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March brings Spring!

Spring means longer days as most of the United States will shift time forward an hour on Sunday, March 8, at 2 AM which will become 3 AM. Many migratory agricultural workers arrive this month for the busy planting and calving season. While time changes can be a challenge for arriving OSY, there are other life skills that add to the challege of arriving in a new place.

The iSOSY Student Portal offers quick, quality life skills information and lessons for daily needs, such as going to the convenience store and fast food restaurants.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Early diagnosis is one of the keys to limiting the impact of a disability on a child's long-term development, including physical, learning, language, or behavior. The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) provides information for families. Another great resource are the Migrant or Seasonal Head Start programs. An EARLY start is a great start for children!

March is Women’s

History Month!

Dolores Huerta made history by co-founding the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with César Chávez which became the United Farm Workers (UFW). Today, Huerta is 95 years old and lives in New Mexico.

National Farm Workers Day

is March 31!

Remember to check your local communities for celebrations, and opportunities for community support and outreach to the nation’s migratory agricultural labor force, including out-of-school youth, families, and children.

Focus on the Young Women we Serve

March is Women’s History Month — a time to honor the resilience, achievements, and contributions of women past and present. While the majority of our out-of-school youth are young men, we proudly serve a significant number of young women whose experiences and needs deserve our focused attention.

This month offers us an important opportunity to pause and reflect on the unique personal wellness needs that arise at the intersection of being a young woman and being an out-of-school youth. These young women often navigate layered challenges shaped by gender expectations, economic barriers, care-giving responsibilities, and social pressures. Recognizing and addressing these realities is essential to ensuring they receive the support, resources, and encouragement necessary to thrive.

As you consider the most meaningful ways to support these young women, we encourage you to explore iSOSY’s wide range of relevant resources. These include comprehensive mental health lessons, as well as instructional materials addressing birth control methods, pregnancy, and parenting. These tools are designed to equip staff with practical guidance to better meet the unique needs of the young women we serve.

March 21 is Education Freedom Day, which has the goal to spread knowledge and awareness regarding the benefits of using free software, hardware, and educational resources for learning.

iSOSY offers a large selection of quality resources at no charge to any users:

The iSOSY Student Portal provides free 24/7 educational materials designed specifically for out-of-school youth who work in temporary and seasonal agriculture.
The Goal Setting Resources can help OSY learn to identify opportunities and plan their next steps for education and job advancement aligned to their interests and personal situations.
Instructional Resources include Reading, Writing, Math, ELL, Life Skills, Academic and Career Readiness Skills (ACReS), and Pathways to HSED, College & Career, and Entrepreneurship.
Find the full selection of resources in the Catalog of iSOSY Resources.

www.osyconsortium.org