SABE’S new grant: Everyone Can Serve!
What is the goal of the grant?
The goal of the Everyone Can Serve project (Georgia Grant) is to make the
inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities in national service a reality.
SABE and the University of Georgia Institute on Human Development and
Disabilities. SABE and the University of Georgia have received this grant
from the Corporation for National Service. You might have heard of this
organization. It runs the Ameri Corps, VISTA, Senior Service and Learn and
Serve program in the states. These are volunteer and service opportunities
whose benefits include monthly stipends and educational awards.
What will SABE’s role in the Grant be?
SABE will work with the National Service Programs in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
and Mississippi in Region 6, to help them learn how to include and support
people with cognitive disabilities in national service programs. We will
also help the recruitment, support and accommodation needed for self-advocates
to participate.
How does the grant support SABE’s strategic plan?
SABE has a goal of promoting self-advocacy in every state. Many of the members
of SABE have been involved in Americorps and VISTA as organizers for state
self-advocacy chapters. State self-advocacy organizations have also served
as project sites for Americorps and VISTA, including Tennessee, Oklahoma,
New York, Missouri, Georgia, and Utah. These projects have focused on building
self-advocacy in each state, and resulted in some of the strongest self-advocacy
organizations in the nation.
So one of the goals of our project is to provide information to project directors
for the Corporation for National Service on how to partner with self-advocacy
organizations.
Who do you know that has worked with the Corporation of National Service?
Our own chairperson, James Meadours was a VISTA volunteer in Oklahoma for
two years. According to James, his work with VISTA provided the opportunity
to continue his involvement with self-advocacy by moving into the role of
a community organizer. He also gained much self-confidence in his skills
as a leader and feels this has led to his current career as a Self-Advocacy
Facilitator for the Louisiana Self-Advocacy Project.
Everyone Can Serve Update April 02-July 03 2003
Made the following presentations to self-advocates, parents, and project
directors for National Service at:
National Self-Advocacy Conference Buffalo, New York
Louisiana People First Conference and Arc Convention
Southern Collaborative
People First of Alabama conference in Birmingham, Alabama
Southern Cluster Directors meeting in Savannah, Georgia
YAI Conference New York City-May 5-8, 2003
Other activities completed include:
Conducting a survey that describes how self-advocates are involved in
volunteering
Video taping of presentation at People First of Alabama
Development of Toolkit for state chapters and state office of the Corporation
on National and Community Service
Everyone Can Serve Update November 2002
Everyone Can Serve
What has your team been involved in?
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Met in May, June and August to work on our presentations
Developed three presentations |
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Recruitment for National Service for self-advocates |
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Preview of the Everyone Can Serve training on how to include people with
disabilities in volunteer opportunities |
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Full training on inclusion of people with disabilities in Volunteer
opportunities |
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Made four presentations to self-advocates, parents, and project directors
for National Service at: |
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People First of Louisiana |
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Arc of Louisiana conference |
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The Volunteerism conference in Georgia |
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Presentations are planned for: |
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Southern Cluster of Project Directors |
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People First of Alabama |
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Association of University Centers for Excellence |
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Southern Collaborative |
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Other activities include: |
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Provide training to state self advocacy groups and to Self Advocates
Becoming Empowered Board Members |
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Present at two additional conferences |
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Hold a regional conference |
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Complete a survey that describes how self-advocates are involved in
volunteering |
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Everyone Can Serve Update March 2002
SABE and the University of Georgia team have been working hard on the training
for Project Directors for National and Community Services Project such as
VISTA , Ameri Corp , and Learn and Serve. The training will provide participants
with common sense ideas on how to include people with cognitive disabilities
in National Service. Our first training will occur in Macon, Georgia in June
,2002. Additional training is planned for Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana
in 2002 and 2003. |
