Q. What is SLANT 45?

A. SLANT 45 will be one of the largest communitywide service-learning programs for children in U.S. history and the largest in NFL history. Starting in early 2010, an estimated 20,000 elementary age students will log a combined 45,000 hours of service in more than 100 communities that will forever change the face of the region.

 

Q. How did the program get its name?

A. SLANT 45 stands for Service Learning Adventures in North Texas, and 45 represents Super Bowl XLV, the first Super Bowl in North Texas history. Coincidentally, “slant” is also a football play.

 

Q. Who will SLANT 45 impact?

A. SLANT 45  is the education initiative that the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee  launched as part of its legacy programs. Designed to inspire creativity and build problem-solving skills, this unique service-learning program will positively impact thousands of North Texas children and their families. It will serve as a model that can be emulated by the NFL in cities and regions hosting future Super Bowls.

 

Q. Who designed and is implement the program?

A. North-Texas-based Big Thought, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations focused on improving public education through creative learning,  was tapped as the education partner by the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee and  designed the concept, curriculum and implementation plan.

 

Q. Who is leading the program?

A. Former Dallas Cowboy Daryl Johnston is the chair of the SLANT 45 Action Team, and President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush are the honorary chairs. Johnston  works closely with Big Thought and a volunteer Action Team made up of everyone from senior business executives to faculty and staff from respected educational institutions.

 

Q. Why was Big Thought chosen?

A. Big Thought was approached by the Host Committee to operate SLANT 45 because of more than 20 years of expertise in successfully building strategic systems and innovative partnerships.   Big Thought serves more than 300,000 children, families and teachers each year and delivers more than one million hours of programming and individual creative instruction in Dallas. A model to cities across America, Big Thought has achieved national recognition, including the Americans for the Arts “2009 Arts in Education Award” and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities “Coming Up Taller Award” in 2004.

 

Q. Who are the program sponsors?

A. Bank of America and the Ted and Shannon Skokos Foundation are the founding sponsors of SLANT 45.

 

Q. What is the role of the Junior League volunteers?

A. Junior League volunteers  aid the program by serving on the SLANT 45 Speakers Bureau and as SLANT 45 “coach assistants.” Coach assistants are responsible for processing team registration, providing teams with materials (playbooks, t-shirts, posters, etc.), monitoring projects for potential media  and documentary opportunities and assisting project coaches in finding volunteers or serving as on-site support at various projects.

 

Q. What role are the women of the Links, Inc. serving?

A. The women of the Links, Inc. are assisting in grassroots marketing efforts, including  participating in the SLANT 45 Speakers Bureau, throughout communities in North Texas.

 

Q. What is service-learning?

A. Service-learning is a proven approach that gives kids a chance to apply learning to the real world, away from classrooms and formal instruction. It connects life experiences with curriculum objectives, bringing education alive in powerful ways. It’s an integrated process that moves beyond facts and figures to include civic participation, critical thinking, collaboration, character education and creativity. Service-learning involves four key steps: identifying a need or problem in the community, researching why it’s a need or problem, participating in a project to address the need and reflecting upon one’s service-learning experience.

 

Q. Why is service-learning important?

A. Research shows that kids involved in meaningful service-learning projects perform better on tests, have higher self-esteem and are inspired to be more civically engaged. They’re also less likely to be involved in negative behaviors and more likely to graduate from high school and college.

 

Q. What kind of projects and groups can be involved in SLANT 45?

A. Neighborhood groups, religious organizations, classrooms and school groups, PTAs, communitybased organizations, Scouts, athletic teams and corporate affinity groups are encouraged to get involved! Projects are only limited by your child’s imagination … and can vary from neighborhood improvement to beautification, to documenting local history or culture through a photography exhibit, to focusing on real-life ways to address pressing social challenges like hunger, poverty or environmental issues.

The goal of SLANT 45 is to provide kids with the opportunity to identify issues in their local community from their own perspective. An adult “coach” will utilize SLANT 45 “playbooks” to facilitate children through the process of identifying and researching an issue and developing a project to help address the issue. Projects may  take place over a weekend or span several months. Each project team will decide the type of project, expenses involved (if any), project timeline and more.

 

Q. How many kids can be on a project team?

A. The size of the project team is left to the decision of the adult team leader. There is no maximum number of children who can be involved on any one project. However, when you register, each adult “coach” who will be facilitating a project must register his/her children he/she will be responsible for overseeing. For example, if you are a teacher and all third grade teachers in your school are incorporating SLANT 45 into the classroom, then each teacher would need to register his/her class as a project team even if you are working on the same project. The same would apply for a council of Scout troops, various groups in a church, etc.

 

Q. How do I get my child involved?

A. Register online now at slant45.org or request a paper registration form by calling 469-621-8989. All you need to register is an adult to facilite the project as a team "coach" and a group of kids with a desire to do something positive! Once you register, we'll provide you the resources you need to brainstorm and implement your ideas.

 

Q. I’m not a elementary-age student. Can I get involved?

A. Yes! Although SLANT 45 program materials   focus on elementary-age students and are written on a 3rd-5th grade reading level, we encourage North Texans of all ages to explore meaningful, cooperative ways to help our region! Our goal is to have the spirit of community service embraced by people of every age and background. For example, older students may want to serve as mentors to a younger project team or lend a hand on-site at their SLANT 45 project.

 

Q. What materials will you provide me to complete a SLANT 45 project?

A. Registered project coaches can download playbooks or order them through their Junior League coach assistant. The coach playbook is designed as a guide for adults in how to facilitate a service-learning experience for a team of kids. The teammate playbook is a workbook for young teammates to use as they develop, implement and reflect upon their experiences. A marketing tool kit and promotional posters can be downloaded online.

 

Q. What is a SLANT 45 stipend?

A. Stipends are available to project teams in need of financial support. Team coaches may apply online or through their designated coach assistant for a stipend of up to $100 to offset expenses associated with their SLANT 45 project. Details about the stipends can be found on the stipend application.

 

Q. I live outside of Collin, Dallas, Denton or Tarrant county. Can I participate?

A. Yes! We’d love for you to do something positive to change your community. Program materials, for those who live outside of the area served by SLANT 45 can be downloaded here.

 

Q. How do I register if I or someone I know does not have Internet access?

A. If you would like to add your mailing address to our list to receive more information, please call the SLANT 45 hotline at 469.621.8989. Please leave a voicemail with your name, mailing address, city, state and zip code. A SLANT 45 volunteer will contact you within one to two business days to assist you in registration either by mail or over the phone.

 

Q. What is the timeline for the projects?

A. The program operates now through December 30, 2010. Your project must be complete by December 31 in order to be eligible to attend the culminating event. If you’d like your reflective art piece to be considered for the SLANT 45 Touring Art Exhibition (details forthcoming), you must complete your service-learning project and turn in your creative reflective piece by October 31, 2010 (details regarding the reflective piece and touring exhibit are explained in the playbooks). SLANT 45 projects may continue through December 31, 2010.

 

Q. What is a SLANT 45 Community Partner?

A. Community Partners are youth-serving organizations who have decided to implement the SLANT 45 program through their existing organization structure. If you are interested in becoming a Community Partner, call the SLANT 45 hotline at 469-621-8989.

 

Q. Do parents/guardians have to sign a waiver?

A. Yes. A parent or guardian of each teammate is asked to sign a liability release waiver and return it to their SLANT 45 team coach. These waivers are available in the Coach’s Locker Room area of the website.

 

Q. What is the reflective collage?

A. The reflective collage is required of all SLANT 45 participants in order to be eligible to attend the culminating event. Collages should be 8.5”x8.5” and can be made from a standard 8.5”x11” piece of paper (see coach playbook for details). Teammates are asked to portray their experience and what they’ve learned from being a part of SLANT 45 on their paper — they can draw, write, cut out photos, etc. Reflective collages will serve as a main component of the SLANT 45 touring art exhibition.

 

Q. What is the touring art exhibition?

A. The touring art exhibition is made up of reflective art collages submitted by team participants. Several local artists and volunteers will construct full scale interactive and small scale visual displays to tour throughout the region prior to Super Bowl XLV.

 

Q. Who gets to attend the culminating event?

A. The culminating event celebrating the children who participated in SLANT 45 projects will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The FREE tickets will be offered first to elementary-age students (and their adult coaches) in the four-county region of North Texas (Collin, Dallas, Denton or Tarrant counties). Students in bordering counties who participate, and are able to attend, will also be invited to the culminating event. Coaches will be able to pre-order tickets for their teams in late December 2010. Stay tuned in Summer 2010 to see who will perform at the event and which celebrities will appear!

 

Q. Are there additional sponsor opportunities?

A. Yes. We have several opportunities to sponsor large components of the program. Please contact Tony Fay at 214-252-5110 for more detailed information. If you are interested in donating to support the funding of additional stipends, you may donate online at bigthought.org. Click here to donate.

 

Q. When is Super Bowl XLV (45)?

A. Super Bowl XLV will be held February 6, 2011 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.

 

Q. How do I request for someone to come speak to my organization?

A. To request a SLANT 45 speaker, you may submit your request online or by calling the SLANT 45 hotline at 469-621-8989. To request a speaker specifically related to Super Bowl XLV, please contact Angie Bulaich at 214-252-5116 or via email at abulaich@northtexassuperbowl.com.

 

Q. Who can I contact if I have questions?

A. Email your questions to info@slant45.org or call the SLANT 45 hotline at 469.621.8989. If you are a registered SLANT 45 team coach, please contact your designated Junior League coach assistant.