Civic Engagement
Suitcases for Kids
www.suitcasesforkids.org
is the website for the group founded by then-10-year-old Aubyn Burnside to collect suitcases for foster care children. The site provides all the information necessary for young people to start recruiting donors in their area. The online starter kit includes a basic donor letter, answers to frequently asked questions and a notice for church bulletins.
Faith-Based
The Center for Community and Faith-Based Initiatives
http://hhs.gov/faith
provides visitors with the most comprehensive breakdown yet of President Bush’s initiative to provide faith-based and community groups with more access to federal funds. Various sections tackle questions readers might have about funding opportunities, charitable choice and the initiative itself. Includes links to contacts related to the issue. The site is operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Life Skills
Don’t Buy It!
www.pbskids.org/dontbuyit
is an interactive site run by the Public Broadcasting Service that encourages youth to think “out-of-the-box” about media campaigns aimed at them. Youth can create their own captions for advertisements for common products like clothes and food. The site even provides an insider’s scoop to how magazines and specialists make models on magazine covers look flawless. The graphics and interactive features help youth to think creatively and analytically about the world of media and consumerism.
Management
What Works
www.whatworks.org
is an up-and-coming site from the Center for What Works that focuses on nonprofit management. Bulletin boards allow visitors to ask questions in dozens of categories, with replies from experts whose qualifications are listed with their responses. The various lists of Internet contacts alone are enough to make this site useful to nonprofit administrators who want a quick index of management resources.
Media/Technology
Voices of Youth
www.unicef.org/voy
brings youth from across the globe together on an idea-sharing website developed by UNICEF. Youth workers can use links to information and photos of children in other areas of the world to explain the differences and similarities of life in various parts of the world. The site’s message board allows youths to post their own thoughts while reading what other kids have to say.
Mental Health
Helping Children Understand the Terrorist Attacks
www.ed.gov/inits/september11
is a straightforward site run by the U.S. Department of Education to help youth workers, educators and parents discuss an important and complex topic with their children. The site provides advice on explaining the attacks and offers news about peripheral issues of terrorism such as racism and prejudice. Includes a list of relevant websites from government agencies and nonpolitical groups.
Youth Workers
Dr. Mac’s Amazing Behavior Management Advice Site
www.behavioradvisor.com
proves that resource-intensive websites do not have to be dull and humorless. Run by the City University of New York’s Hunter College, the site draws together a large bank of information about various best practices in the behavior management field. The site also features a useful bulletin board, where graduate students respond at length to the concerns of youth workers, practitioners and parents. Laced with cartoons and jokes, the informal approach of Dr. Mac makes the site a worthwhile bookmark for anybody who needs information on child behavior management practices.
