UPdate from the UP for Learning Team
May 17, 2020
"Let’s be clear. When the COVID-19 crisis is over, we do not have to go back to business as usual in our educational system, or any other system for that matter. We just don’t. The question confronting us at the moment is not can we prepare to come back differently but will we?"
- Hugh Vasquez , Senior Associate, National Equity Project
This was the question that was echoed throughout UP's P2 Summit on Friday. We never could have predicted that a virtual event could create such incredible energy , or that so many folks would show up and engage at a high level. I could not stop grinning for hours after it ended. As one participant said, "three hours on Zoom felt like 20 minutes!" There was something so incredibly special about the collective joy and passion during this event. I left the Summit feeling so hopeful and energized by my youth partners' call for change.

We need this energy to continue as we think about the possibilities for our educational system now and into the future. It is clear that we have learned so much from our experiences during the pandemic and we need to keep these experiences at the center as we reimagine the possibilities. After the Summit, I revisited this powerful piece of writing by Hugh Vasquez at the National Equity Project. Vasquez reminded me of the Margaret Wheatley article " Willing to be Disturbed”   that we often use in our work with UP teams. In it she reminds us that,

“As we work together to restore hope for the future, we need to include a new and strange ally — our willingness to be disturbed.”

What we are experiencing both individually and collectively has created that disturbance. It is with hope fueling us that we can ensure that we will come back differently. If you were unable to attend the Summit, I encourage you to check out the recording from the Opening, Sharing Sessions and Finale (see below).

With gratitude,
Lindsey
2020 Power2 Summit: Couldn't attend on Friday? No problem!
We have recorded most of the sessions and will be posting them to our P2 Summit Site throughout the week. Check out the Opening Session for a dose of inspiration!
UP's Getting to Y (GTY) Coordinator, Sharon Koller's, blog post was featured this week in The Association of Maternal and Child Health Program's Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Resource Center Blog!! We hope you will take the opportunity to read about GTY and the incredible work of school teams across VT.
Helpful Resources for Youth and Adults:

UP Resources:
  • Remote Learning and the Brain: UP's Webinar Series - The live webinars will be held every Thursday during May from 3:00-4:00 pm. If you are unable to attend at this time, you can register and a recording of the webinar will be sent to your email. If you missed the first webinar, feel free to register for the remainder of the series. Contact Amie Conger at amie@upforlearning.org with any questions. Schedule:
  • Thursday, May 21st: Understanding and Influencing How the Brain Processes Information
  • Thursday, May 28th:  Strategies for Effective Remote Teaching & Learning
  • Thursday, May 7th: How Stress and Emotions Impact Learning & Strategies to Reduce Stress - a recording is available!
  • Thursday, May 14th: The Power of a Positive Mindset, Self-Talk, and Response to Errors - a recording is available!

  • UP's Youth Advisory Council member, Zayda Kellog has written a piece on her experiences with remote learning that has been shared in VT Digger. We encourage you to read her powerful piece: Remote Learning Presents New Opportunities

  • UP's Youth Advisory Council has received an incredible response to the Connecting VT Youth survey. They hope that this survey will reach all parts of VT. Please continue to share widely. The YAC members are currently making connections and would love to make even more meaningful connections!

  • Weekly TA Tips from the MHS RP Team. With their permission, we have shared the emails that they have sent out to support the TA's at their school during this pandemic, in hopes that they can be a support to your team.

Community Resources:
  • QuaranTeen Time - Tuesday @ 3 pm - Youth Voices Matter: A Conversation with Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman When it comes to the future youth voices matter the most! We invite all youth in grades 7-12 to share your thoughts, concerns, ideas, worries, dreams, hopes, goals and voice your opinions on issues that matter to you! This is your opportunity to speak up, be listened to and taken seriously, and initiate the change you would like to see in your community, your state, your country, and your world. We hope you will join us! Registration is required to get the Zoom link and password to join. Learn more and register - click here.

  • Bolero Julliard - This is an excellent and inspiring collaboration from The Juilliard School. The vision, creativity, skill, and patience to conceive, create, and edit this film together during this time is remarkable. A gift to all and a reminder of the humanity in "a day in the life of being an artist, a student, and a human."

UP for Learning has created a resource page on our website where you can find the resources we have shared in past newsletters.