Project Ignition Grants Available to High School Students to Improve Teen Driving

ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Youth Leadership Council® is pleased to announce the availability of $2,000 Project Ignition grants for high school students to lead peer-led service-learning projects that address teen driver safety.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130116/DC42977LOGO)  

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. Young people, in partnership with teachers and communities, can change this staggering fact through Project Ignition, the National Youth Leadership Council's teen driver safety program.

"From changing laws by working with state legislators, to hosting awareness-raising events in their local communities, teens are saving lives and changing the way their friends think about safe, responsible driving," said Kelita Svoboda Bak, NYLC CEO. "Each year we look forward to seeing all of the impactful, innovative ways that youth use their voice and creativity to lead campaigns that tackle driving safety through Project Ignition, and each year these passionate young people continue to exceed our expectations."

"It's more than just a grant," said Melissa Mitchell, program manager at NYLC. "We provide direct support to adult mentors and student teams through trainings, one-on-one support, and online resources like the Generator School Network® as a part of the program so that the campaigns can be successful and sustained long after the grant is spent."

NYLC integrates service-learning — an educational method that combines meaningful community service with classroom instruction — across all of its programs, events, and resources. Project Ignition empowers young people to tackle teen driver safety issues through service-learning by aligning their campaigns to the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice — evidence-based standards and accompanying indicators published by NYLC that K-12 practitioners can use to ensure high-quality service-learning practice.

Public and private high schools in the United States and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick are invited to get involved in Project Ignition by applying for a grant, available online. Once applications are received by the deadline of November 15, 2013, judges will review the grants and announce the winners in January, 2014. The winning schools will be notified by December, 2013 and receive their check to begin their projects in the spring semester.

Since its inception in 1983, NYLC has worked with young people and educators to provide meaningful opportunities to work in partnership to serve communities across the U.S. For specific questions about Project Ignition, contact Melissa Mitchell, NYLC Program Manager for Teen Driver Safety, at [email protected] or 1-888-856-7026.

Apply for a Project Ignition grant online today at www.nylc.org/projectignition, and be sure to follow Project Ignition on Facebook (facebook.com/projectignition) and Twitter (twitter.com/projectignition).

For more information about NYLC and service-learning go to www.nylc.org.

SOURCE National Youth Leadership Council