As the school year winds down, summer can feel like a time to check out from learning. But for youth programs, summer is full of opportunities to build skills, strengthen practice, and notice the growth that is already happening.

This month, we’re sharing PEAR resources to help you deepen your professional practice, support students’ social-emotional development, and capture the durable skills young people are building along the way. 

Here's what's happening at PEAR.

Understand the Need

Child, Adolescent and Youth Mental Health in the 21st Century

A new study published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights the factors leading to increased rates of anxiety and depression in youth, as well as the need for high-quality resilience-building support services for youth. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for robust data collection systems that can guide program improvement and policy changes that will improve outcomes for youth. Read it now to understand the current state of mental health in youth and ways to help them thrive.    

Deepen Your Practice

Build Future-Ready Skills

Recording: Resilience Roundtable - Building Our Future Workforce and Leaders

In this month’s Resilience Roundtable with Woz ED, we explored how educators can prepare young people for a rapidly changing workforce by developing durable skills like adaptability, creativity, collaboration, and communication. The conversation highlighted why future readiness requires holistic, cross-sector collaboration and a broader understanding of the durable skills young people need to thrive in careers and roles that may not yet exist.

DoS Certified Observer Summer Cohort

The Dimensions of Success (DoS) Certification Course equips you and your team to identify, strengthen, and communicate what high-quality informal and out-of-school time STEM programming really looks like. DoS data is a valuable resource that can be incorporated into program evaluations, presentations to funders, or summary reports after programming has completed. 

In this 12-week course, you’ll receive: 

• Self-paced online learning modules introducing the foundations of the DoS framework
• A live 6-hour training session to deepen your understanding and practice using the tool
• Personalized feedback on submitted observation notes and evidence
• A one-on-one calibration call with a PEAR team member to review your use of the tool

Invest in your practice this summer so your team is ready to observe, strengthen, and elevate STEM programming this fall.

Clover Model of Development Workshop

PEAR's Clover Model of Development Workshop is a hands-on, engaging session that brings developmental theory and practical application together, giving you a fresh framework to meet your students' social and emotional needs.

Date: Thursday June 25, 2026

Time: 2:00–3:30 PM ET

Price: $150 per person

Location: Virtual on Zoom

By the end of the workshop, you'll be able to:

• Organize social-emotional development into four accessible, actionable dimensions
• Apply the Clover Model to your own practice and your work with youth
• Use the Clover Model as a tool for promoting social-emotional balance in your programming

Join us to leave with a simple, actionable framework you can use right away with staff and students.

GELYDA Conference 2026

The registration deadline for The GELYDA conference has been extended! Register by June 22nd to attend the conference virtually or in-person. Attendees from around the world will join to discuss the theme: Building Civic and Community Engagement in Youth Development. Click the link below to learn more about the conference and register.

Capture the Learning That's Already Happening

Future-Ready Durable Skills Survey

If your goal this summer is to develop the skills youth need to thrive in the future, PEAR’s Future-Ready Durable Skills survey can capture key data. Results from this survey can help you tell the story of students’ growth in adapting, communicating, building professional relationships, and applying durable skills in real-world contexts. With its easy administration process and clear, actionable data, you can use these results to maintain what is working in your program and revise learning opportunities to better meet the needs of students.

Contact a member of the PEAR team to learn more and get set up for data collection this summer!

Clover Tip of the Month

Assertiveness

As we transition into summer, it's a good time to make intentional choices about how you want your schedule to look. It can be easy to fill every day with tasks and to-dos — or to reach the end of a week and realize most of it was spent scrolling social media. Instead, try building a summer schedule that balances learning and growth with activities that leave you feeling rested and energized. That could mean blocking off time to read, committing to regular walks, or protecting time to spend with friends. A written schedule that includes both restorative practices and intentional learning will help you arrive in the fall feeling refreshed and ready. 

Partnerships in Education and Resilience (PEAR) helps schools and youth organizations turn research and data into practical strategies that nurture the relationships, skills, and experiences young people need to grow, engage, and thrive, improving student well-being and long-term success.

Know someone else who might be interested in hearing more about PEAR? Please share this with your team and invite them to join our mailing list here!