Self-Care 4: Self-Care Assessment & Reflection

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By Sam Piha

Those in the helping professions, including youth workers, are vulnerable to stress, burnout, and professional impairment. 

 

This blog, the fourth in a five-part series, focuses on a self-assessment tool that can be used by individual youth workers or as a group exercise. Download this Self-Care Assessment/ Reflection tool for assessing self-care practices. This blog is also an excerpt from our recently released briefing paper entitled, "Self-Care for Youth Workers."

This tool is not exhaustive, merely suggestive. Feel free to add areas of self-care that are relevant for you and rate yourself on how often and how well you are taking care of yourself these days. When you are finished, look for patterns in your responses. Are you more active in some areas of self-care but ignore others? Are there items on the list that make you think, "I would never do that"? Listen to your inner responses, your internal dialogue about self-care and making yourself a priority. Take particular note of anything you would like to include more in your life. 

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After completing this assessment, staff members can pair up and exchange their assessment with their partner. They can discuss with the entire group and share their thoughts after reviewing their partner’s assessment. 

Self-Care 3: How to Prevent Burnout in Youth Workers

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By Sam Piha

 

Those in the helping professions, including youth workers, are vulnerable to stress, burnout, and professional impairment. 

 

This series of blog posts examines the role of self-care in the promotion of well-being among mental health practitioners and specific domains of self-care practice, including awareness, work/life balance, flexibility, physical health, social support, and spirituality. It underscores the importance of taking a proactive approach to self-care. In this post we explore how we can prevent youth worker burnout. This blog is an excerpt from our recently released briefing paper entitled, "Self-Care for Youth Workers."

“According to several studies, 21—67% of practitioners who provide psycho-emotional support in their fields have experienced high levels of burnout. This is because the nature of the work is one where ‘there’s a lot of use of self, which means that our emotional state comes into play in our connection and relationship with our client.’” [i] - Amos Ng, Outreach & Intervention Services at Trybe. 

According to Project GROW, “Youth workers told us that the need they see is so great, and often so urgent, that they ignore their own needs in order to meet those of others. Equally, the needs of vulnerable girls can seem so significant that it is easy to dismiss the needs and trials of fellow youth workers, whether staff or volunteers, as they seem insignificant in comparison. As youth workers, we can silence our own needs, and each other. This stoicism can lead to burnout, which does not serve our communities long term. Good youth workers will always be hard to find, and we need to ensure that the mental and physical health of these essential workers. Burnout makes a sustained approach to youth projects much more difficult. Yet even more significantly, it gives the girls we work with the idea that as women, our needs are not important. This creates a detrimental effect, as rather than learning the value of their worth though youth project, girls may internalize the idea that burnout is normal and struggle to advocate for their needs and rights in their families, communities and workplaces. As youth workers, we need to lead by example. 

Burnout can happen to all of us — and the more we care, the more we can set ourselves up to be unable to care anymore. This is especially so if we are working with young women and girls who are living in distressing conditions, or who tell us about traumas they have suffered. From hearing about others’ experiences, or witnessing bad things happening to others, we can become traumatized ourselves. Vicarious and secondary trauma are real, and don’t simply happen to us because we are ‘weak’ or ‘oversensitive’ Additionally, listening to many stories over time can lead to ‘empathy fatigue’. We can become de-sensitized. 

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Here are some of the symptoms of burnout for you to watch out for:

• Physical stress e.g. feeling tense, palpitations, stomach problems, headaches
• Emotional stress e.g. nightmares, flashbacks or anxiety, anger, racing thoughts, feeling jumpy or easily startled
• Exhaustion, feeling overwhelmed, under pressure or powerless
• Needing sick days, feeling unable to rest or recharge
• Needing more time alone, away from others
• Feel disconnected from friends and family
• Losing a sense of self
• Loss of pleasure in daily activities
• Losing sense of purpose  

Here are some things that you can do to make sure you don’t burnout and lose the joy of your youth work: 

• Take regular breaks between work sessions, including to eat full meals and gain eight hours of sleep
• Set a regular schedule for yourself, and block out times when you will be available for calls, emails or meetings, and when you will not be available. Share these times with others you work with, so they are less likely to disturb you when you’re not working
• Be mindful of your own history of trauma, if you have one, and how this may impact you when listening to traumatic stories from youth you support
• Cultivate your own interests, hobbies and activities outside of youth work, even if it’s as simple as meeting a friend, taking a walk, or learning to cook a new meal
• Seek counseling if you feel you need it.” [ii] 

“Regularly disengaging from work to rest and focus on oneself has been shown to increase productivity, boost creativity and improve mental well-being, enabling practitioners to continue providing meaningful care and support for their clients.” [iii] 

END NOTES:

[i]: Amos Ng & Nathan Parreno, How to Deal with Burnout as a Youth Work Practitioner

[ii]: Wonder Foundation, How to Prevent Burnout in Youth Workers

[iii]: Amos Ng & Nathan Parreno, How to Deal with Burnout as a Youth Work Practitioner

Self-Care 2: Creating a Self-Care Plan

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By Sam Piha

Those in the helping professions, including youth workers, are vulnerable to stress, burnout, and professional impairment.  

This series of blog posts examines the role of self-care in the promotion of well-being among mental health practitioners and specific domains of self-care practice, including awareness, work/life balance, flexibility, physical health, social support, and spirituality. It underscores the importance of taking a proactive approach to self-care. This blog is an excerpt from our recently released briefing paper entitled, "Self-Care for Youth Workers."

“Self-Care 2: Creating a Self-Care Plan” focuses on the steps needed to develop an individual self-care plan.

“A self-care plan is a guide that helps you promote your health and well-being by prioritizing yourself. It can include activities that help you stay fit and healthy, relax, and relieve stress. Self-care can be preventative or reactionary, and can benefit your physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual health.” [i]

“I didn’t realize how much I needed a break from my daily routine to learn and to recharge.” [ii] - Youth Worker

Kirsten Posluns and Terry Lynn Gall write, “Think of your self-care plan as a roadmap -- with planned vehicle maintenance, travel activities and rest stops along the way. Steps to guide you...Don't be overwhelmed by the steps in this process! They are simple and straightforward and will help to guide you on your path.” [iii]  

“There’s no one-size-fits-all self-care plan. Each of us has to develop our own plan because each of us has our own unique life history.” [iv] - Lisa Butler, PhD

To develop your self-care plan, you will identify what you value and need as part of your day-to-day life (maintenance self-care) and the strategies you can employ when or if you face a crisis along the way (emergency self-care). 

 “1. How do you cope now?

Identify what you do now to manage the stress in your life. The Lifestyle Behaviors and the Transcript of Lifestyle Behaviors, (“Is your life causing you stress?”) assessment can help you to identify the coping strategies you currently use and whether they are likely to be good (or not so good) for your well-being.

Decreasing or eliminating at least one “negative” coping strategy can be one of the goals of your maintenance self-care; employing more "positive" strategies can be another.

2. What do you do for self-care now?

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The Self-Care Assessment will help you highlight the good things you are already doing for yourself and whether there is an imbalance in the areas in which you practice self-care. The items in this assessment can also give you some ideas for additional things you may want to do in the future to help prevent stress and burnout and to maintain and enhance your well-being. Make a note of the items that you would like to add (or add more of) to your self-care practice. In considering this, try to be sure that each domain of self-care is well represented. If you think of things that are not included in this list, just add them at the end.

3. Maintenance self-care: Adding self-care practices and eliminating obstacles

“Do more of what makes you happy. That would seem to be a good place to start.” [v] - Lisa Butler, PhD

"Maintenance self-care" refers to the activities that you have identified as important to your well-being and that you have committed to engage in on a regular basis to take care of yourself. My Maintenance Self-Care Worksheet and the Transcript of My Maintenance Self-Care Worksheet provide an opportunity for you to identify the activities you would like to add to your self-care practice in each self-care domain (“new practice”). 

“The most important practices are to develop healthy habits, create clear boundaries, ask for and accept help, find ways to center yourself for peace, and manage perfectionist tendencies—to be aware of what you are humanly capable of. But each person will have to explore the path and practices that best suit their needs. de Saussure maintains calm through meditation, for example, but acknowledges that this practice may not be everyone’s preference. Other coping strategies might be activities such as writing in a journal, talking to a friend, or going for a run.” [vi] -  Jade de Saussure, MSW, OMC, continuing education program coordinator and program director of the Fordham CASAC (credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselor).

It is also useful to identify possible barriers or obstacles that could get in the way of implementing and/or maintaining these new activities. Think about what you anticipate these barriers/obstacles to be (try to list at least 3 or 4 in the spaces provided), how you can address them, and how you can remind yourself to follow your plan. Write these solutions on the last page of the My Maintenance Self-Care Worksheet. If you have chosen to limit or eliminate a negative coping strategy that you currently use, note this as well. You can revisit this topic and revise your list as the demands of your personal and professional life change. 

4. Emergency Self-Care: Be Prepared

So far we have focused on maintenance self-care: the kinds of things one does regularly to reduce stress and maintain and enhance well-being. But planning out what you would do under extremely trying circumstances, even though they are rare, is also important. To do this, develop a framework using your Emergency Self-Care worksheet before you are faced with a crisis or feel overwhelmed. Think of developing your emergency self-care plan in the way you would think about preparing for other possible emergency situations: it is important to figure out your plan in advance when you have the time, wherewithal, and concentration to do so effectively!

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5. Make a commitment to yourself

Remember: Just like the flight attendant says, you need to put on your own oxygen mask first before you can be of help to others. So, take a moment, think it over, and then make your personal commitment to your own self-care. You deserve it! If you find making a commitment to be a challenge, then take some time to explore your reservations. Do you have a tendency to put the needs of others first? The truth is that your self-care is not only essential to your well-being, but it is also a necessary element for you to be effective and successful in honoring your professional and personal commitments. Preparing a plan is important; it identifies your goals and the strategies to achieve them. However, your success in implementing your plan is ultimately based on the level of commitment you make to your self-care.

6. Share your plan

Once you have developed your plan and made your commitment, remember that friends, family, peers, and/or colleagues may be good additional resources for exchanging new self-care ideas/strategies and to provide support and encouragement. Consider taking your commitment a step further by joining or starting a support or discussion group (see Tips for Starting a Support or Discussion Group).

7. Follow your plan

“Start slow. Take baby steps and don’t feel flooded or overwhelmed by a long to-do list for self-care. Pick one thing and work on that to start.” [vii] - Lisa Wessan, LICSW 

“Now that you have completed the assessments and worksheets described above, you have identified the core elements of your personal Self-Care Plan. The final step is to implement your plan and keep track of how you are doing. Keeping track of your progress will help you recognize your successes and identify and address any difficulties you may not have anticipated. Don’t forget that you can revise your plan as needed. Remember, also, to employ your emergency plan should emotionally difficult circumstances arise.” [viii] Don’t Wait - Start Planning NOW! 

END NOTES

[i] Google AI, “Self-Care Plan Definition Prompt”
[ii] School Social Work Association of America, Nurturing the Nurturer: School Social Workers & Self-care
[iii] Kirsten Posluns & Terry Lynn Gall, Dear Mental Health Practitioners, Take Care of Yourselves: A Literature Review on Self-Care
[iv] Kate Jackson, Social Worker Self-Care —  The Overlooked Core Competency
[v] IBID.
[vi] IBID.
[vii] IBID.
[viii] Kirsten Posluns & Terry Lynn Gall, Dear Mental Health Practitioners, Take Care of Yourselves: A Literature Review on Self-Care

Self-Care 1: What is Self-Care?

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By Sam Piha

Those in the helping professions, including youth workers, are vulnerable to stress, burnout, and professional impairment. 

This series of blog posts examines the role of self-care in the promotion of well-being among mental health practitioners and specific domains of self-care practice, including awareness, work/life balance, flexibility, physical health, social support, and spirituality. It underscores the importance of taking a proactive approach to self-care. 

“Self-Care 1: What is Self-Care” focuses on learning more about what is self-care and reviews the benefits and obstacles to self-care.  

“Youth work is a profession of the heart. Most people come into the field because they are dedicated to and passionate about making the lives of young people better. Those same motivations make self-care an important topic.” [i]

WHAT IS SELF-CARE? 

“The term self-care refers to activities and practices that we can engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress and maintain and enhance our short- and longer-term health and well-being.”—  University at Buffalo School of Social Work: Introduction to Self-Care

Most professionals in this line of work easily recognize the importance of taking care of young people in our communities, but unfortunately do not recognize the importance of taking care of ourselves until we are simply overwhelmed. This is why self-care should not be seen as a one-time or reactionary event, but rather part of our everyday maintenance and well-being.

Source: Pinterest

“Just like you do on a plane, you need to put on your first before trying to help others. ” [ii] - Dean Nancy Smyth

“Self-care as an ongoing practice is a method for not only preventing negative outcomes among mental health practitioners and their clients, but also appears to promote flourishing. This review of the literature suggests that fostering areas of self-care, including awareness, balance, flexibility, physical health, social support, and spirituality can help prevent the downward spiral of stress, burnout, and professional impairment, and promote an upward spiral of well-being for mental health professionals.” [iii] 



BENEFITS OF SELF-CARE

According to University at Buffalo School of Social Work, “Practicing self-care will help you:

• Identify and manage the general challenges that all hard-working professionals face, such as the potential for stress and burnout or interpersonal difficulties.
• Be aware of your own personal vulnerabilities, such as the potential for re-traumatization (if you have a trauma history), vicarious or secondary traumatization (if you work with individuals who report their own traumatic experiences), and compassion fatigue (which you can develop from a combination of burnout and vicarious traumatization). 
• Achieve more balance in your life, by maintaining and enhancing the attention you pay to the different domains of your life in a way that makes sense to you.

Self-care is about enhancing your overall well-being. There are common aims to almost all self-care efforts:

• Taking care of physical and psychological health
• Managing and reducing stress
• Honoring emotional and spiritual needs
• Fostering and sustaining relationships
• Achieving an equilibrium across one’s personal, school, and work lives

“Each of us may differ in the domains we emphasize and the balance we seek among them. Each life is unique and has its own unique demands. Consequently, we each must determine what self-care means for us and how to apply it in our life.” [iv] 

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OBSTACLES TO SELF-CARE
Myths About Self-Care 

There are many myths about self-care and work-related stress that show up as obstacles to addressing these issues. Below are some common myths about self-care.

 

“Youth workers ‘fail to practice self-care because they become wrapped up in a state of mind that suggests that they need to work nonstop. They view self-care as an activity that they don’t have time for.’” [v] - Kathy Cox and Sue Steiner  

Among the obstacles experts identify as standing in the way of self-care are a lack of energy, too many responsibilities, and the fear of appearing weak or vulnerable.

“Begin to implement changes, even very small ones, to take care of yourself.” [vi] - Lisa Butler, Associate Professor, University at Buffalo School of Social Work

Among the obstacles experts identify as standing in the way of self-care are a lack of energy, too many responsibilities, and the fear of appearing weak or vulnerable.

END NOTES:

[i] Act for Youth, Self-Care for Youth Development Professionals
[ii] University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Introduction to Self-Care
[iii] Kirsten Posluns & Terry Lynn Gall, Dear Mental Health Practitioners, Take Care of Yourselves: A Literature Review on Self-Care
[iv] IBID.
[v] IBID.
[vi] Kate Jackson, Social Worker Self-Care —  The Overlooked Core Competency

Preparing Youth for the Workforce in Afterschool and Building Your Own Youth Worker Pipeline (Part 2)

Source: USC

By Sam Piha

Sam Piha

We know that when asked, older youth say they are most interested in acquiring the skills needed to get a job. Also, we know that as youth program leaders, it is our job to help prepare young people for success in adulthood, which includes creating opportunities to explore careers and gather workforce skills. Afterschool, sometimes referred to as Expanded Learning (ExL), is well positioned to help older youth to acquire these skills. 

Bill Fennessy is a Program Specialist for Workforce Initiatives at the California AfterSchool Network (CAN). We recently invited Bill to lead a How Kids Learn Speaker’s Forum webinar entitled, Preparing Youth for the Workforce in Afterschool and Building Your Own Youth Worker Pipeline.  To learn more and register, click here.

In preparation of this webinar, we asked Bill a few questions on the importance of youth workforce development in afterschool programs. You can read Part 1 of the interview here and we continue with Part 2 of his responses below.

Q: Do you think that the expanded learning setting is a good place for youth workforce preparation?  
A: Absolutely! The ExL setting is where young people can feel comfortable to learn and practice the skills they want to experience, in this case “Employability Skills Workshops”.   Work is something many of them are curious about or are already very interested in, so it is a very relevant activity for them. For those high school students that will serve at the elementary school ExL programs, the relationships they have with their own ExL program staff gives them the great opportunity to watch someone they trust model what would be expected when they work with elementary students. They also are implicitly introduced to the thought of an actual ExL job after high school, and they will likely need a job if they plan to attend college.

Source: A World Fit for Kids

Q: What does youth workforce preparation have to do with the ExL worker shortage?

A: We see that we can be part of a “grow your own” workforce approach, because one of the largest pools of potential Exl Staff is the current class of high school seniors, which is a source that is replenished annually. (High school students 16 years and older might also be considered). Therefore, focusing on the implementation of strategies that will work to make HS students aware of, or have experience in this potential field of ExL employment will begin the creation of a highly desirable pipeline.  Additionally, ExL programs and participants, particularly high school students, can be partnered with to also create pathways to multiple careers in education and other human services. This because the competencies that make an ExL staff person or site coordinator successful in their position are similar to the competencies that might be needed to implement restorative practices, community schools, teaching, counseling, social work, and a whole host of other professions. Therefore, we know this workforce can be part of a variety of career paths, including and especially in the field of expanded learning itself.

I do like participating as a staff assistant in the middle school program. I just love it when you have someone that looks up to you, running to you asking what class you’re helping that day. It feels good helping others. I also enjoy this role because they’re not the only ones learning from me; engaging with them helps me learn more about other things.” - HS youth, Richmond Village Beacon Center, SF, Ca 

Q: What form does workforce preparation usually take in ExL programs for older youth?  
A: It usually first shows up as an “Employment Skills Workshops” program (see graphic below). This is typically offered to all ExL participants. Other students may be recruited for the elementary school ExL “Work Experience Program”. Students may later use the skills learned to get a job on their own, which is clearly of great benefit to them.  

Bill Fennessy is a Program Specialist for Workforce Initiatives at the California AfterSchool Network (CAN) since February 2022. After a successful professional motorcycle road-racing career, Bill began his new career in education in 1998 with the Pasadena Unified School District as a Campus Aide.   

Early in his career Bill worked at Blair IB School serving as a School Security Officer, a 3 sport Varsity Coach, Athletic Director, and later as the Site Coordinator for Blair’s 7th-9th grade ASES Program. He later developed one of California’s first ASSETs pilot programs. The success of the program was recognized early on, and it also provided the opportunities for him to become a pioneer, innovator, exemplary practitioner, and thought leader in High School Expanded Learning nationwide. Bill was then hired by Think Together in 2009, as its first Director of High School Programs. Once there, he successfully opened 14 ASSETs Programs across 4 Counties and 7 Districts, which all attained greater than 100% ADA in their first year of operation.  

Before leaving Think Together, Bill also led a highly successful CBO/EXLP/CTE collaborative effort to significantly increase student internships with Santa Ana USD. Bill recently served as the Director of High School Programs for A World Fit For Kids!, based in Los Angeles, and as a Consultant for the Los Angeles and Tulare Counties Offices of Education. 

Summer Fundraiser:

The How Kids Learn Foundation is hosting a summer fundraiser to support our work in 2023. Learn more here!

Preparing Youth for the Workforce in Afterschool and Building Your Own Youth Worker Pipeline (Part 1)

Source: Alexandriava.gov

By Sam Piha

We know that when asked, older youth say they are most interested in acquiring the skills needed to get a job. Also, we know that as youth program leaders, it is our job to help prepare young people for success in adulthood, which includes creating opportunities to explore careers and gather work-based skills. Afterschool, sometimes referred to as Expanded Learning (ExL), is well positioned to help older youth to acquire these skills. 

Bill Fennessy

Bill Fennessy is a Program Specialist for Workforce Initiatives at the California AfterSchool Network (CAN). I first met Bill years ago when he innovated a new high school afterschool program in Pasadena, CA. Bill was part of the first round of ASSETs (After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens) program funding. He subsequently joined Think Together as their first Director of High School Programs and continued this role later at A World Fit for Kids. We recently invited Bill to lead a How Kids Learn Speaker’s Forum webinar entitled, Preparing Youth for the Workforce in Afterschool and Building Your Own Youth Worker Pipeline. To learn more and register, click here.

In preparation of this webinar, we asked Bill a few questions on the importance of youth workforce development in afterschool programs, and his responses are below.

Q: What do you mean by workforce preparation?   

A: Preparing older youth for the workforce is giving students both the skill building instruction, practice and experience to prepared them for the employment process, and then provide additional specific preparation previous to an actual workplace environment to provide a truly beneficial experience and real context for working. Starting to expose and prepare older youth to serve in afterschool or expanded learning (ExL) elementary programs can be a significant help to developing and finding potential quality staff, thereby creating your own ExL program staffing pipeline.

Q: What do we hear from the business community in regard to preparing youth for the workforce?

A: Businesses and corporations are looking for a diverse workforce of young employees that can assimilate into the workplace smoothly, quickly, and carry themselves in a professional manner. Being able to thrive in a team environment and/or on team projects is also a highly sought ability. They are also looking more now at what an employee can actually do, rather than what level of education they have attained. Then once employed, advancing in the workplace also has far more to do with an employee’s “people-skills” than the volume of work completed. In addition, Community Colleges are considering giving credits for employment completed in general. Resumes are very important in demonstrating what skills potential employees possess, and ExL employment provides an opportunity to acquire a vast number of skills and competencies.

Q: Why is preparing youth for work and career success important for young people from low-income neighborhoods? Is there an issue of equity that we should seek to address?  

A: Preparing young people from low-income neighborhoods is absolutely critical for their success in both education and the workforce. Results from a Gallup Poll showed that 65% of underserved and youth of color will take their educational and career advice from someone in the workplace, over their parent, teacher, or counselor combined. Thus, it is incredibly clear that preparing and placing our underserved and youth of color in the workforce is a MUST.  

Our ExL youth participants are the diversified workforce we are looking for in our ExL programs. Having students serving in elementary ExL programs, can also be a start towards an education pathway, which should then help provide the diversified Exl workforce and potentially continuing on to the diversified teaching workforce desired.  

I would tell the other afterschool programs that it is an excellent idea to bring student youth workers to their program because it is giving them a chance to succeed in life, and they won't be just in the streets doing nothing. Instead, they will be in the programs learning about new experiences and how to be better in the future.” – HS youth, Richmond Village Beacon Center, SF, Ca 

 

Q:  Is this an appropriate concept for elementary, middle and/or high school?  

A: This is most appropriate for high school students, as they are old enough to get a work-permit from their school district. Employing high school youth in elementary school ExL programs does have a positive effect on those programs. Also, older youth students serving in our elementary school ExL programs do not require a Work-Permit, so the opportunity is open for ALL high school students. (We do avoid high school students working with middle school students to avoid potential over-identification issues.) 

Bill Fennessy is a Program Specialist for Workforce Initiatives at the California AfterSchool Network (CAN). Bill was part of the first round of ASSETs (After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens) programs funding. He subsequently joined Think Together as their first Director of High School Programs and continued this role later at A World Fit for Kids, before joining CAN.

Summer Fundraiser:

The How Kids Learn Foundation is hosting a summer fundraiser to support our work in 2023. Learn more here!

Feedback from the Field

By Sam Piha

We recently issued an online survey of those that have attended our conferences and Speaker’s Forums. The purpose of the survey was to assist us with planning for 2017-18, especially as it relates to our promotion of SEL and character building. We received 59 survey responses. 

We were surprised by some of the responses. Below we share this data with our comments beneath. 

Photo credit: focusforhealth.org

• Most of the survey respondents were either technical assistance providers or oversee one or more afterschool or summer programs.

While it is important to reach line staff, it may be more important to reach program leaders who can then direct appropriate training for line staff. 

• A vast majority of respondents have been working in the field of afterschool

for many years (55% – more than 10 years; 26% - 5-10 years). 

While there is high turnover among line staff, there is a large number of people who have made afterschool a career. 

• Nearly 45% of respondents replied that educational events or activities to build awareness and gain buy-in from parents are strongly needed. Nearly 43% replied that it is somewhat needed. 

We believe that activities that target parents are important. However, this population has been largely ignored. We can learn more about the challenges of engaging parents of afterschool participants and what is needed. 

• Over 65% of respondents replied that educational events or activities to build awareness and buy-in from educators are strongly needed. Nearly 29% replied that it is somewhat needed. 

It is clear that because many afterschool programs are housed in schools and receive funds from the Department of Education, we need to do a better job of reaching out to and targeting educators. This is reflected in our current support of the CORE Districts to integrate social emotional learning and the promoting of mindfulness to counselors and SAP staff.  

• When asked to rank five challenges for programs that seek to integrate strategies that promote character building and SEL, two issues were ranked the highest: “lack of training dollars” and “lack of time for professional development”.

The issue of lack of time is partially due to the high prevalence of part-time staff and volunteers and budget restrictions. Thus, it is important that we reach full-time program coordinators and other technical assistance providers with low-cost and convenient learning opportunities.

_________________________

You can read other blogs by the LIAS project by going to: 

• Expanded Learning 360°/365 Project website
• LIAS Blog Written for the California Afterschool Network

The Year of Living Dangerously

By Sam Piha and Stacey Daraio 

The last year has been one of incredible violence and hate speech. Much of this has been graphically reported in the media and has greatly effected young people. There have been a series of mass killings in Charlotte, Orlando, San Bernardino, Paris and elsewhere. There have been a number of shootings by the police of unarmed civilians captured on video. 


This year’s presidential campaign has been filled with hate speech directed at people of color, people of faith, and on. Not to mention threats of deportation of Latino families. Over the last year, we have seen a rise in hate crimes as well as a dramatic spike after the election. One young person asked on the news if “hate is now state-sponsored?” After students chanted, "build a wall" at a school sporting event, Archer City (Texas) school Superintendent C.D. Knobloch apologized, stating heated emotions after the election probably were a factor. 

Photo Credit: Commondreams.org

This is especially difficult for adult youth workers who young people turn to to understand what is happening and how they should respond. A number of students in Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Neb., Portland, Ore., Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif., and other cities have walked out of school to protest possible federal policies that promote fear and hate. 

Photo Credit: Omaha.com

First, we want to acknowledge the difficulties and concerns that youth workers have in light of the above. Secondly, we want to offer a few tips for leaders and staff of youth programs. 

1) READ WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID: Much has been written by educational and afterschool leaders about all of this. We recommend that youth workers read what others have written. Here is a link to a statement by the National AfterSchool Association (NAA): It's Not About Politics. It's About Community. We also recommend articles from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center. 

2) ADULT SELF-CARE: These events have been very stressful for adult youth workers who often support low-income and youth of color. For many, the quest for social justice is what motivated their engagement. Before talking with young people, it is important that the leaders of youth programs provide a safe place for workers to discuss their own feelings. Secondly, it is important that there is an organizational discussion of what adults should say and how they should address the need for young people to express their thoughts, concerns, and fears, and what they can do if they experience hate speech or actions. Finally, adult youth workers may need access to resources that speak to how to have difficult conversations with groups of youth. For a listing of some resources, see a previous post here.

3) TALKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE: It is especially useful for programs to have an ongoing place and process where youth can express their thoughts or concerns. This negates the need to convene conversation groups only when there is an event. It is important that adult staff have some training in facilitating conversation groups. It is also important that:

• Youth are assured that they will be physically and emotionally safe within their program, and that they are valued and loved;   
• Youth feel safe sharing their thoughts, including those with differing views;
• Youth understand who they can go to if they experience hate speech or actions; 
• Youth have opportunities to positively respond to their fears or concerns. This may involve activities that improve the climate of their school and/or community.  

4) A PLAN FOR SUPPORTING UNDOCUMENTED YOUTH: Undocumented youth and their families are experiencing their vulnerability in new ways. Educate yourself first on actions you can take before broaching the subject with youth. Websites like: National Immigration Justice Center and My (Un) Documented Life are great resources.

5) COMMIT TO STOPPING INJUSTICE WHERE YOU SEE IT: We must all, especially white allies, recommit ourselves to stepping in, speaking up, educating our youth and other adults about the injury injustice causes. 

6) BE KIND AND CONNECT: Know that everyone is experiencing the news in their own way. Reach out to youth and other adults. Make time to check in and ask how people are really doing. Respect what they say and just LISTEN. 

These negative events described above are not going away. Thus, it is important that afterschool and community-based youth programs have strategies that are thought through and long-term. This is critically important if youth programs are experienced as safe places.   

Ode to Site Supervisors

The following was shared with the BOOST Conference attendees by a dear colleague, Diego Arancibia. It was also posted in the BOOST Breakfast Club Blog. With Diego's permission, we reposted it here in order that it could be shared even further. Diego's bio can be found below - Sam Piha

Ode to Site Supervisors

By Diego Arancibia

Diego Arancibia

I began to reflect on my career and realized that
my days as a site coordinator have been the most defining and empowering.
I dare say that this experience,
as a site coordinator,
prepared me for the biggest challenges of not only my career…
but my life.
So, I have written this ode,
in honor of the site coordinator...

The one who is a part time employee with a full time attitude.
The one who has survived the bullets of lock downs
and who also rose to the occasion
to help supervise 1400 students
in the midst of a teacher walk out.

The one who has had to call 911 because of broken bones...
and at the same time worried that the family didn't have insurance.
The site coordinator who realized they are,
in essence,
the bridge between
the school and
family...
When they heard a father say
"I got the message from the school but if i left work,
I wouldn't get paid and
my family won't eat... tu sabes?"

The one who spent a sleepless night in the emergency room because of one their students laid in one of those rooms.
The one who a can name every kid in their program....
Along with their nickname.
The one who made the call to child protective services…
and even with promise of "confidentiality"....
everyone knew it was you…
even the parent.
But you still don't regret making the call,
because you took a stand for those that couldn't.

To the one who has heard of their former student being shot
or killed in a car accident.
The one who also tears up when they hear one of their students just graduated.
To the one who heard their former student,
who didn't have papers,
didn't have a dad,
and didn't do time
still joined the marines to serve "his" country
and was shipped to Iraq.

To the one who made magic happen with 200 students, $20 bucks, and a 99cent store.
The one who gave their last $10 bucks to a student
so they could go on that field trip.

The one who has survived countless site visits... and yet still has to justify the work they do.
The one that has brought in thousands of dollars if not millions because of the program they run.
Only to become the scape-goat of disconnected administrators.

The site coordinator who knows the utter excitement of finding "that staff member" who has "it"
and the shot to the gut
when you had to fire,
let go,
reassign, or
whatever term you want to use
to let a staff member know they lost their "juice".

To the site coordinator who has dealt with the stress
of trying to accomplish
in 3 hours
what others
have trouble in 8.
The site coordinator who has mopped floors, cleaned bathrooms
and was still yelled at for moving a chair in a classroom.

To the one who initially was not
from of the community
but in time
earned the trust and respect
and became part of that community.

To the site coordinator who has failed.
but failed forward
and had humility and courage
to stand up...
and triumph.

The one who goes by that saying of Admiral Grace Hopper
If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.

To the site coordinator who created a 3rd place... not really home, not really school...
but really like home and really like school.

To the site coordinator who has seen their front line staff be transformed.
To the site coordinators,
who in reality
are the backbone of
any program
any organization
and of this movement.

To you
I say…
Thank you.

____________________

Diego Arancibia has worked in the field of After-School for over 15 years.  His experience ranges from working with elementary, middle school and high school students at the various programmatic and administrative levels.   His innovative methods in marketing and programming has produced some of the most successful programs in the nation. Also, he has traveled across the nation training youth program advocates in consensus building, action planning, programming.  Currently, Diego is the Coordinator with ASAPconnect and lives in the Bay Area with his beautiful wife and his amazing son and daughter.