Lights On Afterschool 2019
Collective for Youth hosted its 7th annual Lights On Afterschool event at the Sapp Fieldhouse on October 5th. Over 1500 people were in attendance to experience hands on activities, get to know community providers and learn about all that is afterschool throughout the Omaha area. 

Thank you to all of our partners for making the event a huge success every year! A special shout out goes to our 2019 Afterschool Champion award winners:  Afterschool Champion-Veronica Switzer of Completely Kids, Outstanding Afterschool Provider- Mary Beth Budz of Courteous Kids, and Afterschool Advocate Robert Patterson of KIDS Can.

Putting Data to Work for Young People: A 10-Step Guide for Expanded Learning Intermediaries
How can data inform decisions about how to support afterschool and summer programs, attract more young people and unite community leaders?

A new 10-step guide from the RAND Corporation and our coalition Every Hour Counts offers insights into collecting, analyzing and managing data to improve decision making. The authors of Putting Data to Work for Young People reviewed data-collection efforts among our fellow leaders in Every Hour Counts— Boston After School & Beyond, Providence After School Alliance, and Sprockets St. Paul— and developed a step-by-step plan to help nonprofits in other cities implement their own processes for harnessing data effectively.

The guide was commissioned by Every Hour Counts and supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and The Wallace Foundation. 

2019 Annual Nebraska Afterschool Conference
Nearly 60 Collective for Youth staff recently attended the annual 2019 Nebraska GetConnected Afterschool Conference, which was held on October 11 in Kearney at the Younes Conference Center. A few of the 24 workshops offered throughout the day featured an overview of free hands-on NASA curriculum, a virtual connection with the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, an arts immersion workshop, and a session focused on the 3 fundamental principles of leadership presented by LaRon Henderson, the Program Quality Director from Collective for Youth.

Attendees were able to visit 18 Walk-N-Talk tables throughout the morning hosted by statewide partners to learn about available resources, curriculum and opportunities to connect students with content experts from across the state.

The second annual Bob Whitehouse ELO Policy Champion Award was presented to former Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler during the luncheon. Thanks to  the program directors from Collective for Youth who were honored for their years of service: Megan Addison, Nicole Everingham, and Gwyn Williams.

Be sure to save the date for next year’s conference which will be held at the CHI Health Center in Omaha on October 2, 2020!

Extended Learning Opportunity: Flight & Motion Workshop
The Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) grant is a STEM grant that was awarded to Collective for Youth that focuses on engineering, agriculture, creative arts, and social emotional learning.

The Flight and Motion training was facilitated by the SAC Museum. The objective of the training was to gain and enhance the staff knowledge of the four forces of flight and understand that every object that flies through the air operates under the same four forces of flight. The four forces of flight that were discussed are lift, weight, thrust, and drag. The curriculum was for K-8 and it aligned with the science and engineering content standards.

Collective for Youth has 22 sites that are part of the ELO Grant. Over 30 partnering agency staff members participated in the training. The training was engaging because the staff created FPG9s airplanes, Alka Seltzer rockets, and straw rockets to demonstrate their understanding of the four forces of flight. The staff are tasked with taking the Flight & Motion curriculum back to their sites to provide 15 hours of programming to the students within their afterschool program. The 22 sites are provided a kit that has the materials to create the various airplanes, rockets, and numerous flight and design challenges.

In conclusion, the staff left the training feeling excited because they had first hand knowledge of the lesson plans because they participated in the specific challenges provided in the curriculum. The SAC Museum gave all the staff and opportunity to take a ride in the simulators to truly experience the four forces of flight.

Register for upcoming trainings by clicking HERE!