Best of 2020

By Sam Piha

This last year (2020) has been a difficult one, due to in part the needed calls for racial justice, a divisive election and the COVID-19 pandemic. You can click here to see how we worked to respond to these issues. Throughout 2020 Temescal Associates and The How Kids Learn Foundation have posted over 50 blogs, some featuring the words of guest bloggers and interviews with afterschool leaders. We also released a number of papers and new initiatives. Below are some of our favorites from 2020.

Blogs

• Calling For Racial Equity
• Coronavirus and Afterschool
• Teens in the Age of COVID-19

Blog Interviews

• Youth Voice and Self- Expression in Afterschool: Journaling, Poetry and Spoken Word (with Daniel Summerhill)
• Promoting Youth-Adult Partnerships in the Era of COVID
• Re-Opening Afterschool: Priorities and Practice (with Katie Brackenridge)

Guest Blogs

• Navigating Summertime Experiences in 2020 by Deborah Moroney, AIR
• LGBTQ+ and Youth Allyship by Eva Jo Meyers, Spark Decks
• Latino Health Disparities and its Implications in the COVID-19 Era by David E. Hayes-Bautista, AIR

Most Viewed Blogs

• Teens Advocating for Civic Engagement by John Fuentes
• Hey Afterschool Leaders, We've Been Called In by Julee Brooks, Woodcraft Rangers
• Engaging Youth in the 2020 Election

Papers

• Multiple Reflections: Comparison of Frameworks for Promoting Healthy Learning and Youth Development
• Preliminary Survey Results: Afterschool Program Changes due to COVID-19 Prevention Efforts

Speaker’s Forums/ Webinars- In partnership with the EduCare Foundation

• The Art of Distance Learning in Afterschool with Autrilla Gillis
• Healing the Impact of Racial Injustice and Inequity: The Role of Afterschool with Dr. Shawn Ginwright
• Check-in with Youth Remotely? There’s an App for That with HelloYello

Projects

• 
  My Pal, Luke: This project is designed to promote  social- emotional learning through his words and questions, including a check-in with kids. Luke also reads his favorite books and educates kids on how to make sense of current events and the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be easily embedded in distance learning efforts or used with in- person programming. To watch episodes of My Pal, Luke, click here.