Breakfast Club Blog

The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is a curated space where bloggers from around the world contribute content on a continual basis about a variety of topics relevant to in and out-of-school time. The BOOST Breakfast Club blog is at the heart of an ongoing dialogue where expanded learning and education professionals share their personal thoughts and stories from the in and out-of-school time field. They also tell us what they ate for breakfast!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. Enjoy the brain food.

The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is Brain Food for In and Out-of-School Time Leaders!

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Leaders Who Inspire Us: Linda Barton

Editor’s Note: We hope you enjoy this new campaign, Leaders Who Inspire Us!  Today’s featured leader is Linda Barton. Linda is skilled in systems development and committed to the advancement of high-quality afterschool programs throughout the state of Wyoming. Contact: Linda Barton, Director, Wyoming Afterschool Alliance, 933 Main Street, Suite 7, Lander, WY WYAA is a Statewide Afterschool Network for the state of Wyoming. I have been Director since its inception in 2007 and the founder of WYAA....Read More

Today Is The Only Day

Editors Note: This blog is being republished with permission from Erika Petrelli Bayh, Senior Vice President of Leadership Development at The Leadership Program. Thank you Erika for this very important message.  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I’m so sad about the news that came out of Pittsburgh on October 27th and the straight-up hate that instigated it.  Especially in this month when we’ve been talking so much abou...Read More

Leaders Who Inspire Us: Kendrick Dial

Editor’s Note: We hope you enjoy this new campaign, Leaders Who Inspire Us!  Today’s featured leader is Kendrick Dial, a Substance Abuse Counselor, mentor for foster, homeless, and runaway youth, conflict resolution consultant/trainer, and facilitator of the Restorative Justice Mediation Program’s victim/offender dialogue conferences. He is also an adjunct at City College EOPS department and teaches a Personal Growth class. He has also cultivated his role as an artist for over 12 yea...Read More

Girltopia – It Is Achievable!

I have to say, it has been feeling a little dark and grey the past few weeks. It’s been hard to be a girl. The news and world around really haven’t been very empowering or positive, and quite frankly have been sucking the happy out of my soul. But after this past weekend, I feel like a little spark has been rekindled. My Girl Scout troop had a meeting to work on our Girltopia Journey. A journey is an opportunity for scouts to “explore new things, connect with friends and her community, and make ...Read More

How One Kid Can Change How I View The Country Today?

This morning I enjoyed two, over-easy, eggs, a blueberry muffin, hash browns, and a coffee.  I never eat that much for breakfast but happened to have had at a meeting at a great, local, joint. I have struggled with what to blog about this fall. There is so much going on in our country. Elected officials are at war. Politicians are yelling over each other vs listening. Anger. Fear. You would think I would have a million ideas to share. But, I find myself raw, angry and struggling for words. Then ...Read More

#ButterflyEffectChallenge

but·ter·fly ef·fect noun (with reference to chaos theory) the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere   As an experiential educator and group facilitator working in the realm of social-emotional learning and leadership development, I am used to helping people “get out of their comfort zones.”  As educators, it is not only our duty to encourage people to go beyond where they are comfortable and into this place called “learning” but to...Read More

A New [School] Year’s Resolution

Editors Note: Please welcome brand new BREAKFAST CLUB BLOGGER Amy  Btiebet, from Open Doors Academy, in Cleveland, Ohio. We are thrilled she has joined the extraordinary BOOST BLOGGING team!   — Hi friends! My name is Amy, and this is my first BOOST blog. I debated writing about a wide range of topics that I felt somewhat confident in after 10 years in youth development—how to run engaging summer programming, transitioning from managing youth to managing staff, growing pains in a rapidly d...Read More

Where Oh Where Is The “Honeymoon Period”? 4 Grounding Tips to Start Off The School Year

Fall is here, and another school year is upon us. This is my fourth year at my particular before and after school site, and I like to think in general I have a good idea of what’s going on. I’ve ironed out our daily routine, I know our kids well enough to have supports built in to overcome our most common challenges, and I’ve given the “welcome back to school” speech so many times that some of my older kiddos could probably quote it back to me. But, each year, regardless of my preparedness, I al...Read More

Alternative Facts

Does anyone else remember the days when you had to watch the news at 6 pm because dad was home and you only had one TV? I am old enough to remember Walter Cronkite concluding his nightly newscast with the number of US soldiers killed in Vietnam that day. I learned about the world from Harry Reasoner, Chet Huntley, and David Brinkley. Reporting the news was a sober responsibility, entrusted only to the most credible and respected journalists. At least it sure seemed that way to me. During the Wat...Read More

Doubling Down: Parenthood Strengthened My Commitment To Children, Families & Communities

I was fortunate to find my way to youth development work. As a college student, I was an intern at a local preserve where I led groups of all ages. The director saw something in me and referred me to a local summer camp where I discovered my talent and passion for this work. In pursuit of that passion, I applied and was honored to be accepted as an Americorps Tutor in an expanded learning program. Within the first three weeks of my term, I lost my vehicle in an accident. To fulfill my service to...Read More

9 Necessary Tips For Managing Stress In An Uncertain World

Seventeen years ago, at the age of 22 years, I walked out of a store in Philadelphia with a small black rectangular electronic device with a built-in antenna and 12 numerical buttons that gave me immediate access to the world at my fingertips. I remember calling my parents in Cleveland as I walked down Walnut street, proudly announcing my first step into the world of accessibility thanks to technology. I remember the sheer excitement I felt, holding a piece of the world in my hand, the incredibl...Read More

Sharing The Vision And Shaping The Future: A Message To The Next Generation Of Leaders

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the passage of California’s first comprehensive afterschool legislation. Since then, the investment in California’s most vulnerable children and young people has grown to $630 million a year and redefined what quality expanded learning means and looks like. Those of us who were privileged to lead the way through uncharted terrain worked in complex organizational environments in cities, counties, school districts and nonprofit organizations. We explored new...Read More