Month: February 2020

Thirteen Groups Join Forces for Youth Programs in New Campaign: Be a Champion, #InvestInKids

Thirteen of the nation’s leading youth development programs launched Be a Champion, #InvestInKids to raise awareness and increase support for youth programs across the country. The Be a Champion, #InvestInKids campaign is funded through generous support from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Participating organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Camp Fire, Coaching Corps, Girls Inc., National 4H Council, NatureBridge, Outward Bound, Playworks, Positive Coaching Alliance, the Student Conservation Association and the YMCA.

Women in K-12 Technology Leadership Still Face Sexism. Now They’re Calling It Out.

Many women have faced gender discrimination in the workplace. How to respond to men who claim their behavior was unintentional, Lorrie Owens, administrator for IT services for the San Mateo County Office of Education in California, suggests refocusing the conversation on how their words were perceived. “Stress: ‘This is how it was received,’” she said, adding that she tries for a non-confrontational approach. “Sometimes people try to belittle your perception of what they just said. Firmly, professionally stand your ground.”

Putting Afterschool to Work: High-Impact Work-Based Learning in New Orleans

The destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 transformed New Orleans into a place where construction is not just a high demand, high-wage career, but an act of service to the community. unCommon Construction (UCC)—a non-profit organization in New Orleans that delivers afterschool programming and weekend on-site apprenticeships—engages high school students in career pathways within the construction industry, while also building and selling essential market rate homes for residents and families in the students’ home town.

Structuring for Scale-Up Success: Adaptive Program Model

Techbridge Girls strives to meet girls exactly where they are. In scaling up, Techbridge Girls have used data and in-depth research to identify needs in the landscape and to adapt both their programming and organizational structure to reach girls where they are with life-changing STEM enrichment. With every adaptation, they have always put the voices and lived experiences of those they serve at the center of their work.