NCM Enews Header
February 2015
In This Issue
Current Funding Opportunities
Out-of-School Time Children's Programming
About NCM USA/Canada

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries seeks to live and act compassionately in the world following Christ's own life and ministry. We seek to be incarnations of the same gospel that Christ lived and preached and to be witnesses to the same love and compassion God has for our world.

In the United States and Canada, NCM works closely with Compassionate Ministry Centers (CMCs) to bring compassion and healing to communities that need the love and presence of Christ.

 

Mission
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries USA/Canada partners with Nazarene interests to facilitate ministries which address the temporal as well as the spiritual needs of the economically disadvantaged.

 

Churches

Local churches are the primary avenue for Nazarenes to reach out to those in their communities. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries seeks to support churches in starting and maintaining ministry to the under-served and marginalized. We believe every church, no matter size or budget, can find ways to meet needs in their community with compassion, creative, and the firm foundation and life-changing power of the Gospel message.

 

CMCs- Compassionate Ministry Centers

A Compassionate Ministry Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of the under-resourced in the community. While these organizations are often affiliated with a specific local church, they are in a strategic position to unite others in their community around a high-needs cause.

 

NDR- Nazarene Disaster Response

Nazarene Disaster Response is Nazarenes mobilizing for disaster through Readiness, Response, and Recovery. Local Nazarenes are in a unique position to understand, serve, and remain with disaster victims in their own neighborhoods. In large-scale events the denomination can come alongside local efforts with the support of volunteers and donors from across the country and through our strong partnerships with other disaster relief agencies. NDR serves victims regardless of race, creed, or economic status by concentrating on assistance to the poor, elderly, and handicapped.

 

W&W- Work & Witness

Work & Witness provides opportunities for Nazarenes to serve together in support of existing ministries such as churches, CMCs, and Nazarene Disaster Response. Work & Witness can be any type of project, from construction to evangelism to compassionate outreach.

Contact

Toll Free Number: 1-800-306-9950
Fax: (913) 577-0893

General Email: ncmusacan@nazarene.org

 

Coordinator: Jay Height

Direct Line: (317) 281-6768
E-Mail: jheight@nazarene.org  

 


   

Jay in Color     

Children are a joyous gift from God. They energize us, teach us, and exhaust us. They are our lifeblood and teach us every day about the depth of God's love and grace.

Children are not only the leaders of the future - they are the leaders of today.

We help engage them in ministry, and they lead us in ministry.

Whether you are a ministry or church, there are numerous ways for us to invest in the lives of our children. I am excited to share with you some new programs that the Church of the Nazarene is offering to give you new ideas and continued support:

I am thankful for a church that supports the work we are doing to serve our children - the Church of today.

 

You are making a difference!

Jay's Signature Dec2011
Jay Height
Coordinator, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries USA/Canada
Current Funding Opportunities

KEEN Effect seeks nonprofits dedicated to building strong communities through outdoor participation. More information 

Deadline: March 1, 2015 
Amount: $10,000 

 

OJJDP FY 2-15 Second Chance Act Strengthening Relationships Between Young Fathers and Their Children: A Reentry Mentoring Program seeks applicants to provide transitional services and mentoring for young fathers (younger than 25 years old) who are offenders reintegrating into their communities. Programs should promote reduced recidivism and positive parenting behaviors. Review the full RFP  

Deadline: March 2, 2015 

Amount: $420,000 (over 3 years) 

 

Ben & Jerry's Foundation seeks proposals for social and environmental justice projects from nonprofit, grassroots community-organizing groups with annual budgets under $500,000. Review eligibility and application guidelines 
Deadline: March 15, 2015             
Amount: $20,000

World of Children is accepting nominations for Education, Humanitarian, Health, and Youth awards. Review guidelines 

Deadline: April 1, 2015 
Amount: $25,000 - 50,000

Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Street Outreach Program supports prevention services for runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to, or at risk of sexual abuse or exploitation. Activities include outreach, individualized assessment, service linkages, case planning, and follow up for youth. The program aims to increase young people's safety, social and emotional well-being, self-sufficiency, and help them build permanent connections with families, communities, schools, and other positive social networks through (a) implementing outreach intervention strategies to keep youth safe and help them leave the streets, (b) coordinating and sustaining partnerships to expand access to services to respond to the needs of youth homelessness, and (c) foster service delivery systems that provide protective factors such as skills, attitudes, and behaviors for effective transition to adulthood while reducing risk factors. Full RFP

Deadline: April 10, 2015

Amount: $90,000-200,000 per year (10% match)

Duration: 3 years

Out-of-School Time Children's Programming 

 

Effective out-of-school time children's programming is designed to keep children's interest, meet parents' needs, develop skills of youth, and nurture mentoring relationships between youth and adults. Out-of-school time programs focus on many types of activities including tutoring and academic support, arts and music, recreation and sports, service and leadership, and character and social development.
 

For programs to create positive impact, they must be designed to encourage children's participation and attendance by choosing activities of interest to the target population and ensuring that logistics meet the needs of parents and minimize barriers to participation. Programs should also be promoted to raise awareness among families and other stakeholders in child and youth development.

 

Gather information about needs and preferences of both youth and parents with a survey[1]:

  • Do you prefer a program that is located at your child's school or at a community center?
  • Would you be able to transport your child from school to an after-school program?
  • What times would you like the program to start and end?
  • Which academic subjects does your child need additional support in?
  • How many days per week would you send your child to an after-school or summer program?

The program should:
 

Operate in an easily accessible location
Operate during convenient hours for families
Reflect youth and parents desires in content
Offer a combination of academic, enrichment, and recreational activities for a holistic approach
Specific activities reflect youth interests
Satisfy children's nutritional needs

Promote awareness of the program:
 

Inform parents, teachers, and community members about program benefits for youth
Distribute information through a variety of media including word of mouth
Describe locations, hours, and contact info
Recruit teachers and other youth development stakeholders to refer youth who may benefit
 

Use data to identify youth with poor attendance:

 

Determine reasons for absences
Reward incentives, positive reinforcement, or special privileges to encourage attendance
Be aware of other student activities when creating program schedules
Craft options for students whose circumstances prevent them from attending the program onsite
Identify ways to expand program capacity or partner with other programs to reach more youth
Recruit where children and families congregate, such as grocery stores, laundromats, community and faith centers, and schools
 

For programs to have a positive impact on youth outcomes, provide targeted assistance that is adapted to meet individual and small group needs. Instructors must be trained and supported to incorporate assessment and individualization of lessons.
 

Use assessment data to inform academic instruction:

Review existing school assessments and administer program assessments
Communicate with classroom teachers and parents to become more familiar with youth academic and social needs
Adapt content, pace, and approach of lessons
Ask questions and observe student comfort with materials and exercises

Provide engaging, interactive, hands-on, learner-directed learning experiences that are related to the real world and grounded in academic learning goals to overcome student fatigue. Activities should also promote supportive relationships between staff and youth and explicitly connect to academic goals.
 

Learning is more relevant when tied to practical examples and student interests:

 

Field trips develop youth background knowledge and connect the real world to in class curriculum.
Guest speakers can show how academic lessons relate to their career experiences.
Capitalize on student interests and incorporate examples from sports, current events, and topics of interest within the local community.

Collaborative, hands-on opportunities facilitate active learning:

 

Encourage students to think and interact
Use effective group exercises
Hands on activities such as games, projects, demonstrations, and computers promote exploration, creativity, discovery, and play
Use active questioning and participation to motivate and engage youth

Build adult-student relationships:

 

Positive, supportive relationships between youth and adults help students feel cared for and connected, and enable instructors to know their interests and create meaningful lessons.
Assign one staff member to a group of youth.
Facilitate relationship building activities.
Hire teachers skilled in cooperative learning activities, gather best practices, and train staff to use these instructional strategies.

Evaluate program performance and use the results to improve the program.  

Best Practices  

Child Trends recommends the following best practices for out-of-school time programs.

 

Practices to Encourage[2]
Positive, sustained relationships with caring adults are the most critical factor in encouraging regular youth participation and engagement.
Focus on the whole child (social/emotional development, academic achievement, health)
Engaging activities, diverse learning strategies, and opportunities to select their own activities and pace help children learn better, increase self-esteem, reduce negative behaviors, and increase program participation.
Give youth a voice in determining activities to promote age-appropriateness and relevance.
Age-appropriate service opportunities enhance school success and connection to community.
Engage parents through family events, activities for parents, and seeking their input.
Emphasize continuous program improvement and give front-line staff a voice in designing and implementing data systems and evaluations.
Retain core components, but adapt programs to be more culturally-appropriate. Affirm commitment to diversity through opportunities for intercultural collaboration on service projects and incorporating traditional elements.
Staff training that combines instruction with opportunities to practice new strategies.
Personalize relationships and activities to meet individual personality, developmental stage, strengths, and needs of each child.

Practices to Avoid[3]

Negative approaches based on scaring children fail to defer juvenile crime or promote more positive behaviors. Instead promote positive approaches that invest in children's futures.
Lecturing does not change behavior and is not engaging. Instead use interactive projects, group work, activity choices, experiential learning, and opportunities to apply learning and reflect on it.
Focus on squelching bad behaviors negatively impacts recruitment, attendance, and retention. Instead support, encourage, praise, and assist youth in achieving their positive goals.
Grouping children with serious behavioral problems all together draws attention to and triggers undesirable behavior. Instead form diverse groups that can model positive social behaviors and increase peer acceptance.
Ridicule undermines children's sense of self-worth. Instead provide youth with constructive suggestions and positive reinforcement.
Insufficient numbers of adults and resources to assure safety and harmony cannot foster the activities or positive, ongoing relationships that are essential for positive youth development.
Programs without clear theory of change, coherent mission, appropriate activities, and specific goals are ineffective. Spend time developing a theory of change that lays out the long-term goals, inputs, outputs, and intermediate goals. Ensure that all staff members share the common mission and that activities are aligned with goals.
High staff turnover can undermine program effectiveness. Involve staff members in program decisions, give them a chance to grow as individuals, and give frequent positive feedback.

Guidelines for Early Childhood[4]
All areas of development and are important.
Learning and development follow sequences.
Development and learning occur at varying rates.
Development and learning result from an interaction of maturation and experience.
Early experiences strongly affect development.
Development moves toward greater complexity, self-regulation, and symbolic capacity.
Secure relationships optimize child development
Development and learning are influenced by social and cultural contexts.
Children learn in a variety of ways.
Play is important for developing self-regulation, language, cognition, and social competence.
Development and learning advance when children are challenged.
Children's experiences shape their motivation and approaches to learning.

Guidelines for Middle School Youth[5]

Balance independence and supervision. Effective after-school programs engage middle school youth in decision-making and provide opportunities for leadership program.
A menu of choices. Allow middle school youth to make choices about their own learning.
Adult-youth relationships. Supportive relationships with adult role models encourage middle school youth to stay in the program.
Strong connections to family, school, and community. After-school programs for middle school youth should complement activities they engage in at school, home, or in the community.

Guidelines for High School Youth[5]
Employable skills and job experience. Help youth navigate options, teach them relevant skills, and connect them to internships and apprenticeships to help support youth future goals for college and employment.
Program flexibility. Allows youth to participate at different levels depending on their schedules.
Opportunities to connect with peers and adults. Balance social time and structured activities, and nurture relationships between youth and adults including program staff and mentors, and business and community leaders.
Strong connections to family, school, and community. Create programs that link school curricula to hands-on activities and experiences.


 Four[4]Principles of Child Development and Learning

 Five[5] Best Practice for Older Youth in Out-of-School Time  

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries
USA/Canada Region  
17001 Prairie Star Parkway 
Lenexa, KS 66220, USA 
Phone: 1.800.310.6362 * Email:  JHeight@nazarene.org