Category Archives: class

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Mar 23 2013

2013 Chinese Speech, Composition and Talent Contests at the Confucius Institute

Image from Flikr user joelmutate http://flic.kr/p/8p3CYN

Guidelines for this year’s Chinese Speech, Composition and Talent contest have been released and can be found on the Portland State University website.  Two main contests will occur this spring.

Composition, Pen & Brush-Pen Calligraphy Contests:

Students K-12 plus college, graduate students and adults can enter to win honors for their Chinese calligraphy work or Chinese composition. Many topics are available to choose from including (but not limited to. See list on application):

Why do I like China and Chinese people?
• Who do I like Chinese Language and Chinese Culture?
• Why do I learn Chinese?
• My Chinese Teacher(s)
• My Chinese/American/Foreign friend(s)
• The importance of learning Chinese
• My family and friends
• My favorite class/course at school
• An unforgettable Chinese class

Composition and calligraphy works must be turned in by mail or in person, along with the application form, by April 30, 2013.

Chinese Speech and Talent Contest:

Speeches will be given on May 19, 2013 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Portland State University. Participants must register by April 30, 2013.

Each speaker will give a speech in Chinese for no more than 4 minutes on one of several topics (see list above). Following the speech, each participant will perform a 2 minute talent of their choice.

23iCc
Oct 30 2012

CodeDay Portland November 3, 2012

CodeDay Portland is coming this weekend. Put on by StudentRND, a  Seattle organization that inspires kids to work on cool tech projects in their spare time, CodeDay divides high school and college students into team and gives them 24 hours to create an app or video game. After 5 session in Seattle, this is their first time in Portland. Their motto is “Pitch ideas, form teams, and build something amazing in 24 hours.”  Cost to register is $20  plus $1.99 online handling fee.

  • Date: Saturday November 3 noon – Sunday November 4 noon
  • Urban Airship Inc, near 334 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR

Here is a description StudentRND CEO Edward Jiang.

*CodeDay Portland*, November 3rd, Noon-Noon

http://portland.codeday.org/

Next weekend, StudentRND is hosting CodeDay, a programming marathon for high school and college students.At CodeDay, students pitch ideas, form teams, and then build a videogame or app in 24 hours! It’s like FRC’s build season, but only 24 hours and focused on programming.

It’s meant to be a lot of fun for both beginners (we have workshops) and more knowledgeable students.

Please forward this to your students! We’ve hosted five of these in Seattle so far, with amazing results, and we’d really appreciate your help making CodeDay Portland a success!

Register Today! http://portland.codeday.org/register.html

 

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Oct 23 2012

Providence Brain and Spine Institute – Free community forum: The curious workings of your brain

Take in a free lecture on how your brain works. Includes tips on prevention and maintaining a sharp mind.  Presented by the Providence Brain and Spine institute:

What exactly is multiple sclerosis? Is Alzheimer’s disease preventable? Why does Parkinson’s disease cause tremors?

This forum will cover these common neurologic diseases, from diagnosis, to the latest treatments, to the search for a cure. Get tips from Providence experts to help maintain a healthy brain and a sharp mind. The presentation is followed by a question-and-answer session. Join us – and bring your curiosity!

6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 1
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Souther Auditorium, East Pavilion
9205 SW Barnes Road, Portland 

Register in advance. Check the box next to the lecture and click “Finished — complete registration”.

Providence Brain and Spine Institute – Free community forum: The curious workings of your brain.

HMCC
Oct 10 2012

Path to Scholarships workshop November 17, 2012

This came in today via the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber‘s October newsletter:

Scholarship Workshop – Path to Scholarships® ”Making Dreams Come True”
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012
Presenter: Araceli Ortiz, Linfield College
Time: 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Location: Linfield College – Portland Campus
Peterson Hall Auditorium, Rm. 101
2255 NW Northrup Street
Portland, OR 97210

Cost: Free

Space is limited, register early.

Please RSVP by calling 503.222.0280 or e-mail: tsanchez@hmccoregon.com

At this workshop students will:
  • Receive their own College and Scholarship Planning Guide and Resource CD.
  • Create a portfolio to prepare for college and scholarship applications.
  • Be guided to write their first draft of a winning scholarship essay.
  • Learn that with desire and hard work, anyone can go to college. 
For more information visit: www.hmccoregon.com.
The chamber also offers scholarships ranging from $2000 – $6000. Applications will open later this fall and generally close at the end of January.
Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian
Sep 18 2012

Multnomah County Search and Rescue Team: informational meeting September 19, 2012

Multnomah County Sheriff’s office will host an informational meeting about their Search and Rescue Team training academy. From Oregonlive.com:

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office will host a search and rescue orientation meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday September 19. Young adults 14 and older who want to attend an eight month search and rescue academy are encouraged to attend.

The meeting will be held at the Hansen Building, 12240 N.E. Glisan Street in Portland.

Here is a great opportunity to participate in something important and interesting that will teach you valuable life skills as well as be a good addition to a resume or college application. If you have ever been interested in a career in firefighting, emergency medical technician, or law enforcement, this would be a good place to start investigating those fields as some of the structures and skills you will learn at the academy will be the same as those that emergency responders use in their work. Youth as young as 13 can participate in their 8 month academy.

Training starts in September and testing for certification takes place in May.

Fire truck at Women in Trades Career Fair
Sep 1 2012

Firefighter Explorer Program

Portland Fire and Rescue is now accepting applications for their Explorer Program.  (Previous post about this program.) Ages 16 – 20, participants must commit to attending weekly drills, Saturdays 9:00 – 11:30 from October through May. Cost to participate is $30 plus a $25 deposit on equipment.

An orientation meeting will be held September 22 9:00 am at their training facility 4800 NE Sandy Blvd.

Image from www.freeigitalphotos.net user:gameanna
Sep 1 2012

Teen Workshops – Portland Art Museum

It unusual to find free art classes for teenagers so I was excited to discover this Teen Workshop from the Portland Art Museum (thank you Leslee Lukosh).  This is a 10-week series from October through December focusing on creating a personal portfolio while utilizing the resources and collection at the Portland Art Museum.

Classes are Thursday afternoon 4 – 6 p.m. ,  October 11 – December 13 2012 at the museum. Applications are due September 28.

The application is a simple Word doc and requires writing a few paragraphs about the type of art you do and what you want to do with art in your future. You will also need to include 4 electronic pictures of art you have created.

If you sign up, please drop me a note and let me know how it goes.

Teen Workshops – Portland Art Museum.

By tarabb • Posted in class
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Aug 2 2012

Job Corps: Free education and job training for low income youth

Job Corps is a free education and job training program run by the US Department of Labor. Low-income youth 16 – 24 can earn their high school diploma or GED and receive job training in a variety of disciplines from automotive collision repair to culinary arts to Certified Nurses Assistant. Programs vary by site.

There are six Job Corps sites in Oregon: Angell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, Partners in Vocational Opportunity Training (PIVOT) Job Corps Center, Springdale Job Corps Center, Timber Lake Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, Tongue Point Job Corps Center, Wolf Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center. Most of the centers are residential, although PIVOT (in Portland)  is non-residential and some of the center have a commuter option.

When I was at the Women in Trades Fair in May, working with some Cleveland High School girls who were teaching robotics, a group from the Wolf Creek center took our workshop and blew all our other participants out of the water. Compared to the other workshop groups, these girls were the fastest learners, the most confident, and had built and dismantled a chasse in half the time all the other groups took to put two wheels on.  Enjoy these success stories, including an Idaho Court of Appeals Judge who got his GED at Job Corps.

A friend of mine reports that her son, who was coasting for quite a while, has blossomed in the Forestry program at Wolf Creek, responding well to the structure and rigor of the program. Each site is run differently, but most include Student Government, Clubs, Committees and recreational opportunities for students. There are strict rules with regard to conduct with a zero tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use.

Information for Students

Information for Parents

Job Corps flyer (pdf)

Y.E.S. Info for Young Women

 

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Jun 2 2012

Student Alliance Project Summer Program

So that summer internship hasn’t materialized yet, and the possibility of a summer job seems to be slipping away, how are you going to stay busy? The Student Alliance Project Summer Program sounds like a great way to keep active and meet new and interesting people (and get your mom off your back for lazing around all summer . . . er . . ahem . . .) You’ll also work on some of those critical leadership skills that can help you accomplish lots of good stuff, including public speaking,  working as a team, and thinking about college. The program is for youth 14-23 and takes place between July 16 and August 31 with a one-day orientation in June.

According to their website, the Student Alliance Project 

 is a youth-led collaboration to cultivate multicultural young leaders in Oregon and Southwest Washington equipped to become our communities’ and country’s next college graduates, public policy advocates, community organizers, entrepreneurs and mentors.

Looking at their pictures and videos on the site, I see a group of young people who want to grow as leaders and strengthen their community by exploring the region, learning about the world,  listening and laughing together. This group emerged out of the youth crew working on the documentary film Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth. They come from diverse backgrounds and want to give voice to their thoughts and beliefs in a supportive and inspiring atmosphere.  In this video they talk about where they are from:

The summer program is 8 weeks long and FREE.

They meet 3 days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (starting at the fairly reasonable hour of 10:00 a.m.) and move throughout the Portland and Vancouver area. Students are asked to commit to a minimum of 3 days and can do the whole 24 if they wish.  Those who complete at least 12 days will get a free bus pass.

The 8-week itinerary includes weeks devoted to exploring the city, delving into the arts, and learning how to start your own business. The last two weeks focus on acquiring the skills necessary to be a youth community organizer.

Sign up on their website. The program starts July 16 and runs through August 31.

Fire truck at Women in Trades Career Fair
May 20 2012

Portland Fire and Rescue Explorer Program

I had a nice long conversation with a firefighter the other day at the Women in Trades Career Fair.  Never a hardship for me, talking to a firefighter. Its a thing I have.

Anyway, it being an event for women and all, he was there promoting the Fire Camp for Girls but I cornered him and asked him what the fire department had for young men and women aside from the girl’s fire camp. I told him my issue with my son who wants to be a firefighter but keeps getting told its too hard to become one.

He suggested that we look into the Explorer Program through Portland Fire and Rescue.  The program is an intense introduction to the discipline that replicates a “real” fire training academy as much as possible.

For youth (men and women) between 16-20, the application opens in September for the program which starts in October.

This is a serious commitment that would be hard to maintain along with school and sports so applicants should read and understand the requirements. Among them:

  • attend weekly drills on Saturdays between October and May
  • take weekly quizzes and complete assigned homework
  • pass weekly physical fitness tests
  • live in Portland, Oregon

The program costs $30 plus a $25 refundable deposit for the reading materials. Participants will be issued uniform and safety equipment to be returned upon completion of the course.