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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On-Site Staff / Program Design, Development, and Quality / Staff Leadership and Management

5 Simple Ways Youth Can Inspire Change

Eric Evans 1 Comment

This blog was originally published on August 27, 2019. Youth voice in the advocacy space is still timely and relevant so we wanted to share it again. Enjoy!  I believe in the power of youth voice because youth can inspire change. Young people are experts on their own lives, and their lived experiences should be heard and used to advocate for change. We live in a time where advocacy and grassroots movements have been instrumental in highlighting social issues and bringing about positive change. W...Read More

On-Site Staff / Partnerships and Building Relationships / Program Design, Development, and Quality / Staff Leadership and Management / Sustainability

Engaging Young People in Creative Placemaking: Part Two

Kristin Stayer No Comments

Welcome back to this two-part blog series as we unpack what creative placemaking looks like in community development and how we can use it as a tool to empower youth in being key players in their local public spaces. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read Engaging Young People in Creative Placemaking: Part One, published February 20, 2018 right here on the BOOST Cafe Breakfast Club Blog.  Using Creative Placemaking in Youth Program: Examples It may feel daunt...Read More

On-Site Staff / Partnerships and Building Relationships / Program Design, Development, and Quality

Engaging Young People in Creative Placemaking: Part One

Kristin Stayer No Comments

Young people have inspiration, ideas, and unique problem-solving skills to contribute to community planning.  One of the most holistic ways of designing sustainable spaces and places is through creative placemaking. In this two-part blog post, I will share with you what creative placemaking is, the importance of it in our communities, and how we can use creative placemaking in our youth programs. Creative Placemaking One of the best definitions of creative placemaking is from Ann Markusen and An...Read More

Opinion / Partnerships and Building Relationships / Staff Leadership and Management

It’s Time to Reframe the Narrative around Black Youth — and Youth Work Has Some Tools to Do So

Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom No Comments

This post originally appeared on the Breakfast Club Blog on June 9, 2017. His name is Jordan Edwards. And Jayson Negron. And Darius Smith. He was fifteen years old. He was unarmed at the time of his untimely demise at the hands of law enforcement. He was a young man of color caught on the wrong side of the thin line between potential and death. He should be participating in a summer jobs program, playing hoops at the Y, or compiling an initial list of colleges. He – Jordan, Jayson, and Darius – ...Read More

Program Design, Development, and Quality / Staff Leadership and Management

Is Your Program Instagram Worthy?

Diego Arancibia No Comments

“If the young are not initiated into the village, they will burn it down just to feel its warmth.” – African Proverb In traditional societies, parents would send their children outside of their immediate family to an ‘elder’ in order for the child to begin a rites of passage. This rites of passage gave them the opportunity to learn the social norms and mores and join the larger community. Our programs, in many ways, have become this community of ‘elders’...Read More