Iowa Afterschool Alliance News | |
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The application for the 2024 Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew is now OPEN! The Moonshot has launched a nationwide search for the Flight Crew - a group of youth advocates promoting the value of out-of-school STEM learning and equity in STEM for young people across the nation.
Encourage girls, non-binary or cis-gender youth, ages 13-18, with experience in afterschool and summer STEM learning, to apply today. (Deadline December 1st)
From February - September 2024, the Flight Crew will:
- Act as a champion for OST STEM by sharing their first-hand, impactful STEM experiences beyond the classroom;
- Work with state leaders on relevant opportunities to advocate for OST STEM, create social media content and connect with media;
- Aspire to break down stereotypes and spark their peers' curiosity in STEM by connecting their STEM experiences to everyday life; and
- Receive leadership development opportunities, including public speaking, social media, and connections to mentors.
Youth Should Apply Here
**If selected, Flight Crew members will join Moonshot’s advocacy efforts and commitment to create equity for girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through elevating youth voices, inspiring peers and fellow future STEM leaders. Youth should be ready to share their experiences via writing, video, photos and in-person.
The 2024 cohort will act as a champion for OST STEM, while honing their advocacy and leadership skills during eight months of virtual programming –including leadership development opportunities, public speaking experience, resume and interview coaching, access to scholarships and internships and mentor connections– using their experiences in afterschool and summer learning.
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Save the Date!
Joins us for the Iowa Afterschool Alliance
Day on the Hill
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🗓 Date: January 16, 2024 🕒 Time: 12:00PM - 4:00PM 📍 Location: Iowa State Capitol
Let's come together to advocate for the importance of afterschool programs in Iowa! This is a unique opportunity to make our voices heard and ensure a bright future for our youth.
Mark your calendar and stay tuned for more details. Together, we can make a difference!
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Empowering Futures: United Way Gathers Youth Activities and Job Opportunities in Central Iowa, Spotlight on Warren, Dallas, and Polk Counties! | |
After hearing a desire for youth activities and employment opportunities to be shared in one place, United Way of Central Iowa is collecting information on these programs and employment opportunities to be shared with the broader community, including the youth themselves. This initiative is focused on Warren, Dallas, and Polk counties.
Employment
Is your organization or company looking to hire for part-time, seasonal, or sponsored positions? We are looking for opportunities to connect youth (age 14 and up) with employers. Preferred opportunities would include a position that is geared toward first-time employees, high school students, or those with engagement from an adult willing to provide support and/or mentorship to the youth. Please complete the survey found via this link and share with others you think might be relevant.
Activities
Does your organization or company offer programming for youth during the school year (afternoons, evenings, weekends, school breaks, etc.)? We are looking for opportunities to connect youth with activities. If you know of any such opportunities, please complete the survey found via this link and share with others.
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STEM Opportunities
For more opportunities from Million Girls Moonshot,
please visit the STEM for Iowa website.
| Are you on the Mizzen by Mott app? Check out the STEM Activities for K-5th in Small Groups playlist, a mix of engineering + science activities! Click here to download the app today. | |
School Year STEM AmeriCorps Application Open | |
Know someone interested in working with an afterschool program? STEM AmeriCorps applications are now open! STEM AmeriCorps members will help build capacity in afterschool programs by developing and facilitating engaging, high-quality activities that promote increased social, emotional, math, science, and reading proficiency. Members are placed in afterschool programs across the state and serve from September through June. STEM AmeriCorps members receive $11,700 in stipends for living expenses over the school year. They also receive a $3,447.50 education award that can be utilized toward qualifying loans or current educational expenses. This is upon completion of their service term. Please contact Elva Griffin at egriffin@sppg.com with questions or for more information. | |
Surprisingly STEM Video Series
Surprisingly STEM is a video series that highlights exciting and unexpected careers at NASA. This series is designed to inform students about the broad range of career opportunities at NASA – outside of the typical associations of rocket scientists and astronauts – and to break down perceived barriers for working at the agency.
- Monthly Release of new prerecorded 5-minute career episode
- Associated STEAM Activities
- Monthly Live Session with NASA expert to answer Student Questions
CHECK OUT THE FLIER HERE
November 2023 - Wind Tunnel Engineers
We’re big fans of Sam Zauber and Frank Quinto – two wind tunnel test engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center! You’ll be blown away as you learn how NASA uses its 14-foot by 22- foot subsonic wind tunnel. See some of the fascinating things Frank and Sam have tested there, and learn what propelled them into their exciting STEM careers.
View the Episode, Explore the Activity
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Are you ready to take your afterschool program to new heights and prepare your students for a future full of possibilities? Look no further! We are thrilled to announce the opportunity for your program to participate in the Jobs for the Future Possible Futures career exploration program.
The Iowa Afterschool Alliance and the Active Learning Community Partnership is looking for 6 programs to facilitate the Possible Futures curriculum.
This 8-week program provides career exploration to learners in grades 6 through 10, with a vision that every young person will gain the foundational knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to make critical decisions about their future with confidence.
Each site will receive $1,000 stipend as well as a personalized Qualtrics data dashboard for participating. Please contact Elva Griffin at egriffin@sppg.com with questions or for more information.
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Professional Development Opportunities | |
Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their reasoning through the questions we ask them? This module is a great way to train staff on how to facilitate STEM learning. Experienced educators also love being part of a cohort as a way to connect with other educators across the country, to learn new lesson plans, and to reflect on practice. This is our introductory module and a prerequisite to other opportunities. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend.
Choose the cohort AC344PQ (Coach Becky T)
Register for this cohort here.
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Wallace Foundation Resources
Millions of urban children and teens lack access to afterschool programs that provide rich opportunities for growth, learning and fun. One possible solution is to coordinate the work of programs, government agencies, private funders and others involved in afterschool programs—that is, build an afterschool system that is greater than the sum of its parts. Key components of afterschool systems include efforts to improve program quality and collection of data to inform decision-making.
Browse reports and other resources the Wallace Foundation provides for insights into making high-quality afterschool programming more readily available to urban young people.
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Out of School Time Professional Development Center
The Out of School Time Professional Development Center provides Out of School Time training to OST professionals. The classes provide in-depth curriculum and certificates. If you or your staff are interested in signing up for courses visit the Out-of-School Time website. Check out the entire course catalog here.
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Great Content on Y4Y!
You 4 Youth is a free online professional development site that is designed to support 21CCLC program staff but is a valuable tool for any afterschool professional looking to build their skills! Recently, Y4Y has rolled out a whole module on literacy. Click here to register.
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THE IOWA AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE IS HERE FOR YOU
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