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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Youth Development at a Hot Dog Stand

Good youth development practice can emerge in unusual places. For thirteen-year-old entrepreneur Jaequan Faulkner, good youth development came in the form of a street vendor permit. The teenager opened a hot dog business in his Minneapolis neighborhood on Penn Avenue North, meeting with early success and a booming business. Then young Jaequan ran into an obstacle that nearly upended his entrepreneurial pursuit – he lacked the proper permit to run a freestanding food stand. Jaequan had an idea an...Read More

Celebrating the Top Resources to Inspire Youth to Give Back

Editor’s Note: A special thank you to author @jillgordon  for sharing the last of four webinars from the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana’s 2017 webinar series designed to promote next-gen leadership and giving opportunities. Today’s post focuses on how to incorporate service learning and volunteerism into your program.  Jill provides several free resources and links to activities that any program can implement! ____________ In 2017, Youth Philanthropy Connect (YPC) and the Youth P...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

We Are Young And LGBTQ, Are You Ready For Us?

I had a different blog in mind for this month, but there was a situation in the small Indiana town that I live in where a house was vandalized with hateful, homophobic graffiti and obscene images all across the side of the house. It was sad, infuriating, hurtful, and a reminder that there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to ensure all LGBTQ+ individuals, especially youth, have the services and protection they need around them! Another Pride month has come and past.  A few questions f...Read More

Make Your Surveys and Enrollment Forms More Inclusive

Equity and inclusion are on everyone’s minds these days. Out-of-school time professionals across the nation are taking a good look at their practices with an eye toward assuring that all young people and their families feel welcome. Don’t forget to review your program’s enrollment forms and surveys as part of this process – it’s a common, yet overlooked, spot for unconscious bias to have a field day. Small changes to the words you use in these materials can make a difference in the experiences y...Read More

Overcoming Obstacles: Successful Media Strategies to Share Impact

Editor’s Note: A special thank you to author @jillgordon for sharing the third of four webinars from the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana’s 2017 webinar series designed to promote next-gen leadership and giving opportunities. Today’s post focuses on how student voice makes a powerful difference and social impact when telling stories through journaling, blogging, vlogging, and social media.  And keep your eyes open in July for the next special webinar from Youth Philanthropy Initiat...Read More

Tailwinds vs. Headwinds

Runners and cyclists are especially familiar with this phenomenon. When running or cycling into the wind, we are aware of the hardship every second. When we get the wind at our back, we are grateful … for about a minute. Then we forget about our good fortune until the going gets tough again. Why is it so easy for people to feel put upon? Why are we hyper-aware when we feel the deck is stacked against us? Studies have shown that this phenomenon happens in many aspects of our lives. With siblings,...Read More

How Expanded Learning Can Expand Its Presence

Editor’s Note: This blog was originally posted on January 6, 2018 by BOOST Blogger @rodrigoarancibia on arancibia.org. With permission from the author, we are reposting.  — Part of my last post was speaking up for those who can’t in Trump’s America. So what are some ways Expanded Learning can speak up? Here are some ways Expanded Learning can speak for those who cannot speak or listen to what’s really going on. Keep in mind, there are lots of ways to expand your pre...Read More

Let’s Create a Butterfly Effect to End Gun Violence

Dylan Hockley would flap his arms up and down whenever he was excited or happy. “It was truly joyful to watch because he was such a happy little boy. I asked him once why he flapped, and he told me, ‘because I’m a beautiful butterfly’,” recalled his mother, Nicole, in an interview before the first anniversary of the day Dylan was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary. At Dylan’s memorial service, Nicole said in her eulogy, “There’s a saying that if a butterfly flaps his wings in one place it can cause...Read More

10 Reasons Why You Should Thank Your After School Professional!

It is spring break for my own kids, so breakfast consisted of me cooking pancakes to order for two kids and eggs to order for two more.  I ate the leftovers…again! Today I want to use this forum to say thank you to all of you Site Coordinators and Program Leaders.  We all know the big things you do. Regardless of what organization you are in, what age young people you serve, or where in the country or world you live, we know you keep kids safe during critical after school hours, ensure grant com...Read More

Start Planning for Summer Meals Success

Even though there might still be traces of snow on the ground in your state, now is the perfect time for youth-serving programs to start thinking about expanding access to and participation in Summer Nutrition Programs. The Summer Nutrition Programs — which include the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — fill the nutrition gap for low-income children who rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. The programs also support summer prog...Read More

Coding Club: What High School Students Can Teach Us About Leading Afterschool Programs

None of the high school or elementary students noticed me when I slipped into their after-school classroom last fall. The room buzzed with happy energy as the older students crouched at computers, coaching their younger peers on using Scratch to create animated games. This after-school Coding Club was the first of its kind for my organization, Ann Arbor Public Schools Community Education and Recreation (“Rec & Ed”). We have a decades-long history of providing after-school programs in our sch...Read More