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Background[]

Information on the grant paperwork for the 2015 effort is here.

Requirements[]

Badges[]

Design and issue of 6 or more digital badges.

On-site Training[]

Host one or more training sessions with other program staff in conjunction with City of Learning Helpdesk team members.

Community of Practice[]

Active participation in a community of practice with educator peers at other participating organizations in the campaign.

Research[]

Work with a Sprout-led research team to contribute generate data for research projects about badges.

Documentation[]

Providing a space for on-site documentation of summer programming including written, photo, and video production.

Proposal Format[]

Cover Sheet[]

  • Project Manager Contact Information (name, affiliation, title, email, phone, mailing address)
  • Grant Principal Point-of-Contact Information (if different from project manager)
  • Parent Organization or Fiscal Sponsor Name and Federal Employer Identification Number
  • Applicant Organization Type: 501(c)(3) nonprofit or public school
  • Names and web URLs of the programs at your organization (or in which your organization is a key partner) that will be badged during summer 2015

Application Questions[]

  1. Describe the activities of each program (e.g., lessons, classes, workshops, engagements, hands-on sessions), when they will occur, and how you anticipate using digital badges to recognize learning and achievement during these activities.
  2. Describe the nature of the learning experiences in these programs using the language of the Remake Learning Focus Areas or Remake Learning Competencies. Overall, what do youth gain by participating in your programs?
  3. Identify a specific challenge you anticipate in the design and/or implementation of digital badges in your program(s). In what ways will you address this challenge in order to ensure success for your program(s)?
  4. Describe the audience for your summer programming including:
    1. Neighborhoods/locations of your activities (must be in Allegheny County)
    2. Age of target populations served (youth ages 10-19 are the primary focus of COL)
    3. Approximate number of youth served between June 1 and August 31, 2015
  5. How can Sprout help document your activities this summer? What are the best opportunities for multimedia documentation? (provide dates/times of specific events/activities if possible)
  6. How might your organization incorporate digital badges into your plans for the future? Think beyond this summer’s activities.

Required Attachments[]

  • Letter of Request: Attach a signed letter from your organization’s senior executive on letterhead that formally requests $2,500 from The Sprout Fund for the purpose of Pittsburgh City of Learning 2015.
  • Nonprofit Determination: If your organization has not been a recipient of a Sprout grant during the last 12 months, include a copy of your organization’s most recent 501(c)(3) Letter of Determination from the IRS. (not applicable to public schools/government units)

BGC Application Submission from BGC's Mark Rauterkus, executive coach, about Digital Badges[]

Links[]

Program Web site
Swim & Water Polo with PPS Summer Dreamers http://CLOH.wikia.com
Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation Youth Program http://www.Bloomfield-Garfield.org/youth
SKWIM USA http://www.SkwmUSA.org
American Water Polo http://www.AmericanWaterPolo.org
CMU Women's Water Polo https://www.facebook.com/CMUWopo
Pgh Obama Academy Varsity Swimming https://www.facebook.com/groups/SchenleySwimming/
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo https://www.facebook.com/groups/PittsburghSchenleyWaterpolo/
Sandcastle Water Park http://www.sandcastlewaterpark.com
Creating Literate Olympians Here http://www.CLOH.org
Kay Atman, Ph.D. http://www.KayAtman.com

Program Activities*[]

Describe the activities of each program (e.g., lessons, classes, workshops, engagements, hands-on sessions), when they will occur, and how you anticipate using digital badges to recognize learning and achievement during these activities.

Students get to earn badges within Pittsburgh Public Schools' Summer Dreamers Academy and our BGC programs. This includes about 200 students in Swim & Water Polo and Mindful Eating at all three sites.

The community outreach happens at local swim pools such as the Thelma Lovette YMCA, Sandcastle and Citiparks pools. Our schedule includes sessions at Homewood pool at 11-12:30 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, Sheridan pool from 11-12:30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, West Penn pool from 10-11:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Plus we have adults and kids from 6-7:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays at Northside's Sue Murray pool and Tuesdays and Thursdays, also 6-7:30 pm at Hill District's Ammon pool.

An expected All-City Sports Camp is slated for after Summer Dreamers ends.

Learning Experiences*[]

Describe the nature of the learning experiences in these programs using the language of the Remake Learning Focus Areas or Remake Learning Competencies. Overall, what do youth gain by participating in your programs?

The Remake Focus area of FITNESS is presently absent, but these efforts supply a suite of badges for that to be fixed.

Overall, the community and the youth are going to have tremendous benefits with this suite of programs. Kids get direction for jobs and becoming lifeguards when they are older and after their skills improve. Team play is stressed with SKWIM and Water Polo, as well as other values such as sportsmanship, goal-setting, self awareness, mindful decisions, healthy eating, wellness, exercise understanding, motivation to walk and run, volunteer boostering, just to name a few.

Swimming skills are needed to save one's life.

Anticipated Challenge*[]

Identify a specific challenge you anticipate in the design and/or implementation of digital badges in your program(s). In what ways will you address this challenge in order to ensure success for your program(s)?

The biggest challenge is getting the money fast enough so that the technology equipment can be purchased. We can aquire 7-inch android tablets for use at the pool and with the digital badges, if the money can arrive ASAP. We are seeking a line of credit and are about to start a crowd-source drive with IOBY.org if they respond.

We need to get internet access, and requests have been made to the city so that the facilities can be made into wifi hot spots for guests. That is a Comcast sponsor item that could be done in one day if the right people make the requests. The pool use could be an issue, but permits are already assured. Long-term, we need the support of the mayor and the school superintendent as then we can deploy the help of volunteers from the public safety first responders (police, firefighters, EMS, school police, and more).


Audience[]

Describe the audience for your summer programming.

1. Program is for those in Summer Dreamers, a school based summer school for poor, urban, struggling students as identified on standarized test results and school-principal selection.

2. Program is for 2015 Learn & Earn Youth Job Workers, ages 14-21, with low or modest household incomes. We hope to employ 30 of those students on a day-to-day basis and also reach out to the other 1,700 who applied.

3. Program is for the BGC Swim & Water Polo staff, as well as others associated with Mindful Pittsburgh, 4-H of Penn State Extension, the YMCAs, the PPS teachers, fellow PPS coaches, Rec Center staff and their charges, and Sandcastle / Citiparks lifeguards.

4. Program is for anyone who wishes to get their feet wet at the pools this summer with masters water polo, SKWIM play and volunteering. This includes guardians of the kids we teach, mentors and their students, the local triathletes, and friends of friends who can drop in and join along in our efforts.

5. Progam is for college club and varsity water polo players and coaches, especially at CMU but also throughout the nation with the help of American Water Polo, a 501(c)(3) in eastern Pennsylvania.

6. Program is for those who run, especially the GNC Liberty Mile.

Neighborhoods*[]

Describe the neighborhoods/locations of your activities (must be in Allegheny County).

Polish Hill, Homewood, Homestead, Sheridan, Hill District, Brookline, East Liberty, North Park. We cover the city and make a network at the swim pools, giving Pittsburgh its fouth river.

Age of Target Populations Served*[]

Youth ages 10-19 are the primary focus of COL.

The target of COL matches ours. Kids in middle school and high school don't want to waste their time. They want to be devoted to something that is with an upside, excitement and challenging. Sports and aquatic opportunities can be a smashing hit with this age group.

Our programs also go to the young workers of Learn & Earn.

Our programs also go to adults so we can build capacity for great growth into the future.

Approximate Number of Youth Served*[]

Between June 1 and August 31, 2015.

We know we will have 200+ in our Summer Dreamers.

We could serve more than 1,000 youth in 2015.

Planning[]

Your plans for this summer and beyond.

The plans for beyond the summer include the formation of an All-City Sports Camp in August 2015. That will kick-start the efforts from Pittsburgh's Public Safety Volunteers with a new PAL (Police Athletic League) model that has a focus on aquatics as its first frontier.

The next plan for growth is into varsity and club sports at the high school and college level. The teams, athletes and coaches at this level need support and in turn, they make for the next wave of effective coaches for the youth of the city in the months to come.'


Documentation*[]

How can Sprout help document your activities this summer? What are the best opportunities for multimedia documentation? (provide dates/times of specific events/activities if possible)

Spout can help with quick and ample cash delivery as soon as possible so that the most affordable android tablet devices can be obtained, charged, loaded, networked, and deployed with training and without haste.

With our expertise and groundwork from past summers, our literacy efforts can reap great outcomes. We are prudent and a $10,000 investment in 2015 could generate massive returns for future years.

Future Plans*[]

How might your organization incorporate digital badges into your plans for the future? Think beyond this summer’s activities.

The efforts we do with CLOH.org and our wiki goes straight to Wikipedia, (often called the 5th most popular web site), the Olympic Movement, (and 2016 is Rio), and sports/recreation (the highest interest area among those applying for 2015 Learn & Earn Youth Job Initiative. More than 40% of the kids, ages 14-21, who applied for the summer jobs circled RECREATION & SPORTS. Our efforts give them meaningful, valuable, mindful opportunities to learn, earn and assist in wellness efforts for the region.

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