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The Institute for Youth Development has announced a new slate of upcoming virtual workshops to benefit any individual working with youth. Come learn new strategies and concepts that support positive engagements with youth. Each online workshop is approximately one hour and thirty minutes.
Register to attend one of these interactive and engaging workshops today!
The Learn24 event calendar provides a wide range of professional development opportunities that can improve skills and/or generate new skills for youth development professionals. Learn ways to enrich your virtual workplace and enhance your afterschool and summer learning programs here.
 In the first newsletter of each month, The Institute for Youth Development will highlight a specific indicator from the Weikart Center's Youth Program Quality Assessment (PQA) on promising practices in the field.
By: Katherine Spinney
Group processing skills is knowing how to productively interact in a group. These skills are essential for youth to learn how to express themselves and work effectively with others. Examples of group processing skills are:
- Listening to others without interrupting
- Sharing ideas
- Giving and receiving constructive criticism
- Taking turns in a group
- Valuing other ideas
Group processing skills are learned and do not often come naturally to youth. Therefore it is important that programs intentionally provide opportunities for participants to develop, practice, and improve these skills. Staff should be explicit on what behaviors are expected, model the appropriate behavior, identify when youth are improving their skills, and maintain consistency. When participants are not exhibiting positive group processing skills, such as interrupting, or making fun of other participants, staff should remind them of the groups expectations. Staff can support participants’ development of group processing by:
- Incorporating opportunities for all youth to contribute to discussions by calling on specific individuals, having youth write down answers, or putting participants in pairs or small groups.
- Providing multiple activities for students to practice group processing skills by leading a group check-in at the beginning of the program day, a reflection discussion after completing an activity, or add brainstorming sessions into the lesson.
- Alternating activities between large group, small group, and individual activities.
For additional insight to the importance of group processing skills, check out these resources:
Group Processing
Get Students Working Effectively In Groups
What is Cooperative Learning?
Weekly newsletter of funding opportunities.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and Serve DC, The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships, released a Request for Proposals for grant funding to help nonprofits effectively recruit, retain, and engage volunteers amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Serve DC will distribute a total of $75,000 in sub-grant awards of up to $7,500 per grantee. The deadline for organizations to apply is May 29, 2020. To view the Request for Proposals and learn more, visit Serve DC.
Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is now accepting applications for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant competition. The total funding available for 21st CCLC awards is $8.55 million. Applications must be submitted by 3 pm on Friday, June 12, 2020 in order to be eligible for review. The 21st CCLC Request for Applications and application submission guidance are available on OSSE’s webpage.
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is seeking to provide up to $35,000 and in-kind technical support to Washington, DC nonprofit organizations that create video projects that tell a unique story about a DC community or neighborhood. Each funded project will result in a lasting digital final product that will be added to HumanitiesDC Digital Museum. Applications must be received by May 15, 2020. View application criteria, deadlines and more here.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is currently accepting applications for its Youth Literacy Grants Program. Grants of up to $4,000 will be awarded to organizations in support of programs that help students who are reading below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading, including those with individualized education plans (IEPs). Applications must be received by May 21, 2020. For complete program guidelines, a list of previous grant recipients, and application instructions, see the Dollar General Literacy Foundation website.
The Nora Roberts Foundation is accepting applications from programs operating in the Washington, DC area that focus on literacy, children, arts, and humanitarian efforts. Awarded grantees will receive up to $7,500. Applications must be submitted no later than June 1, 2020 for consideration. Learn more about the application process here.
The Lisa Libraries donates new children's books and small libraries to organizations that work with children in poor and underserved areas. The Lisa Libraries have a strong interest in supporting small, grass-roots organizations. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Click here for more information.
For resources and additional information on the District of Columbia Government’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.
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