Indiana Statewide Newsletter
July 14, 2020
News & Policy
Tools for Programs & Networks to Engage in Conversations About School Reopening Plans
Afterschool programs are essential for meeting students' needs during the COVID-19 crisis and throughout recovery. As states release guidelines for the upcoming school year, principals and local leaders will drive decisions about how schools reopen and how they work with their afterschool partners. Collaboration between out-of-school time and in-school time is more important than ever.

Use these tools from the Afterschool Alliance to help ensure your afterschool programs are at the planning table and included in schools' reopening strategies.
Community Conversation on Reopening
Hosted by IAN
Tuesday, July 21 @ 12:00 PM EST
This session will focus on generating possible options and approaches for reopening your program. Join in on the conversation, hear from your peers, and share ideas.

Speakers Include:
Leslie Wesley, Indiana Parenting Institute
Chuck Kime, Foundation for Youth
Natalia Blondet, Brookside Community Play
Chrystal Struben, AYS, Inc.
Afterschool is Essential for COVID Recovery

Here are two PDF overviews of the afterschool field as an essential part of the community response to the coronavirus pandemic. These include facts on the effectiveness of afterschool, how your program can help with COVID-19 recovery, and advocacy tips.
Partnering with Schools for Reopening

Here are some resources for providers that are looking to foster partnerships with their local schools as they plan reopening:

Make the case for including afterschool programs in discussions and planning around reopening schools. These can be adapted and sent to education stakeholders.

List of contact information for Indiana public & private schools, including superintendents, principals, phone, email, and website URLs.
Take Action
Support the Boys & Girls Club Funding Request for
Indiana Kids
Started during former Governor Mitch Daniels’ administration, Indiana Kids is a statewide afterschool tutoring program aimed at helping children increase the quality and quantity of homework they complete and help improve student behavior and attitudes about school and learning.

This program has dramatic results for almost 7,000 youth annually. Through participation in the program, students have a 48% average increase in reading and 53% increase in math scores. They are currently facing a $2.2M cut in this funding, and need your help to keep it.

Please help us preserve this critical funding by messaging your elected officials using the form to the right!
Quality Corner
IAN Hosted
FREE Best-Practice Workshops
We are excited to to have a new workshop series intended to enhance the capacity, knowledge, and competencies of Hoosier youth workers and their organizations. See below for more information, including dates, content, and information on all of the talented presenters.
A Community Commitment to Building Assets in Every Youth: Improving Social and Emotional Well-Being Through Search Institute’s Developmental Assets Framework
July 22, 2020 | 10:00 AM EST

Presenters:
Heather Carson, Council for Youth Development
Sarah Frasier, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation

Now more than ever communities must pull together and focus on the social and emotional well-being of youth. Learn how Bartholomew County is working together to build assets, positive supports and strengths young people need to thrive, by integrating Search Institute’s Developmental Assets® Framework. This workshop will not only provide the principles of Developmental Assets framework but share practical examples through the lens of educators, out of school time leaders, and local youth advocates. The workshop includes helpful resources to easily begin applying Developmental Assets principles into your professional and personal life.
Lead Like Your Hair’s On Fire: Unlocking the Secret to Student Engagement
July 28, 29, and 30 | 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM EST

Presented by: uLEAD, Inc. 

Audience: Directors and Front-Line Youth Workers
Goal: Discover the mindset, process, and tools needed for dynamic student engagement

Learning Objectives:
• Discover research-based strategy for sparking student engagement.
• Grow leadership skills for effective facilitation of new program activities
• Engage with and learn new activities for immediate application in your program
• Be inspired to be the kind of leader who never settles for “boring” again
 
Session 1: Overcoming The Barriers To Student Engagement
In a driven and stress filled world, play is seldom understood or embraced as an essential practice for balance and well-being. This workshop will help learners get in touch with the role of play in their own lives and its vital role for health and well-being for everyone.
 
Session 2: Tapping Into The Power of Experiential Facilitation
Research confirms the benefits of active learning that engages the whole person - social, emotional, cognitive, and physical. In this workshop, participants will grow facilitation skills and learn how to apply the experiential process that leads to dynamic engagement with their students.
 
Session 3: Serious Fun: Engaging Student’s in Purposeful Play
Our brains are wired for fight or flight. Growth and learning require that we step out of our comfort zones. In this webinar, learners will learn new tactics and activities that use play to get students into the stretch zone through fun activities where true learning takes place.
Events
Professional Development, Conferences, and More
July 16, 2020 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
The Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council (MYLC), comprised of Indy high school juniors and seniors, advises Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and city government on issues that impact youth and helps shape strategies to improve their communities. This year’s MYLC focused on the issues of mental health, homelessness, and gun violence. Join us for this virtual event to hear from members of the MYLC about their process for exploring these topics, what they learned, and what recommendations they have for addressing these issues.

July 20, 2020 - July 22, 2020
Our current education systems increase disparities for students of color from the school to prison pipeline and unsafe school climates to whitewashed curriculum and policies. This student-led event will bring together youth to develop their skills for community action through a series of trainings that explore personal identity rooted in social and emotional learning. The three-day event will provide sessions on the explorations of personal leadership styles and cultural backgrounds, youth/adult partnerships, and action-planning for assessments leading to addressing community needs.

July 20, 2020 - July 24, 2020 | Virtual
This professional development opportunity is free for all Indiana health and physical educators, and before and afterschool professionals! The INSHAPE Summer PLI will have local and national speakers who will address important questions about teaching physical education, health, and physical activity in a pandemic and post -pandemic world, as well as sharing new activities and resources.
Funding Opportunities
Deadline: July 27, 2020
Indiana Afterschool Network in partnership with the National Youth Leadership Council is offering a grant to support youth-led projects addressing community issues in the summer of 2020. While project scope is open-ended, projects should be student-centered and result in a culminating product that shares youth voice and perspectives with their larger community. Projects should address youth voice on community issues and current community needs, including but not limited to equity, advocacy, elections, and more. 4-5 organizations will receive a one-time payment of $1000, half of which should be awarded as stipends to youth within your community. Eligibility: Indiana organizations with existing youth leadership programs.

Deadline: September 1, 2020
The Kiwanis Foundation of Indianapolis provides annual grants in the amount of up to $2,500 for programs that serve children and youth in the City of Indianapolis that are designed to improve the quality of life directly through activities promoting health, education, etc. and through programs that encourage leadership and service among youth.

Deadline: August 10, 2020
Lilly Endowment is launching a fund of up to $20 million to help youth serving organizations in Indiana address some of the challenges they face because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Youth Program Resilience Fund (YPRF) is designed to offer support to a variety of organizations so they can better serve the needs of school-age children and youth (ages five to 18).
 
Youth-serving organizations from throughout the state are encouraged to apply for funding that will help them cover a range of expenses they will incur or have incurred because of the pandemic. Expenses could include, among other things, the purchasing of sanitation supplies, personal protective equipment and materials needed to promote social distancing; the cost of modest site modifications so organizations can deliver safe programs and services during the pandemic; or the costs related to improved technology, increasing staff and engaging consultants to strengthen support for youth and their families.