Mayor Muriel Bowser announced new incentives for DC youth who receive the COVID-19 vaccine that will begin on Saturday, August 7, 2021.
On-Site Youth COVID-19 Vaccine Prizes On-site prizes will be available to youth and their parents at three DC Public Schools: Brookland Middle School, Sousa Middle School, and Johnson Middle School. All DC youth can claim their free COVID-19 vaccine at these sites regardless of which school they attend. At these three schools, youth who receive their first dose can receive a $51 VISA gift card. Additionally, the first 400 youth to get vaccinated at each site will have the option to forgo their gift card and instead receive a pair of AirPods. The AirPods will be available to District youth ages 12 to 17 as well as students ages 18 to 21 and currently enrolled in a DC school seeking a high school diploma.
Youth COVID-19 Vaccine Raffles All students in DC who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will also be eligible to win an iPad or a $25,000 college scholarship. Each week, for four weeks, 10 names will be drawn from a database of students between the ages of 12 and 17. Eight names will be drawn to win an iPad and two names will be drawn for a $25,000 college scholarship that can be used at any college.
Microgrants for Schools In addition to the on-site prizes and raffles, all 135 public schools that serve students between the ages of 12 and 17 will also receive microgrants to fund their own events and prizes for students who get vaccinated. The microgrants will be distributed based on how many vaccine-eligible students are enrolled at the school – $750 for schools with 1-99 eligible students; $1,500 for schools with 100-250 eligible students; and $3,000 for schools with 250+ eligible students.
Read more here.
The OST Office is currently accepting applications for a Data Analyst. Applications must be received by Monday, August 16 2021 to be considered. For more information or to apply, please click here.
The Institute for Youth Development (The Institute) invites youth serving organizations to improve staff competencies in preparation for the upcoming School Year, by hosting a virtual training to improve the quality of interactions with youth. The Institute offers free virtual on-demand workshops to youth development professionals serving District of Columbia youth. A minimum commitment of 10 participants is required to host the workshop; request a training here. Email questions to learn24@dc.gov.
Please note: Requests should be scheduled at least six weeks in advance.
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.
Providing a Supportive Environment
In last month’s edition, Safe Environment domain was presented sharing how important it is to meet youth’s basic need. In this month’s issue, Supportive Environment domain is featured.
The components of the Supportive Environment and some strategies to apply to programming are described below.
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Encouragement - Staff inspires and promotes positive youth behavior through verbal and nonverbal acknowledgements. Staff uses non-evaluative language and asks open-ended questions.
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Skill Building - The program includes intentional learning activities that build skills. Staff encourages youth to try new skills, staff model skills for youth, staff breaks down complicated skills into smaller tasks, and staff provides individualized support when youth struggle.
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Active Engagement - Active learning occurs when youth can process, rather than only receiving information. With active engagement, youth engage with the materials or ideas, discuss the activity, and make connections to their lives.
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Reframing Conflict - Staff uses youth-centered approaches to reframe conflict. Staff approach conflicts or negative behavior calmly, seek input from youth in order to determine both the cause and solution, help youth understand and resolve conflicts, and follow-up with those involved.
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Session Flow - A quality program is well planned. That means the program starts and ends on time, the materials are ready and easily accessible, and there are sufficient materials for all participants. In addition, staff clearly explains the activities and provides the appropriate amount of time to complete the activity.
A supportive environment is essential to help youth feel welcome and included. Youth that are safe and supported will be empowered to learn and lead in the program. The September edition of the newsletter will focus on how to create an Interactive Environment for youth.
Explore additional resources about the David P. Weikart Youth Program Quality model for Program Quality at this link.
The Wallace Foundation has updated and expanded guidance provided to practitioners from schools, and out-of-school time (OST) providers can use this resource to better understand program content and assess program fit with their district or community needs. Learn about key features and attributes of programming at various SEL programs throughout the country that help schools and OST providers make informed decisions. Additionally, work sheets and summary tables are included to help understand and apply SEL program data to programming. Read more here.
BOOST CAFE recently posted an article dissecting the reasons that exercise is so critical for healthy childhood development and provide different methods to make exercise fun in After-School programs. Read the complete blog posting here.
The Bowser Administration, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), and the Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes (OST Office) is now accepting applications from eligible entities to design, build, and implement Safe Passage Safe Block (SPSB) programs in designated Safe Passage Priority Areas. The SPSB programs will provide students safe routes to and afterschool and provide an afterschool program that allows students to develop skills to reduce aggression. The SPSB programs will also allow schools, school staff, students, and SPSB staff to build and strengthen relationships in the surrounding communities. The deadline to apply is Monday, August 23, 2021 at 5:00 pm. View the full RFA here.
This new initiative of the Wallace Foundation is designed to help foster equitable improvements in the arts, recognizing that leaders of arts organizations of color report their contributions and are often overlooked and underfunded. Funding for this opportunity will support grantees work and help develop insights that can be shared with other organizations of color. The following genres will be considered: performing arts, media arts, literary arts, artists, community-based organizations founded by and centering artists, and artistic practice. Awarded organizations will receive five years of funding totaling approximately $2 to $ 3 million. Letters of intent are due by Friday, August 13, 2021. To read more about this opportunity, click here.
CREATE ACTION is seeking grant applicants committed to serving their local communities in areas such as STEAM/academic enrichment, workforce development, and non-profit services for underserved and under-represented groups. Selected organizations will receive a grant of $50,000, Sony Electronics products, and a custom-created promotional film, as well as other opportunities for collaboration, partnership, and marketing support. Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, August 30, 2021 to be considered. For more information, please click here.
The Fund for Children, Youth, and Families offered by the Greater Washington Community Foundation invests in the betterment of underserved children, youth, and families across the Greater Washington region. Applicants can apply for up to $100,000. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 4:00 pm. For more information regarding criteria, program focus areas, guidelines, and more, please click here.
The Ben and Jerry's Foundation is currently accepting applications from grassroots organizations throughout the United States that are working to help themselves and their communities create broad systems change through community organizing and movement-building efforts. The maximum grant amount is $30,000. Applications must be received by Friday, October 1, 2021 by 4:00 pm to be considered. View the complete application and guidelines here.
Weekly newsletter of funding opportunities.
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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