FROM THE SEL PROJECT COORDINATOR

Season’s Greetings to the Most Amazing New Hampshire SEL in OST Community! 

This month we enjoyed several SEL gatherings and topics as a community. To kick the month off, on December 1, folks from SEL and Mindfulness cohorts past and present gathered to reconnect and support one another in our SEML efforts for our young people in NH in our SEML community of practice. Those of you who are SEL/Mindfulness cohort alums, keep your eyes open for the next gathering in a few months. 

On December 13, yet another group of dedicated positive youth development professionals and a great crew of ACROSS NH consultants celebrated the finale of our Fall 2022 SEL in OST cohort with our colleague Eric Mann. Kudos to all who put in such effort to attend, apply, and continue to amplify the work of SEL in OST for NH! You are the heart of SEL in OST in NH. 

May you experience peace, joy, love, friendship, and warmth in this season of reflection and new hope as we look into a new year. 

With Warmest Wishes,

Abigail

Mindful March: Social, Emotional, and Mindfulness Learning Series

Mindful March is coming down the pike! As many of you know, International SEL Day is March 10th. In recognition of the international lens on SEL, ACROSS NH’s Rick Alleva and I will be offering a series of four mindfulness workshops. Mindfulness can be described in many ways. As for us in the SEL project, we see Mindful Awareness Practices for what they are—instrumental tools for growing SEL skills in children, youth, and adults alike. We hope that you come join us for moments of learning together as we work to cultivate SEL from “the inside out” with our inner work as adults and colleagues. 

CLIPS, SNIPS, IN-A-SNAP

As I was thinking about this theme of this month’s newsletter, my colleague Kathy Jablonski, an ACROSS NH consultant, dropped an email into my inbox. The email was about a simple (yet fantastic) SEL practice: Thank You cards! In this season of giving and receiving, what better way to help grow SEL skills than helping young people put words to their grateful thoughts and feelings, and then share those thoughts and feelings with their friends and loved ones. 

Clips

As the year comes to an end, I am so lucky to have the chance to say thank you to the change makers in the lives of kids. Thanks for being there for our children through thick and thin. I stumbled on this sweet little clip that I thought was a precious reminder to each of us of the great value of your caring relationships with kids. https://youtu.be/tznztJVsW9E

Snips

This article, “5 Ways to Teach Children Gratitude,” https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/childrens-health/5-ways-to-teach-children-gratitude from the University of Michigan’s Children’s Health Webpage is a nice little overview of some ways to support kids in conversations and actions around the topic of gratitude. Published around Thanksgiving 2021, the article focuses on making gratitude a regular practice in our lives presenting ideas for ways to live our value of gratitude. What ways do you practice gratitude in your daily life? How does gratitude live in your program? 

In-a-Snap

Thank you cards! This is such a wonderful practice to have as part of our programs all throughout the year. Setting aside time with children to consider the things they’re thankful for, the people, actions, and gifts they have benefited from, and putting that gratitude into action is a great way for children to practice a helpful mindset and “othering” even when receiving.

Making thank you cards doesn’t need to get fancy (unless of course, the kids want to get fancy). We can even have our kids brainstorm other ways of expressing gratefulness as we think about meeting the diverse learning needs of our children.

What are some ways that you encourage mindsets of gratitude in your program? How do you incorporate SEL topics into your activities?

Remember, we would love to hear from you, if ever you have an idea you would like to share, please email me, Abigail Blodgett, ACROSS NH SEL Project Coordinator at ablodgett@seresc.net.

SEL RESOURCES FROM ACROSS NH

This guide seeks to support afterschool programs with the development of policies that seek to include all children and youth. Research shows many positive outcomes from participation in afterschool programs that intentionally address growth in personal and social skills.

A Guide to

Social and Emotional Learning for the Afterschool Professional

Social and Emotional Learning takes place in all contexts that children and youth participate: their homes, schools, out-of-school time environments, and communities. The field of afterschool’s commitment to Social and Emotional Learning can make a profound difference in the lives of the young people served, and in the adults who guide them.

If you would like to request a training for your staff that goes into depth on either or both of these guides,

please email acrossnh@seresc.net or call (603) 206-6848.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Abigail J. Blodgett, NH ASMP & ECMP
Social and Emotional Learning Project Coordinator
ACROSS NH, a project of SERESC
165 South River Road, Unit F
Bedford, NH 03110
Art by Mercy, 12 years old
ACROSS NH is a project of the Southeastern Regional Education Service Center (SERESC) and is funded by the Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration. Our goal is to provide statewide technical assistance and professional development opportunities to afterschool providers to support their work in creating high quality, innovative programs for schoolage children.
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