Ready News: February 8, 2022
February 8, 2022
Young People Address the Nation: State of the Union 2022
Young activists have announced the second Young People Address the Nation, a national day of action in direct response to President Biden’s first State of the Union.
On March 1st, the same day as the State of the Union, over 40 youth-serving organizational partners are coordinating Young People Address the Nation: 2022 State of the Union Edition, a massive movement to elevate the voices of young people. The event will include:
- A live stream scheduled for 8 pm ET that will feature the first of its kind State of the Youth Address, panel discussions led by youth activists, visual and musical artist showcases, timely video explainers, surprise guests, and audience-centered reactions to the State of the Union
- The Youth Response to the State of the Union, a live stream that will take place directly after the State of the Union and will feature dozens of young people across the country
- A social media campaign on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram using #YoungPeopleAddress
Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People
A new report by MENTOR, Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People, offers real-world advice and evidence-based strategies to benefit any adult looking to support young people. The publication provides mentors with tangible strategies to “be there” for young people in their various life journeys and teaches them about the core skills, key principles, and critical practices of mentoring, such as:
- mindsets and attitudes that lay the foundation for a strong mentoring relationship;
- basic information about youth development and typical mentoring relationship cycles; and
- critical skills and competencies to grow and refine to meet the needs of youth.
Connected Learning & Libraries: An Essential Part of the OST Ecosystem
Readiness Projects Blog by Linda Braun and Lance Simpson
This is the fourth in a series of blogs from the editors and authors of It Takes an Ecosystem: Understanding the People, Places, and Possibilities of Learning and Development Across Settings.
In this post, we offer excerpts from our chapter in It Takes an Ecosystem, “Connected Learning & Libraries: An Essential Part of the OST Ecosystem,” to support our argument for the value of Connected Learning (CL) as a framework for strengthening and sustaining the brokered connections of all community-based learning ecosystems. Brokering, a means of mentors directly connecting kids and teens to relevant resources/activities/organizations to support and further engage with their interests, is foundational to the CL framework (Widman et al, 2020).
Learning ecosystems that utilize the CL framework, and emphasize the importance of brokering opportunities, ensure that organizations, institutions, leaders, and mentors throughout the ecosystem are collaborating, are learning each other’s specialties, and are constantly making connections with each other–especially with the young people they serve. This facilitates young people moving through learning experiences in their community in ways that align to their needs, interests, and goals.
Getting it Right: The Conversation Guide for Preparing the Next Generation of Implementation Researchers
The Foundation for Child Development recently released Getting it Right: The Conversation Guide for Preparing the Next Generation of Implementation Researchers. This new guide serves as a companion piece to Getting it Right: Using Implementation Research to Improve Outcomes in Early Care and Education, a publication that provides insights into the value of including implementation research in the study of early care and education and its potential to improve programs and policies and achieve stronger outcomes for all young children.