Grant Money Available for Second Step Program

The Georgia Children's Trust Fund is announcing grant money available for its Second Step program, a character education and violence prevention program for youth. Second Step uses developmentally appropriate lessons to reach a variety of learners, whether visual, auditory or kinesthetic. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2004.

Second Step is rated "exemplary" by the U.S. Department of Education. It is cited as a "model program" by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, U.S. Department of Mental Health. It also has been featured as a model school safety program by the White House 1998 Annual Report on School Safety.

For more information about the grant, contact Carol Steele at (404) 206-6037. For more information about Second Step, call (800) 634-4449 or e-mail info@children.org or visit their Web site at www.cfchildren.org.

CPS Advisory Panel Seeks Members

The Child Protective Services (CPS) Advisory Panel is seeking members to serve on its team. The panel was established by the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services in 2000 under federal mandate to help identify barriers and solutions to effective CPS work. The application deadline is Sept. 30.

Members serve a three-year term and must meet the following criteria for consideration:

• Must not be employed directly in the field of child abuse and neglect.
  
• Must have an interest in the field, such as experience as a volunteer.
  
• Must be willing to attend four meetings a year in various parts of the state. (Travel expenses will be reimbursed.)

For more information, including Operating Guidelines and a membership application, contact David Meyers at dmeyers@peoplepc.com.

Parent Leadership Support Project Seeks Participants

The Parent Leadership Support Project (PLSP) is seeking advocates and parents of children with disabilities for its January 2004 session, a four-month training program coordinated by the Georgia Advocacy Office.

The goals of the project are to:

• Train advocates and enable Georgia parents of children with disabilities and other concerned citizens to master information, and negotiate systems in order to secure the educational opportunities that are mandated for children with disabilities.
  
• Support grassroots parent leadership efforts.
  
• Sustain shared learning among advocates.

The project consists of weekly presentations given by leading educational and legal experts. Upon completion of the training, participants will be able to better advocate for their own children, as well as for other children with disabilities across the state.

To participate, parents must attend and complete the PLSP training curriculum and commit to advocate on behalf of children to secure an appropriate education leading to a meaningful life.

For more information visit http://www.thegao.org/plsp.htm or contact Leslie Johnson at lgjohnson@thegao.org.

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