OST Network: End of Year Event Recap

On behalf of the entire Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time team, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your presence and participation at our End of Year Event. For the first time, we celebrated a year of MSN and ESON Network meetings/events as well as Community of Practice groups, to create a big gathering for folks across AFCOST spaces. The event was filled with fun, music, delicious BBQ (shout out to Grillmaster Tyrique!), and the warm presence of friendly and familiar OST faces. Your attendance made the event a resounding success. ​​

We were thrilled to see so many familiar and new faces coming together to celebrate the achievements, milestones, and memories of the past year. We had many brief and powerful conversations as part of our concentric circles activity, answering questions like: 

• “Who was a young person who made your heart sing this year?”
• “Who was someone on your team who stepped up this year?” 
• “What’s one way you challenged yourself this year?”

The highlight of the event was the inaugural Impact Awards, recognizing members of our community (nominated by colleagues) who made significant contributions in their OST spaces.

We also celebrated Dee Spinkston and Daniel Weinstock, who are both moving on from their roles facilitating in the COP spaces:

• Dee, who has held the role as COP facilitator since October 2020 who created a safe and supportive space to grow and who built strong connections with so many of us.
• Daniel, who has held the role as COP facilitator since the fall of 2007(!), and has played a huge role in the career and professional development of countless members of our community. Daniel will still be around in AFCOST and QIS (Quality Improvement System) spaces, while he will be missed in the Wednesday COPs! 

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If you want to feel the love all over again (or you missed it) check out this highlight reel on the Agenda for Children website.

As we look forward to another year filled with exciting possibilities and challenges, we are grateful for the support and enthusiasm you have shown us throughout the past year. Your continued presence and involvement are invaluable to us, and we are excited about the journey ahead.