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 BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is Brain Food for In and Out-of-School Time Leaders!
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Out-Of-School Time Providers – Needed Partners In An Uncommon Civics Education
These days, it appears that every other day presents a lesson in civics – an opportunity to understand and practice the rights and duties of citizenship anew. More palpably, the state of our civic education is in flux. What civic participation looks and acts like is being updated for a new generation – with numerous examples from Black Lives Matter to the March for Our Lives, from the Women’s March to the Dreamers to children taking the case on climate change both to the courts and the streets. ... Read More
15 Messages of Encouragement to Site Supervisors
As the beginning of the school year is underway, safe spaces during the out-of-school time hours are open and serving children all around the nation. This piece is collaboratively written by our bloggers and includes wisdom, tips, and inspiration for all of our valued Site Supervisors of out-of-school time programs. You ALL matter, and we wish you a successful school year. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this quote from Faouzi Skali: “My friend, stop searching for the wh... Read More
Now Live! Submit an RFP for the 2018 BOOST Conference
From May 1-4, 2018, thousands of professionals will be joining together to learn, think, inspire, create, and grow at the BOOST Conference and we want YOU to help facilitate this growth and learning through our dynamic workshops. Submit a proposal today! Think about your expertise, what you have to offer to the out-of-school (OST) time field, and what conversations conference participants are seeking. The variety of workshop themes are designed to promote those conversations, interactions, and ... Read More
#GirlsAre Builders, Explorers and Adventurers
This month the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Clinton Foundation are joining forces to inspire a new generation of strong active women. Girls are fierce, but we know that by age 14, girls drop out of sports two times faster than boys and less than 50% of 12-15 year old girls get the recommended amount of physical activity. To celebrate #GirlsAre, I reached out to nine leaders who are helping to flip this script. This group of nine are builders, explorers and adventurers, stretching ... Read More
Moveable Game Jams
This Breakfast Club blog post is a follow-up to Afterschool Game Jams! which I wrote last August 2016. In it, I described what game jams are, including the “Moveable Game Jam” initiative. Much has happened since then, and I am excited to share it all with the BOOST community! What Are Game Jams, Anyway? Game jams typically take place over a weekend, and involve a theme, or specific content area. For example, this spring, NOAA is hosting an Arctic Climate Game Jam, in which participan... Read More
Game Jams for Out-of-School Time
Game jams are like a game about making a game. Participants meet in out-of-school spaces to create a game in either one day or over a weekend. Often, game jams center on a theme. For example, in spring 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) organized a climate-themed game jams about water. The topic of water was part of a White House call to action regarding building a sustainable water future. I helped facilitate the climate jam held in New York City. Students met at B... Read More
The Role of Mentorship: Field Leader Spotlight
This blog was originally posted on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Healthy Out-of-School Time Blog. The Best Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Conference is coming up, and this year I’m honored to once again co-present with Bruno Marchesi, Chief Operating Officer at the Center for Collaborative Solutions. We will be discussing Local, State, and National Perspectives on the Healthy Afterschool Movement. Prior to his role as COO, Bruno served as Project Manager for the Healthy Behaviors and... Read More
9 Tips from Out-of-School Experts to Build #PartnershipsWithPurpose
Call it what you want – partnerships, collaborations, collective impact – whatever your terminology of choice, partnerships with purpose are essential for any out-of-school program to be successful. Resources are tight, time is limited and staff turnover is a reality. So how do you build impactful partnerships? Here are 9 tips from key out-of-school time leaders. Use the hashtag #PartnershipsWithPurpose to share yours. “Establish a mutual purpose of providing the best for kids.... Read More
The Soul of Out-of-School Time
In his article titled “The Neoliberal Arts: How college sold its soul to the market,” (Harper’s Magazine, September 2015) William Deresiewicz argues that “College is seldom about thinking or learning anymore… The purpose of education in a neoliberal age is to produce producers.” He goes on to state, “Everybody talks about the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering, and math — but no one’s really interested in science, and no one’s rea... Read More
The Dynamic of Partnership in Out of School Time Work
The interesting part of the morning was less the food than the discussion. If you have ever tried to talk with two little kids at the same time you understand how conversations can spin rapidly to amazingly unique subjects. As my Jonah and Sydney left for camp, I reflected that the OST field often feels just like the conversation I just finished with them. Dialogue in the OST field is fast, ever-changing and based in collaborations. In fact, our field is driven by collaborations. School district... Read More
Wanted: Long Term STEM Relationship
Wanted Energetic, fun, thoughtful, well-connected, well-organized, accessible, kid-loving afterschool program with great listening and communication skills seeks committed relationship with a STEM partner who is enthusiastic, reflective, inspirational, smart and knowledgeable and believes in the potential of kids and wants to grow in a relationship together. Sound like you? Working with a “STEM-rich” institution who is also interested in engaging kids, such as a museum, university, o... Read More
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