Youth Communication is hosting its 38th Annual Summer Writing Workshop from July 5 - August 11, 2017. Workshop participants receive one-on-one mentoring from a professional editor, write and revise personal stories about their life, go on field trips, and make friends with other writers. Participants’ stories are published in the award-winning YCteen and Represent magazines, which are read by tens of thousands people each year. The theme of this year’s workshop is “Write Your American Story” as writers participate in group activities exploring how their own stories fit into the American mosaic. Applications must be received by May 19, 2017.

The New York State Network for Youth Success, formerly NYSAN, is seeking input on the Third Edition of the Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Tool, sometimes referred to as the NYSAN Tool. Complete the survey to provide input on the proposed elements and indicators as revised by a workgroup of experts and researchers across New York State. The survey will remain open until 11:59 pm April 20, 2017. Everyone who completes the survey is eligible to request a free copy of the updated print version of the QSA as soon as it's available. If you have any questions, please contact Alli Lidie at alli@networkforyouthsuccess.org.

On April 19, 2017, the Pinkerton Fellowship Initiative at John Jay College is hosting Criminalizing Gender: Best Practices, Programs, and Policies That Make a Difference. This symposium aims to raise awareness around policies and best practices for working with LGBTQ youth, young women, and girls involved with the criminal justice systems. Speakers include Jeanette Pai-Espinosa, President of the National Crittenton Foundation, and Andrea Ritchie, Researcher-in-Residence on Race, Gender, Sexuality and Criminalization at the Social Justice Institute of the Barnard Center for Research on Women and co-author of Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States. Register to attend.

The new Bank Street Occasional Paper Series, Queering Education: Pedagogy, Curriculum, Policy, contains eight essays that take a deep dive into issues surrounding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) lives in educational settings. Queering Education builds from the idea that while much progress has been made over the last few decades, the greater inclusion and engagement of LGBTQ identities in schools is dependent on work still to come. The authors of the issue, many of whom identify as queer, lend their voices and candidly share their own lives, providing readers with several powerful perspectives that promote a deeper and more personal understanding of LGBTQ experiences in school communities.

Best Buy Foundation will donate up to $2 million in Community Grants to local and regional nonprofit partners offering programs that create hands-on access to technology education and tools that teens will need to be successful in their future schooling and careers. Programs should include hands-on learning opportunities and engage youth in experimenting and interacting with the latest technologies to build 21st-century skills. Community Grants are designed to support local efforts and are reviewed for consideration by Best Buy teams across the United States. The average grant amount is $5,000 and will not exceed $10,000. The application site opens on May 1, 2017. Proposals are due May 19, 2017.

Powered by Mozilla, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Wireless Innovation Network Challenges seek designs and prototypes for wireless technologies that will help connect people to the internet in some of the most challenging of circumstances: after a disaster or in areas without sufficient connectivity. Two million dollars in prize money is available for winning design concepts and prototypes submitted by US-based entrants in one of two separate challenges: Off-The Grid Internet Challenge and Smart-Community Networks Challenge. Submissions are due October 2017. Winners will be announced in fall 2017. NSF is particularly interested in teams made up of a diverse group of individuals that may include youth, community members/organizations, technologists and researchers who are interested in working together to solve these problems for their communities. The challenges' launch event is on April 22, 2017. Register for the event to learn more.