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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Leadership in Times of Crisis
Leadership in times of crisis reminds us how challenging it is to manage your own stress while supporting others. While much of the world is sheltering in place or physically distancing themselves from others to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many people are finding themselves unemployed or facing incredible uncertainty. How we lead in moments like this can significantly impact the lives of others. How do we manage our own stress and anxiety with the weight of this responsibility? Here are a fe...Read More
Taking Time over the Holidays to Reset
This blog was originally posted in 2018, the content is so relevant we wanted to repost. Self-care over the holidays is a magical way to enter the New Year! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Many of us have the opportunity to take some time away from work over the end of the year holiday season. While this time usually results in time away from work, it is often over-scheduled and jammed with holiday parties, family g...Read More
When The Earthquake Hits…Navigating Personal Trauma
As professionals in the field of education and youth development, we are often faced monthly, weekly, and even daily, with helping support and manage other people’s trauma. We hear the horrible stories, watch in live-action the day to day responses and behaviors of kids who have been traumatized, and often spend our days and nights urging others to seek out guidance and help for managing these almost unimaginable experiences. But, what happens when the tables turn and that trauma is our own? Thr...Read More
Self-Care Ideas: Give 1/Get 8
Youth development is hard work and often emotionally draining; taking even a few minutes for self-care can be beneficial for our mental and physical health. I know what you’re thinking, self-care is all about juicing, advanced yoga poses, beach vacations, and lavender-scented spa days. Although these absolutely fall into the category of self-care, there are plenty of simple ways to practice self-care without breaking the bank. For this article, I want us to reimagine self-care by bringing one of...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
Rest and Restoration: Will You Take a Break This Week?
Editor’s Note: This blog was first posted on The Leadership Program‘s website on July 2, 2018. We have received permission from BOOST Blogger Erika Petrelli (@erikap) to repost. — Happy Fourth-of-July Week! The quintessential marker of “summer” for many of us. Since it’s on Wednesday this week, I’ve heard so many people talk about how it makes the whole week feel like a vacation, even if you just have the one day off. I’m kicking off the holiday by going to see Def Leppard and...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
Stress Be Gone
I had a few bonus nighttime moments recently, with the kids tucked in nice and early after a hearty weekend of family celebrations. I was excited because I was nearing the end of The Girl On The Train and wanted to finish it before leaving on yet another work trip. So I stayed up reading even though I, too, was absolutely pooped after our fun fun weekend. When I finished the book, I wearily made my way upstairs and nestled into bed—the pillow and sheets have never felt better; it was like they w...Read More
Feel Like a Child: How to Take Time for Ourselves
I walk into a room and all I see is a large curtain. All I hear are muffled giggles emitting from behind the curtain. A head pops out and as I stand back, I realize this large curtain is actually a tablecloth covering a GIANT dining room table. I crawl under the curtain and immediately feel like a child. Children are lounging on soft pillows and running around laughing. On the walls are images projected of children around the world feeding themselves. It is amazing to see the kids sitting with m...Read More