul, Tempe, Tucson, AZ, Washington, DC.

Questions or comments? Send an email to info@experiencecorps.org

Experience Corps is a signature program of Civic Ventures.
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