National Small Business Week. May 20-26, 2012

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. National Small Business Week is here! 28 Million Businesses Strong & Growing A Special Message from SBA Administrator Karen Mills It’s that time of year again! Today, SBA joins the entire Obama Administration in wishing a very happy National Small Business Week to the more than 28 million American small businesses, their employees and the people they serve! National Small Business Week is a public-private partnership to honor small businesses from communities across America. Small businesses all over the country continue to thrive, driving the national recovery and creating an American economy built to last. Building on that momentum, President Obama and I visited Taylor Gourmet, a local small business in Washington, to discuss his “to do” list for Congress to create jobs and help restore middle class security last week and kick-off National Small Business Week. > Read more Today's webcast begins at 3 p.m. EDT How Small Businesses Can Win Big with Large Companies > Click here to watch the live stream beginning at 3pm EDT Are you a small business with a great product, but have no idea how to get it noticed by a large company? Have you ever wondered how to get your merchandise on the shelves of a major retailer? How Small Businesses can get in Big with Large Companies will share the secrets to small business success with big business partners. With a panel comprised of a major retailer, a small business product developer, and a non-profit small business mentoring organization, the session will offer solutions from all sides of the equation that add up to achievement. Linda Boykin, Vice President of Merchandising for Office Depot, a leading global provider of Office Supplies and services, will share what retailers look for in small business partners. Holly Bohn, founder of See Jane Work, a stylish office and organization product company, will discuss her path to store shelves, and Mark Dobosz, president of SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, will offer tips to grow the business while also generating attention from larger companies.  http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/

Institute for Alternative Futures

A free toolkit for communities, countries, and regions to explore their own futures
IAF has developed a free "pro-poor scenario toolkit" for use by communities, countries, and regions to develop scenarios of their own futures that explicitly include poor and marginalized populations.

Pro-Poor Scenario Toolkit: Workshop Materials and Global Forecasts for 2039

A sheet of "ground rules" for the scenario workshop can be found here.






How can the poor participate in shaping our global future? While many corporations, organizations, and government agencies frequently apply foresight methods, poverty is rarely included as an explicit issue for consideration.  To change that, the Institute for Alternative Futures, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, has developed an approach to applying foresight methods to expand social and economic opportunities for poor and marginalized populations worldwide.

As part of this effort, IAF convened a workshop of leading foresight experts at the Rockefeller Foundation’s conference facilities in Bellagio, Italy on March 16-20, 2009.  The meeting, which was co-chaired by Leon Fuerth and David Jhirad, highlighted the rationale and practice of pro-poor foresight in accelerating and enhancing “smart globalization” and in gaining a better understanding of foresight in relation to a set of key issues that are relevant to the global South.

The full report on the 2009 conference:  Foresight for Smart Globalization: Accelerating & Enhancing Pro-Poor Development Opportunities

Institute for Alernative Futures: Mission & Vision

MISSION AND VISION

The MISSION of IAF is to help communities and organizations more wisely choose and create the futures they prefer by:

• providing techniques for organizational and social transformation that will instill vision and integrity;
• sharing insights gained from leading-edge futures research and a constantly expanding body of integrated knowledge;
• creating networks of relationships among leaders for more strategic, systemic, global and humane decision-making;
• developing practices that sustain organizational success in the present while consciously investing in endeavors that expand opportunities for futures generations.

Our VISION:

The Institute for Alternative Futures leads in the discovery and creation of preferred futures. People in organizations, communities and governments benefit from our drive to constantly think beyond the edge. We develop and teach our methods and processes. We plant the seeds for endeavors which will be sustained beyond our lifetimes.

Our staff, individually and collectively, are recognized and respected as catalysts for transformation. Our staff and clients are partners in a journey. We are guides and advocates, not for the destination, but for the search. Evidence of our work is abundant and clear. Leaders inspired by our work are more inclined and more capable of thinking in a futures context. Their decision-making is recognizably more strategic, systemic, global, and humane. The organizations they serve reflect the health instilled by vision and integrity.

We are idealistic and enterprising. Our creative adventures at the margins are anchored and supported by financial and systemic strength at the core. We are driven by compassion, fulfillment and service. We are constantly and wisely investing in our people, our infrastructure and our alliances. Quality of life matters. We live and perform in the moment while consciously creating alternative futures and expanding opportunities for future generations.

http://www.altfutures.org/vision_mission

Webinar: America's Promise. Communications Research

America's Promise offers free communications webinar on May 31

America's Promise Alliance is hosting a free webinar on May 31 from 1-2:15pm ET to share how new communications research can inspire more participation from target audiences. The session will explore both the research findings and how to use the resulting messages to help reach the Grad Nation goal of a 90 percent graduation rate. 


These messages focus on the values of audiences critical to ending the dropout crisis, including nonprofits, educators, parents, students, business leaders and policymakers. To preview key findings and messages, download the Grad Nation Message Manual. To receive registration information for this webinar, email  billw@americaspromise.org. 

America’s Promise Alliance Impact Network: 2012 Leadership Opportunities

http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Youth-Engagement/Impact-Network/Youth-Leadership/Leadership-Opportunities.aspx

America’s Promise Alliance promotes youth engagement as part of our Grad Nation campaign by encouraging and supporting our networks and partners to involve young people in community change, and sharing local stories of youth-led action with a national audience to build broader support.  The Impact Network is the umbrella of all opportunities available to encourage 13-25 year olds to engage in the mission of America's Promise Alliance. Below you will find two types of opportunities and four different roles available this July. Be sure to read eligibility and requirements for each. Applicants may apply for one or all of the positions on the same form. To see past participants view some of their youth insight posts.

Applications must be received by July 2, 2012.

• Access the application
• Access the recommendation form

Leadership Bodies

America’s Promise models youth involvement by having two youth leaders on both our Board of Directors and Alliance Trustees. Each youth is a full voting member of the leadership body and plays a valuable role in the strategic direction of the organization. Meet our current members.

Board of Directors - 2 year term (September 2012 – June 2014)
Our Board , which represents leaders from all sectors of America, provides leadership and oversight for the management of the organization.

Alliance Trustees - 2 year term (September 2012 – June 2014)
As leaders of key partner organizations in the America’s Promise Alliance, our Trustees help shape the Alliance’s priorities and initiatives. They serve in an advisory capacity to our Board of Directors.
Serving as a member of an Alliance leadership body is an exciting opportunity. It is also a responsibility.  Before applying, please review the following list and make sure you are able to meet the requirements and expectations.

• Be between the ages of 16-22 on July 30, 2012. Ideally, will not be graduating from college/university prior to June 2014.
• Attend three meetings yearly in Washington, DC (or other location) without a chaperone. The Alliance will cover all required travel costs for individuals chosen as members.
• Share a summary report with the Impact Network after each meeting.
• Have prior experience with an Alliance partner or other America’s Promise Alliance strategy (My Idea Grants, 100 Best, Grad Nation Communities, Impact Network, etc.)

Judging

In addition, we feel that young people should have a voice in all strategies of our work. Through competitions such as 100 Best Communities for Young People and the Journalism Awards, America’s Promise shines a spotlight on communities making a difference and the struggle to build a Grad Nation.  Youth judges will join expert panelist in determining winners of these special awards.

100 Best Communities for Young People Judge - 1 time opportunity (July 2012)
The 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING is a signature initiative of America’s Promise Alliance and an important part of the Grad Nation campaign. Each year, America's Promise and ING celebrate 100 deserving communities who effectively provide their youth with the Five Promises and work to increase graduation rates. Winning communities come from all across the country and are addressing the unique challenges they face.

Journalism Awards Judge - 1 time opportunity (Fall 2012)
These awards, created in partnership with the Journalism Center on Children & Families, recognize the efforts of journalists working to raise awareness about the needs of young people and those that inspire communities to act on behalf of youth.

Serving as a member of a judge is an exciting opportunity. It is also a responsibility.  Before applying, please review the following list and make sure you are able to meet the requirements and expectations.

• Be between the ages of 13-25 on July 30, 2012.
• Review contest materials and applications/submissions. Participate in a panel review call.
• Share a summary report with the Impact Network after each meeting.
• Have prior experience with an Alliance partner or other America’s Promise Alliance strategy (My Idea Grants, 100 Best, Grad Nation Communities, Impact Network, etc.)

Application Instructions & Guidelines

Please read the application thoroughly before completing. Applications must be received by July 2, 2012.

• Applications should be submitted through the online forms provided by America’s Promise Alliance.  Prior permission is required for applications submitted on paper or by other means.
• Membership is currently open only to US Citizens and those young people currently residing in the United States. All submissions should be in English. If an applicant is unable to complete the application in English, please contact the Alliance for assistance.
• Letters of recommendation will be submitted separately. Two letters of recommendation are required for Leadership Bodies. For Judging positions, letters are optional. recommenders should have good, first-hand knowledge of your skill set. Applicants have two options for submitting them:

1. Providing the following link to an online Recommendation Form to caring adults (preferred)
2. Letters of recommendation can be mailed to the address below or emailed to codyr@americaspromse.org.

* Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
* All decisions related to the Impact Network are the sole discretion of America’s Promise Alliance.

Point of Contact

Cody Ruxton
America’s Promise Alliance
1110 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20005
202.657.0624
Fax : 202.657.0603
Email: CodyR@americaspromise.org