Pictured: Boys and Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley

Afterschool and summer learning programs play a critical role in helping young people succeed, keeping them safe, and supporting working families across North Dakota. Afterschool professionals play many roles, including mentor to youth. January is National Mentoring Month and we're highlighting free resources from Mentor.org that can benefit any adult looking to support young people.

MENTOR's Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People is a free resource written by experts in the field. Full of real-world advice and evidence based strategies, it provides mentors with tangible strategies to "be there" for young people in their various life journeys and teaches them about core skills, key principles, and critical practices of mentoring, such as:

• Mindsets and attitudes that lay the foundation for a strong mentoring relationship
• Youth development principles
• Critical skills and competencies to grow and refine to meet the needs of youth

Battelle STEM Challenge The Battelle Climate Challenge gives students the chance to present their climate solution at the Innovations in Climate Resilience Conference in Washington, D.C. and receive a $5,000 STEM grant for a U.S. nonprofit organization, public library, or public school. All challenges and resources are free to all educators and students. Challenge Entries Due by January 19, 2024.

YouthBuild: Department of Labor The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of $98M in YouthBuild funding to support the delivery of pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries including construction, healthcare, information technology, and hospitality. Grants awarded to organizations providing pre-apprenticeship services that support education, occupational skills training, and employment services to youth ages 16 to 24 who are performing meaningful work and service to their communities. Grants of $700,000 to $1,500,000 will be awarded to approximately 75 projects across the country. Application due by February 1, 2024.

North Dakota Corn Council FREE Teacher Resources: The North Dakota Corn Utilization Council announces a new initiative to provide free lessons to ND educators and bring STEM education into K-12 classrooms through the launch of Mystery of Corn Educational readers. ND educators can subscribe for free to receive a reader for each student to investigate a mystery about corn. These readers can be used along with other corn STEM lessons or as a standalone piece. Each reader comes with a teacher guide and supplemental teaching materials. The readers have been developed to meet ND educational standards and four versions are available: K-1, 2-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Suggested uses of the readers include activities for substitute teachers, science or STEM learning time, small reading groups or reading centers, career exploration, and as an afterschool resource.

Main Street Community Education Grants: The State Historical Society of North Dakota is administering the Cultural Heritage Grant Program for projects encouraging partnership between a teacher/educator and a local museum or history organization that will connect youth, young adults, and the community to local and regional history. Teachers and educators are encouraged to apply for a Project Grant up to $15,000 or a Field Trip Grant up to $1,500. Projects must be completed by May 31, 2025. Application must be received a minimum of 4 weeks prior to event and funds are allocated on a rolling basis.

Discover Literacy Grants: Discover is offering grants of up to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations working in the areas of education and literacy. Funding, donations, and sponsorships are intended to support programs and initiatives that meet the needs of various communities across the country. Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

BNSF Railway: Grants will be considered for a BNSF Railway Foundation grant if they meet at least two of the following criteria: Your organization or project has significant BNSF employee participation, your organization or services provided are in close proximity to a BNSF main line; or if BNSF is the only railroad in your state; Your request is related to the railroad industry; and/or your request is for direct programming or project support. Strong preference given to requests that fall under the following areas of interest: Environmental, sustainability, or conservation projects, health & human services, or cultural and historic preservation. Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

The ND Afterschool Network is hosting a Spring 2024 Cohort of the Afterschool Quality Coaching Book Study. This 5 week series will include training and support to implement a flexible coaching model into your afterschool or out-of-school time program. Weekly reading and action assignments will follow each live session to practice new skills and debrief as a group.

This series is FREE to any North Dakota afterschool professional. Participants will receive both required texts at no cost.

Contact Kristin Knorr to register.