Closing the Equity Gap for LGBTQ Youth: Blueprints for Change
- Hillary Bardwell, Director, Foundation Grants, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
- Juan Castillo, Program Manager, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County (Capitola, CA)
- Tanisha Davis-Dos, Vice President of Programs and Compliance, Big Brothers Big Sisters Puget Sound (Seattle, WA)
- Christian Rummell, Principal Consultant, Mentorist
- Andie Thomas-Young, Vice President of Programs, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle (Raleigh, NC)
Healthy development and well-being are essential for youth to be ready for college, work, and life. Positive identity formation, parent and peer relations, and connection to community can serve as critical protective factors. This session provides information and resources to help create more intentionally inclusive services for LGBTQ youth, in particular those of color. Participants will gain insights for how to implement equitable services that can change trajectories and improve outcomes. Participants will learn about blueprints for action, including standards of care for LGBTQ youth, the LGBTQ Supplement to the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™, and tips gained through a national inclusivity initiative at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Resources:
- Closing the Equity Gap Presentation
- LGBTQ Supplement to the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™
- 2014 Big Brother of the Year for Washington State
A Deeper Look – The Partnership for Social Emotional Learning
- Katherine Plog Martinez, Consultant, The Forum for Youth Investment
- Knellee Bisram, Social and Emotional Learning Specialist, Prime Time Palm Beach County, Inc.
- Jessi Hicks, Social Emotional Learning Continuous Improvement Coordinator, Tulsa Public Schools
- Miranda Cook, SEAL Manager/DAA Learn Lead, Denver Afterschool Alliance
Join us to continue the conversation and deep dive into building cross-sector partnerships to advance SEL. During this session, focused on the Wallace Foundation’s Partnership for Social Emotional Learning Initiative, you’ll have opportunity to ask follow-up questions that are sparked for you during the plenary and we’ll dig in to two additional findings from The RAND Corporation’s Early Lessons from Schools and Out-of-School Time Programs Implementing Social and Emotional Learning that point toward good starting points for your SEL work – SEL rituals and routines and a focus on adult SEL skills. You’ll have time to engage in SEL practices you can take back and use right away.
Engaging Young People In a Virtual Setting
- Trevor Davies, Senior Manager, Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, The Forum for Youth Investment
- Monica Marie Jones, Senior Field Consultant, Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, The Forum for Youth Investment
What does it look like to have an active and engaging virtual program space? If you’ve asked this question then this session is for you. In this interactive session we will give tips and tricks on how to implement The Weikart Center’s best practices in a virtual program space.
Engaging Young People Presentation
How do You Support Practitioner and Manager SEL Competency Development?
David Martineau, Director of Design & Innovation, Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, The Forum for Youth Investment
Weikart Center staff will use an activity from the new Social Emotional Learning (SEL) methods to illustrate its approach to supporting “adult SEL” in a new suite of SEL training workshops and resources. Self-awareness work in social, emotional, and cognitive development is a foundation skill if youth workers, program managers, and administrators are to effectively model, name, and support SEL competency development in youth. Psychological safety, human development knowledge, introspection, community building, personal goal setting: join the conversation about the role of these practices in professional development that translates to most effectively supporting learning and development in young people.
How Do You Support SEL Competency Presentation
Launch, a Journey: How Opportunity Youth and United Way Learned Together
- Larry Pasti, Consultant, The Forum for Youth Investment
- Kimberly Chacon, Former Launch Ambassador, Mental Health Pioneer/Current Student, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
- Sophia Rehmus, Launch Career Coach, Boston Private Industry Council
- Aviva Rothman-Shore, Economic Prosperity Manager, Department of Housing & Community Development
- Amanda Shabowich, Launch Project Director, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
Launch, a coordinated network of outreach, connection, and referrals to education and employment for Opportunity Youth living in subsidized housing has demonstrated an impact on outcomes. Learn why the MA Department of Housing and Community Development decided to invest in this project, how they and their partners at the United Way used data to improve and make midcourse corrections, and how they created a theory of change for the initiative that supports critical SEL skills and competences that lead to success in the workforce. Hear how youth voice developed as the overriding culture, and how adaptations made during the pandemic became positive new ways of doing business. The journey for OY youth engaging is not linear; journey maps and staff tackling the issue of “ghosting” led to helpful program design changes. Key staff will share insights and answer questions to help inform the field.
Resources:
- Launch a Journey Presentation
- Launch Evaluation Report (full report and executive summary)
- Launch Field Scan
Not All Dollars Are Created Equal: Building Resilient Systems with Local Funds
Olivia Allen, Strategy Director, Children’s Funding Project
As we entered 2021, our over-burdened and under-resourced child- and youth-serving systems received unprecedented federal investment in their recovery efforts, with more potential federal funding on the horizon. So, why do we still need to put local tax dollars towards child and youth services? How are local dollars different from any other dollars? This session will address these questions and more as presenters discuss the need to continue pursuing local public investments in child- and youth-serving systems, and share examples of the unique value that local, dedicated children’s funds brought to their communities in 2020. Attendees will leave the session with an understanding of the role that local dollars play in a healthy funding ecosystem, and equipped with messages to use when advocating for local funding in 2021 and beyond.
Not All Dollars Are Created Equal Presentation
Our Journey to Bolder, Clearer, Tougher: A Candid Conversation on Living our Organization’s Antiracist Ideals
- Delbria Walton, MSW, Policy Manager, The Forum for Youth Investment
- Sher Jamal Stone, Digital Engagement Associate, SparkAction, The Forum for Youth Investment
- Ashley Brooks, Administrative Assistant, The Forum for Youth Investment
In 2020, the Forum put out a statement mapping its pathway forward to equity. Equity and antiracism don’t magically happen just because we want them to, and while we are still early in our journey toward the ideals in our statement, we would welcome an open discussion and active learning session sharing what we have been doing and trying, and hearing from you about things you are trying and learning. Join us for a candid conversation, grounded in real-world examples, of how we’re actively working to ensure that we’re meeting the moment boldly, and supporting our colleagues, partners, and movements.
Our Journey to Bolder, Clearer, Tougher Handout
The Power of Social Media to Document & Amplify Youth-Led Movements
- Shaquana Boykin, Digital Engagement Fellow, SparkAction & OYUnited, The Forum for Youth Investment
- Maya Muldrew, Social Media Content Coordinator, SparkAction, The Forum for Youth Investment
This session will discuss how youth-led movements are using the power of digital media strategically to organize, advance equity, and drive social change. The facilitators will explore interactive lessons from youth-led movements and key takeaways for digital organizing and storytelling that authentically centers young people.
Resources: