The Y4Y Insider - December 2021 |
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Flipping a coin might bring to mind deciding between two choices that are equally good. But flipping the coin might remind you of an idiom, “other side of the coin,” meaning an opposite perspective on the same thing can be a game changer. As you start a new calendar year, how can you “flip the coin” in your program for a fresh, positive perspective?
Finally, this month’s Voices From the Field features a Washington DC out-of-school time program designed to facilitate postsecondary education, and the two sides of social and emotional learning they’ve adopted: implementation and measuring impact.
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Webinars
January 13, 2022
1-2:30 p.m. ET
Are you on the hunt for free resources to improve your 21st CCLC program? Have you ever wondered how You for Youth (Y4Y) can help you achieve your program goals? Join us in this session as we delve into all things Y4Y – the online professional learning and technical assistance portal designed specifically for 21st CCLC programs. Whether you’re a brand-new member of your program’s frontline staff, all the way up to a seasoned 21st CCLC leader staying on top of the latest resources, you’ll learn how to make the most of Y4Y resources for things like program planning, activity implementation, assessment and more!
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Gathering STEAM
Powering Your STEM/STEAM Initiatives
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Beyond School Hours (BSH) STEM Fair
BSH is hosting its first-ever STEM fair during the February 2022 Conference in Orlando, Florida. Learn more and register today!
NASA Groundlinks
NASA’s new Groundlinks program connects students with crew members inside NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, a habitat housed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It’s a chance for students to learn how NASA prepares humans to live and work in space.
Watershed Chronicles
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Explore Space Tech: Space Sailing: Jan. 5, 7-8 p.m. ET
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Earth Right Now: Elementary GLOBE: Using Picture Books to Initiate STEAM PBL: Jan. 6, 5-6 p.m. ET
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Explore Moon to Mars: ECLSS, Water Filtration & the Engineering Design Process: Jan. 11, 7-8 p.m. ET
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Tech Tip
Not sure where to begin your 21st CCLC training efforts? Go to the Coaching My Staff section of the updated Introduction to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program (Intro to 21st CCLCs) course, select Menu in the upper right of the window, then scroll to “1.6 Create a Professional Learning Plan.” You can instantly connect your program training needs with the full set of Y4Y training resources. Be sure to return to take the full course when time allows!
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State Coordinators Corner
Post of the Month
Are you looking to share new Y4Y content with your state’s grantees? Feel free to share the below Post of the Month on your social media accounts:
Introduction to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program
As your state prepares for a new cycle of grant funding, are you thinking about the grantee questions that have arisen during this cycle? The ones that flooded your inbox during the last request for proposals (RFP) period? Are new Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measures throwing grantees for a loop?
Updates to the Y4Y Intro to 21st CCLCs course make it a valuable resource to share with grantees and potential grantees early in the process. Here are just a few course features and reasons applicants should be encouraged to engage in the full course with their stakeholders before they apply.
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Focus on the RFP. Chapter 2 of the Introduction section lays out the laws, regulations and guidance that pertain to 21st CCLC programs, then offers strategies for using a team approach to navigating them as they prepare a proposal.
- Implementation strategy number one (literally) is “Review the RFP.”
- The remaining 10 strategies apply to elements they’ll need to incorporate into their proposal.
- The Coaching My Staff section of the course helps learners connect their program’s specific needs to the full list of Y4Y courses and Click & Go’s, providing a clear path to early professional development.
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To answer requests from SEAs, Y4Y has piloted a pre-recorded Training to Go on the subject of Intro to 21st CCLCs. For those program directors and site coordinators who aren’t comfortable delivering in-person trainings, this new resource is a gem!
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Voices From the Field
Embedding Measurable Social and Emotional Learning in College and Career Readiness
Mr. De Angelo Rorie is Director of Youth Services at Washington DC’s United Planning Organization (UPO). His colleague, Ms. Paula Carroll, is Case Manager for the organization’s P.O.W.E.R. program for teens. P.O.W.E.R. stands for “Providing Opportunities With Educational Readiness.” Y4Y invited them to share how they’ve placed social and emotional learning at the center of their college and career readiness efforts, and we’re so glad they said yes! Read more here, or listen to the podcast.
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De Angelo Rorie is a native Washingtonian and DC Public Schools graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. For more than 20 years, Mr. Rorie has worked in the not-for-profit sector, focusing his attention on the development of out-of-school time programs and initiatives for primary-, secondary-, and postsecondary-age youth that increase academic performance, enhance critical thinking skills, and promote character and social growth. In November, he celebrated his 12-year anniversary at United Planning Organization. |
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Paula Carroll is a case manager working for the United Planning Organization (P.O.W.E.R.) program. Paula is a trained facilitator for the socio-emotional components of P.O.W.E.R. Her trainings include Strength-Based Leadership, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Advance Case Management, Positive Youth Development, Life Coaching and Parenting Journey. |
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Jan. 1 commemorates the 130th anniversary of the opening of Ellis Island, a gateway for more than 12 million immigrants to the U.S. Discover what the National Park Museum is today, or explore the rich history of immigration by way of this national institution.
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Jan. 4 is National Spaghetti Day. Study its history, eat it in your program or contemplate how “spaghetti” can signify something’s a jumbled confusion.
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Jan. 7 marks the 230th anniversary of the first commercial bank opening in the U.S.: The Bank of North America in Philadelphia, chartered by the Congress of the Confederation. Brush up on the history of currency in the U.S. and ask students what they know or think about cryptocurrency.
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Jan. 17 is shared this year by celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and founding father Benjamin Franklin (it would be his 315th birthday). Can students find things these great American icons had in common? In what interesting ways were they different?
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Portland State University student, Haley Okamoto, lived her formative and adolescent years in Hawaii. As she was preparing to graduate from high school, she considered attending Portland State University in Oregon, though she was nervous to attend a college both far from home, and where she'd be in an ethnic minority. Ms. Okamoto literally flipped a coin about that decision. Her advice to new students of the university's campus is:
"Promise yourself that you will do at least one thing to find community. New students can feel isolated at first. Being engaged on campus will give you a stronger sense of belonging. Don't be afraid to say yes to things! Also, campus is confusing at first but you will be able to find your way eventually. Take advantage of the sky bridges to avoid the rain. And find your favorite spot on campus, this will make it more enjoyable to study."
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Topical Toolkit
Topical toolkits cut across Y4Y courses to provide carefully selected tools on a given topic. This month’s curated toolkits will help your 21st CCLC program (1) take a multipronged approach to program quality improvement and (2) hone your data collection and analysis skills.
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