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  • Our Work
    • Cambridge OST Coalition
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    • Quality Improvement System
  • News & Events
    • OST Learning Institute
    • ESON Updates
    • MSN Updates
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Events Calendar
  • Stories of Family Partnership
    • The Importance of Meaningful Connections
    • Talking with Kids About Race
    • Committing to Racial Equity
    • Common Ground
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    • Showing Them that They Matter
    • Showing us What they Know
    • Empathizing with Parents
    • Building Dialogue
    • Creating a Welcoming Culture
    • Celebrating Families
  • Resources
    • Publications
    • Blog
    • How to Write a Blog Post for AFCOST
    • Professional Development Reports
    • 5 Key Elements for Successful Virtual OST Programming
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Click here for 22-23 After School Guide

Middle School Network: November Meeting Recap

11/17/2022

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Hello OST Community!

​Below we’ve added a brief recap of the October Network meeting, resources, and community announcements, along with upcoming Network dates to remember. Here is a copy of our November 2nd meeting 
slideshow and Newsletter. ​
During our last meeting, we had a chance to learn a little more about who each other are and how we show up for the young people that we serve every day.

​The topic of the meeting was Family Partnership, with a focus on Parent Voices. We watched a short video from the Agenda for Children OST Learning Institute Professional Development: Stories of Family Partnership, and discussed and answered guiding questions. One clear takeaway from the breakout group discussions was that the Pandemic has placed barriers in our programs that have impacted face-to-face communication with parents and caregivers. Many programs have policies in place that don’t allow parents into the building, let alone the classrooms we serve our children in. This has forced programs to think outside the box and host more community spaces where all families can gather for an event. 
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Click here to learn more about the OST Learning Institute Training Workshops and Series.

ESON & MSN Slideshows

Be sure to check out our recently updated ESON and MSN OST Opportunities slideshows. Make sure your program is included and accurate. These slideshows are shared with families, Family Liaisons, and shown in schools. ​​
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K-5th Grade OST Opportunities
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“What’s Happening After School”

Community Announcements

​Opportunities and Announcements for You:
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Network Coworking Session
Please join us for our Joint Network Coworking session this Wednesday, November 16th, from 10:30am-12:00pm at the Hive, in the Cambridge Public Library, (main library) on Broadway. These sessions are laid back, informal, productive, & fun! Bring what you are working on, and do that with others in the network. We will have a very lightly facilitated space for folks to share what they're working on and anything they'd want to talk about with other folks. We will start off by taking a tour of the Hive and learn more about how our programs can take advantage of this state-of-the-art space that is the home to a fabrication lab, a multimedia recording studio, a podcasting studio, and an extended reality lab (XR lab). Click here to learn more about the equipment and studio.

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A message from our Youth Connector:
"Hello everyone! My name is Tyrique Kittrell, I have just started working for the AFCOST team as the Youth Connector. My role is to help support  ESON and MSN, and get more youth enrolled in OST programs. A goal of mine is to get out there and visit all the programs to get a feel for what each one offers. I would love to schedule some time to visit your program. I will be reaching out to Program Directors within the next few weeks to schedule brief visits. Also, I’m somewhat new to Cambridge so please introduce yourself to me, as I learn more about the OST landscape." tyrique@agendaforchildrenost.org ​
​Opportunities for Young People and Families:
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Half-Day Hangout
This Wednesday, November 16th ​
The Hive Makerspace is hosting a Half-Day Hangout for young people ages 12-18, from 1-4:30pm. There is no safety training needed for this event, so come out and make the most of your early release day by making buttons and recording yourself on TikTok with green screen technology. Learn more at: https://cambridgepl.libcal.com/event/9849106
Free Food Market
Select Cambridge Public Schools are hosting Free Food Market in November and December. All 
Cambridge Public Schools families are welcome. Please review the flyer below to locate the site nearest to you.
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City Sprouts Young Leaders Program
Join City Sprouts Young Leaders Program After School Club. This program is for Middle School Students in grades 6th-8th. Contact Heather Fisher at 617.981.4077 or hfisher@citysprouts.org to sign up.
Gender Expansive Youth
Calling all youth interested in exploring gender as a social construct! This group is open to anyone interested in gender socialization and queer issues and will center trans and gender non-conforming youth. This is a youth-led space to connect, learn and unpack what matters!

To sign up contact Georgia (they/them) at youthleadership@ywcacam.org
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​CPS Updates

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CPS Caregiver Equity Summit will be held on Saturday, December 3rd! Come Learn, Connect, and Reflect with families as we identify what equity sounds like, looks like, and feels like to caregivers in the Cambridge Public Schools community. There will be workshops, music, food, and much more! Exact date and location will be coming soon! Interested in getting more information? Sign up here!
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MSN October Meeting Recap: Making Connections

10/17/2022

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Thanks to all of you who came out for our October MSN meeting - while it was a little bittersweet to be back on Zoom, we got back into the groove of Connection Groups and using the chat quickly, and got to hear some great examples from folks across our network.
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Check out the October Meeting slides here and see below for Community Announcements and some of the great practices shared by your colleagues. Also in the slides: see the meeting topics and themes proposed by network members at our Sept kickoff, and check out the resources we gathered from the Office of Workforce Development (how to get your postings spread wider, etc) for those of you hiring OST staff. 

Community Announcements:
  • Barb MacEachern, STEAM Initiative: Steam it UP Event Oct 20th at PAUS (Putnam Ave Upper School). This year, this event will have a middle school section of hands on activities for your young people and your staff: bring them! 
  • Tagesech Wabeto, Commission on Immigrant Right and Citizenship: The Commission has a once a month immigration clinic on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7:15, which is now virtual but may start back in person in January. We have flyers on our website in all the relevant languages and can share resources if you send them over. Email twabeto@cambridgema.gov​.

Making connections: who are the young people standing in front of me?

The majority of our meeting we spent talking about the ways that we try to get to know young people at the start of the year in our programs. In doing this, we navigate multiple tensions that can’t be totally avoided (see slide below). For example, young people need to feel psychological safety and know that you won’t put them on the spot to answer deep and meaningful questions before they are comfortable; however, you also want to communicate that you care about more than just surface level information on the way to building a deeper relationship. ​
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We got to hear from a few MSN members talking about how they navigate these tensions - and sharing super helpful examples of what they actually do in their programming: 
 
Ben Godfrey, Program Director of the Pre-Teen/Middle School Program at the Moore Youth Center (moved from the Moses Youth Center!) shared two tools and his thinking behind them: 
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  • A list of paired questions for circles, to be used in those first few weeks of programming. By pairing questions, young people have some choice in what feels best to respond to. Questions are also calibrated for depth - most can be answered in one word so that it’s easy for those who are not feeling comfortable quite yet. Ben also shared a brilliant point about asking about “something you like” or “you watched recently” rather than asking for “favorites”  - since that is not only a hard question to answer, but makes young people feel that they will be singularly defined by this one answer (have you ever been asked to pick a favorite movie?). That’s a lot of pressure for the first week in a new program with new peers! 

  • A short and easy family questionnaire that they have families fill out -  asking for young people’s 2-3 favorite activities and 1-2 preferred snacks. This little bit of info, he explained, can give his staff a little leg up in terms of planning the snack menu, the activities, and giving a little insight from families (who know their kids best) to help staff jumpstart their own relationship with young people.​
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Bo Lembo and Melinda Rosado also shared some brilliant examples from Gately’s Middle School Program:
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  • Bo talked about using a storytelling approach - with ‘adult prompting’ and ‘individual curation’ where students get to determine which information to share. They build in this approach by using it all the time with staff, who become experts on it. Usually prompts begin with “tell me about a time when…..” and they set strong boundaries and model it for young people so that young people know they can “share what they need without sharing too much.” Staff also explicitly check in at the end of the day (with each other) to share what they learned about young people - what they liked, what they learned about what scares them, what motivates them….so they can all benefit from learning as a team.
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  • Melinda told us all about the Gately “Vibe Check” and her deliberate approach to shifting the language to be friendly and real for middle schoolers. Using the 4 Needs of Middle Schoolers as a template, she talked about the Gately “3P's and 1V” (see right) that young people get to know and always refer to. For a Vibe Check, she asks “How are you feeling in the moment - what’s your vibe?” and asks young people to give a 1-5 on their hand, then give them the opportunity to share why (while being clear they don’t have to - still, about 50% want to share). This is different - in many ways - than asking a middle schooler “how was your day?” and acknowledges how quickly vibes can shift, the many reasons behind them, and doesn’t put pressure on young people to explain before they are ready, but still encourages reflection and sharing with the adults and peers.

Lastly, I shared two resources (see slides). 
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  • 4 Developmental Needs of Middle Schoolers (and worksheet): The first, which Melinda Maxwell previewed already, is the 4 needs of middle schoolers, which can be used in staff training, in planning lessons, and in talking about what we want to know and build on with young people.
 
  • “Along” App: I’ve heard about this from folks using it in schools, as a new way to nurture individual relationships with students. It uses a format they are quite familiar with - text, video or audio on their cell phones - to give a safer, 1 to 1 opportunity to answer questions posed by a teacher or youth worker in the app. Not a new idea - but maybe a new application and mode for reaching young people who aren’t as verbal in person, who fly under the radar, or who really want that individual relationship with you as an adult but don’t know how to build it on their own. ​
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So long for now...

As most of you know (especially if you’ve seen me in person!), I’ll be on maternity leave soon, welcoming my second baby to the family. I love this group and hearing from you all and what you can learn from each other. There will be more joint meetings with ESON while I’m gone, but still many opportunities to share examples, ask questions and move as a group towards giving young people what they need and making sure they are engaged in great programming across the city. I’ll be back in late February - just in time to pester you all about going into Upper Schools to advertise summer programs! 
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CPS Updates: Something New Is Coming......

9/29/2022

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iReady to Try Something New? 
This year, Cambridge Public Schools is rolling out the use of
 iReady Personalized Instruction, an online learning platform and tool that can be used by families (and OST programs) to provide additional learning time in math and literacy beyond the school day. The district is excited by the prospect of collaborating with OST programs and partners to support students this way! 
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How is this different from other online-based tools that CPS students use for learning? 
  • The platform provides targeted lessons based on student’s individual skills (it’s linked to an assessment called iReady that all 3-8th graders take in schools)
  • Lessons are designed to be culturally responsive, engaging, and connected to real-world scenarios (age-appropriate graphics, music, sound effects, activities beyond multiple choice questions, relevant and diverse texts)
  • Young people grades 3-8 can follow their own pathway on the site, or teachers/educators can assign specific lessons to whole classes or individual students 
  • The program includes quality content at all levels, from below grade level all the way to above grade level

When/How is this happening?
  • Onboarding sessions for teachers is happening on Nov 8th (this is the no school PD day). OST providers are also invited to attend, although we assume many providers will be caring for young people that day! Additional training geared towards caregivers and for OST programs will be offered as well. The iReady program for the 2022-23 school year will be ready for young people to use by mid-November. 
  • CPS Teachers CAN use the platform to assign and monitor student progress, but it is not required, especially this year, as all users gain confidence in the platform and what it can do. 
  • With CPS, the Agenda team is planning a training session just for OST Providers (likely a morning in Oct/Nov) to orient themselves to the platform and figure out how they can use it in their spaces.

What does this mean for me as an Out-of-School-Time (OST) Program?
  • You have the option of using the program at your site 
  • CPS and the Agenda for Children will be offering training for OST Programs on how it works and how you can use it in your spaces
  • iReady Personalized Instruction could be used during Homework Time, either as homework (if teachers assign it as such) or as a ‘after your homework is done but it’s not time to play yet’ tool.
  • The program can help your after school staff communicate with schools/teachers, be more connected to work happening in the classroom, and be part of helping young people close learning gaps or get what they need in terms of academics.

More info is coming soon - for now check out this 2 page infographic about the timeline and how it will be used! 
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Bridge to CRLS 9th Grade Orientation: from 'pipe dream' to reality

9/6/2022

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On a recent, sunny late August afternoon, more than one hundred nervous 9th graders (all working their hardest not to show it) found their way down to the Lecture Hall at the Cambridge Public LIbrary, and checked in for the first day of Bridge to CRLS. This new 9th grade orientation, hosted Aug 23-25th, came together through a collaboration between Cambridge Public Schools and Cambridge community partners, spearheaded by the Agenda for Children OST’s Middle School Network. Over the next three days, 260 incoming 9th graders traveled between the Library and CRLS for student-led tours, scavenger hunts, and workshops led by community partners and CPS staff, culminating in a Community BBQ on Thursday, August 25th,  with a celebratory meal and send off for the 9th graders to their freshman year. ​

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MSN and ESON Meeting Dates for 2022-23

9/5/2022

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This year ESON and MSN will meet on the same day for all Network convenings. There will be opportunities for folks to break out into respective groups (ESON & MSN) during our time together. 
We are planning to do our first and last meetings of the year as in-person meetings at community locations - and then use Zoom for the bulk of the meetings in between, as we have heard from folks that the convenience and ability to sign in from anywhere allows more folks to attend and contribute. 


Please join us for as much or little time as you can for our upcoming IN-PERSON Kick-Off event on Wednesday, September 14th, from 10:00 am- 12:00 p.m at Starlight in Central Sq, 84 Bishop Allen Dr. 

See all calendar dates on our Events Calendar page 0r All Joint Network meetings on Sched (where you can RSVP!) 

Meeting dates for each month: 

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MSN Feb Meeting : Announcements and Recap

2/2/2022

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Hello folks! If you missed our Feb 2nd meeting, read below to check out the community announcements, get the slides and see what you missed. Here is the link to the slide deck, where you can see visuals and get a sense of the conversations that aren't covered in the recap.  Thanks for checking in! 
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This meeting was focused on two things: appreciating the contributions of our long time MSN staff member, Medjine Lucien, and on starting the summer planning process. Medjine, who has just moved on to work for Waltham Partnerships for Youth, worked in multiple capacities on our MSN team over the past 4 years, so we did a little retrospective of all her contributions and heard appreciations from Nicole Rodriguez, her past supervisor at Moses Youth Center, in addition to multiple others in the community who have worked with and appreciated Medjine's quiet but steady leadership over those years. Good luck Medjine - we have a feeling Cambridge will call you back at some point soon, but we are glad Waltham young people have you in their corner now as well! 
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Community Announcements at the Feb Meeting: 
  • Mia Klinger, Cambridge Camping: What's Cooking Feb Vacation Program still has 5 spots left, all food and equipment provided, four half days of cooking fun and then a field trip to Haley House - all for middle schoolers at no cost. Link to register here. Also doing an April Vacation program for middle schoolers on STEAM and Nature! 
  • Ayesha Wilson, Work Force: for 10th graders, there are spots available in Work Force across all sites, please spread the word. Young people must be in CHA housing or on Section 8 voucher: Ayesha can look up their names if you're not sure they are eligible. Please email awilson@cambridge-housing.org if you know 10th grader who is a good fit.  Also, running another year of scholarship workshops for CRLS seniors - link here.
  • Emily Meyer, Cambridge Public Library: Library is running a Books not Binaries group about LGBTQ+ experience, first session is tonight, one every month. Also just approved a Feb Vacation comics workshop - back by popular demand. Spread the word. Also, she'll be out on maternity leave soon (has a due date in March!!) let's send her some love! Email her at Emeyer@cambridgema.gov.
  • Mia Klinger, Cambridge Camping: we have some capacity to support families who are quarantining and who's children are out of school (zoom check-ins, etc). Please get in touch about ideas or families or connections that can help us use this capacity! Email Mia at daybreak@cambridgecamping.org.
  • Maya Gonzalez, SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) is advocating in a CPS Budget meeting about a request for improving after school options for students with disabilities and special needs. The high school has been most successful in increasing options and we need this to be part of CPS budget to make changes at all levels. Come support and speak to the gap in options! She put together this list of talking points that OST Providers can use to help advocate!  Register here to be in the budget meeting, Feb 12th, 10 and 11am (can do either.)
  • Sarah Winter, Community Arts Center (CAC): Teen programming is open for 8th-12th graders doing public art, teen media, and even a class with CAC at Montserrat College: Anime & Manga English Writing Course (get college credit!!)  Check out programs here, this is a good time of year to join: CAC Teen Programs link. 
  • Tagesech Wabeto, Community Engagement Team (Ethiopian community outreach worker): The CET team is already getting questions about summer and is doing monthly sessions for families to fill out applications and get help looking at options.  Make sure that Tagesech and her team (tawabeto@yahoo.com) has the info/applications for your programs so that they can help families who are interested make it a reality, with support in their native language from the CET team! 
  • Annie, MSN: Check out our slides of current programs for young people in middle school: we make these because you all are the folks who know young people and could encourage them to try these things - often it takes an individual tap on the shoulder to say "i saw this and thought of you....you should try this" - and the rest is history. Slides: https://bit.ly/AfterSchoolSlides21-22 
  • Solomon Montagno, City Sprouts: City Sprouts is hiring a new Garden Educator who would be teaching science in Boston and Cambridge public schools and maintaining 3-4 of their school gardens. Check out the job description and please forward to your networks! 
  • Kimone Simpson, Breakthrough Greater Boston: we are looking for volunteers to help us interview the amazing 50+ sixth graders who completed Breakthrough applications. There are two dates when it would be great to have folks from the network help out: Tuesday, Feb 15th (4-8pm) and Sat, Feb 19th, 9am-1pm. Interested? Fill out this form with more info! 
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Next we talked about summer - where folks were in summer planning and how it felt to them. There were some great themes across the board, particularly wanting young people to make friends, feel belonging and have fun (and the adults to have fun alongside them). We also took some time to learn and test out the "annotate" version in Zoom, so folks could put a stamp on whichever thought bubble they felt represented their feelings on each question. Check it out: 
We had short breakout groups on a few of the topics mentioned here, particularly the social emotional skills and experiences we want young people to have, and cross-city partnerships and field trips. We asked folks before closing what was helpful to them, and what they want to have more time in MSN meetings to talk about before the summer: check out some great ideas and responses that we plan to build into meeting going forward!
  • options for young people to meet up with other programs, or places across the city and do fun new things together (Ayesha Wilson, Work Force/School Committee)
  • Social emotional tools for families (Mia Richardson, MSN/CCSC)
  • Partnerships/meet ups/cross site activities/ 8th grade opportunities (Melinda Rosado, Gately Youth Center)
  • I want to learn about East end House more. I want to discuss about more educational summer programs (Tagesech Wabeto, Community Engagement Team)
  • Most helpful: programs are very interested in finding places to bring groups this summer (Emily Meyer, CPL)
  • Knowing that the needs of special needs/disabled students are being discussed at program sites and not just in these meetings (Maya Gonzalez, SEPAC)
  • I would like to learn/brainstorm more about what youth need for the summer (Puja Kranz Howe, GOLD/GEY)
  • 1. Knowing there are people I can reach out to for help. 2. Hearing others experiences. I am coming from School Age to a leadership role in Middle School and there are things I don't know because I have spent all my time in School Age. (Marse Romero, East End House)
  • It’s helpful to connect and hear more about opportunities and your experiences, great to meet you all! (Jonathon Leiner, Amigos K-8)
  • Learned about Recess program and hoping to check it out this summer. (Nelita Depina, Russell Youth Center)
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"Transition Years" meeting across networks draws a big crowd

12/29/2021

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We are still sitting in the powerful energy of our Transition Years gathering on December 14th, and we've had many requests from folks for a recap of the meeting, both from those who couldn't be there and those who joined us. We had seventy  - yes, 70 -  folks show up to be part of the conversation. We (Annie Leavitt, Shawn Proctor and Nadia Davila) designed the conversation to be a cross-sector and cross-network conversation, as a joint meeting of the Elementary School OST Network (ESON), the Middle School Network (MSN) and Reaching All Youth (RAY), to address something we have known about for a long time. Naturally,  young people and families face difficulties in the transitions between stages of schooling/life (between elementary school and middle school, to name one). Since the adults that work with them are often siloed into age groups, the support networks usually available in these difficult years are absent or incomplete, creating even more inequity at times that are already challenging and crucial for young people's development. The topic clearly hit a nerve - many people we talked to in our planning were so glad to hear someone was deciding to focus the conversation on these years. The energy was palpable, even on zoom, as everyone joined the conversation. Folks came to the gathering from across the spectrum of programs and school years, from birth and pre-K all the way to 12th grade and career transitions. Especially in the busy month of December, we are grateful that everyone took the time to join for the beginning of what will be a series of gatherings on this topic -  and we hope you also felt the energy of the collective, of people who know that we can hold young people and families across these transition years with respect for the monumental transitions they are. 

If you missed the meeting (or part of it) and want to catch up, check out the info below and feel free to contact us to make sure we include you on communications to each of the Transition Year small groups! Each of the small/grade band groups will be meeting again in Feb/March, and then we will gather again June 14th as a wider group to share out what we think can be improved right away (within our roles and control) and move forward in advocating for what may include larger policy/institutional changes. It's not too late to join the conversation! 

Who was there? 
We kicked things off with a "Who's in the Room?" set of questions, which told us a lot about the group: 
  • All age groups were represented (with slightly less participants in the Birth-3yr old group) but covering each age span up to (and through) the post-secondary transition to career.
  • 7 folks were brand-new  - this was their first time in our network spaces.
  • 3 caregivers from our ESON/MSN Parent/Caregiver Advisory Board (one of whom, Vanessa Bernard, shared her story during our StoryShare).
  • 34 folks have been to SO MANY network meetings - old timers (lol) who give our networks their staying power, wisdom and experience.
  • The rest of the group fell into the "I've been to one or two network meetings" group. 
  • 51% of the group identified themselves as part of a community based organization, 23% were part of a school (charter school or public) and 16 folks opted for our third choice: " I defy all categorization" :) 
  • When asked which of the transition years was hardest for them personally, the bulk of the group said that the transition out of high school to post-secondary plans was most difficult for them. 

What were the goals of the conversation?

 As we often do in our network spaces, we wanted to combine a problem-solving approach with an equity frame focused on listening, checking assumptions and understanding gaps and challenges. We also set up the conversation to prioritize connecting across lines, and we hold firmly in our belief that new energy and possibilities can come from those conversations, even among people who have been doing their work for a very long time. We have found this to be true even in our own collaboration to plan this meeting - we have already learned so much about how we can align our efforts to create a continuum of care, especially for families and young people who face the most barriers and systematic oppression in our system. If you wan to hear more about these efforts, ask us about the future of the Community Partner Portal and Summer Program Pitch workshops (in Feb) we are also facilitating as Joint Network gatherings.

​So, what did I miss? 
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For this first meeting, we grounded the conversation in stories from young people (alum Elijah Cheeks) and from caregivers (alum and caregiver Vanessa Bernard from the ESON/MSN Parent Advisory Board), and took some time to connect over relevant info in our Connection Groups. One group watched and reacted to this clip from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which hit on many of the visceral feelings of moving into middle school, and another talked about their high school experiences, if they were to be summarized in the oh-so-popular "Spotify wrapped" format. Another group got to ask questions and dive deeper into Vanessa Bernard's experiences as an alum and a caregiver of multiple kids moving through transitions, and our last group was an opportunity to literally "meet the people" - a version of our usual "life catch-up" connection group, adapted for a space where so many folks were new to each other.

​Breakouts: Focus on challenges first

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After connecting, we moved into our 45min breakout groups to focus on the difficulties of each transition.It was important to us to dive into this topic by talking first about what we know are the challenges for young people and families - and not to jump too fast to solutions, to ideas, or to examples until we took a minute to see and hear what needed to be heard.
  • See the 4 charts of challenges for each transition (one page per group)
  • We asked folks to brainstorm what is difficult about each for young people, for caregivers, and for adults like us in supporting roles (OST Programs, Schools, etc.) 

One of the other ways we sought to ground the conversation was in using data - in this case, using the example of chronic absenteeism data from Cambridge Public Schools - to spark the conversation and show how we could ask questions (and get some answers in the form of data) thanks to our partnership with Robert Emery, ICTS Data Manager for CPS. Check out the Transition Years slide deck (slides 16-19) to see some concrete data on how chronic absenteeism stats compare across the transition years. We are hoping these groups will come up with more questions we can explore using data - about the particulars of the transition, or about what might help in the transition. 
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Moving from challenges to collective action: what's the next step? 
Each of our small groups planned a date to meet again in February/March, as a midpoint before another joint network gathering on June 14th, by which point we hope to have more clarity on what we can actively do in our own locus of control to improve the experiences of young people and families right now (like this year) and what we will advocate for from the larger systems and institutions that impact these transitions. The mandate between now and the Feb/March meetings, for each small group, was to use that time to:
  • connect offline with someone else in their small group about the transition
  • OR reach out to someone in their own circles they think should be part of the conversation, to get their take on this particular transition, what they see as challenges and what is already happening.

This sounds like a huge and complex  topic....
True. We ended our meeting with a debrief focused on two strength and asset-based questions related to young people, families and programs: 
  • Has talking about this topic already helped you to come up with new ideas or reconsider things that you already do?  (the consensus was that yes, folks already were thinking or revisiting parts of their own role - AND there were many ideas for larger institutional/system-wide changes)
  • What assets do young people and families bring to this transition that help them overcome these challenges during the transitions?  Check out this word cloud we made from the chat responses: ​
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​I missed the meeting but I want to join one of the four small groups (preK-K, 5/6th, 8/9th, 12th-postsecondary) for the future conversations and planning
Great! Here are the dates for Feb/March meetings and the facilitators for each group - send us an email and we will add you in! 
  • Transition to Pre-K/K: contact Shawn Proctor (sproctor@cpsd.us) and Liz Barlock (ebarlock@cpsd.us). Next meeting: Tues, February 1st, 10am. Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86045158948?pwd=K1RIVUZpTlZlNVNuY1FDTUNQN091dz09 Meeting ID: 860 4515 8948
  • Transition to Upper School (5/6th grade): contact Khari Milner (kmilner@cpsd.us). Next meeting: Tuesday, March 1st. 
  • Transition to High School (8/9th grade) : contact Annie Leavitt (aleavitt@cspd.us). Next meeting: Wed, Feb 16th, 10-11:30am.
  • Transition to What's Next (12th-postsecondary): contact Nadia Davila (ndavila@cambridgema.gov). Next meeting: Thursday, Feb 3rd 
I missed it - did you record the meeting? ​
Yes, we did - at least the section not in breakout groups. We are editing it down to make it easily watchable - stay tuned! 
Click here for Transition Years slides
Click here to get on our email list
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Disability Access to After School in Cambridge

11/15/2021

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In our Middle School Network meeting on Nov, 3rd, 2021, we focused on an often-overlooked part of the equity landscape in Cambridge: access to after school for young people with disabilities and their families. Maya Gonzalez, retired educator, grandmother, Equity Fellow, and longtime Cambridge caregiver to her granddaughter Annalise (see pictures above!) talked to us about her experience trying to navigate the few options available in Cambridge, and how she has ended up leading an organizing effort to bring the call for equity (which is also mandated in several state/federal laws) to Cambridge's institutions and leaders. 
Since everyone comes to the conversation from different places, we used a few media pieces as 'sparks' for the conversation and discussed them in connection groups: 

Inclusion is belonging, not a program: 
  • Animated cartoon explaining the basics: https://youtu.be/6SnXBKEfr2s (2:20)
Local and specialized example: 
  • The Cambridge Program  https://youtu.be/O9v7br6tWw0 (2:50)
Local (new in Cambridge) inclusion example: 
  • Unified Sports  (2:48) https://youtu.be/nJzUWZ64m-s  (note: many MSN folks noted that some language in this video is unnecessarily 'othering' towards folks with disabilities - we are still including it here as a useful learning tool despite reservations)
Bonus videos (to watch on your own): 
  • Best Buddies: 
  • relationship profile: https://youtu.be/0j6YaVsLJZI  3:39
  • what to expect: https://youtu.be/JPft0oW6MB0 2:41
Adapting the environment: Multi-sensory room examples:
  • The Sensory Club
  • Multi-sensory Room video: https://youtu.be/JPft0oW6MB0 2:41

Watch the recording here of Maya telling her own story and detailing her own journey to this place. She also covered where we are as a city (Cambridge) and what she wants OST providers to know about this issue, how it affects their families and how it affect you. The meeting slides also have some detailed bullet points on where we are now, and where we want to go.

In the end, Maya asked us as a network to help move the work forward by completing and spreading her Needs Assessment survey for folks working in after school programs in Cambridge. They (Maya and SEPAC, the Special Education Parent Advisory Council) will be doing a similar assessment with families, but for now the important move is to know what is happening on the ground. How prepared do you feel to have disabled youth in your programs? What would change that? What kind of PD do you already receive? What communication do you have from schools about IEP plans, etc.? What keeps families from registering when they have children with disabilities? 

Want to be involved in next steps? Maya is hoping to form an After School Equity "workign group" that includes stakeholders from families, students, OST program staff and city and school department reps. For more info, email Annie (aleavitt@cpsd.us) or Maya (​gonzalez-m@comcast.net ).
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MSN Community Announcements October 2021

10/27/2021

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To see the full Nov newsletter click here! 
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  • Deanna Wu, Cambridge Public Health Dept: I'll be leaving my position next week, but I'm so glad to have been part of this group! Also check out more info about flu clinics & COVID vaccines: 
  • Emily Meyer, Cambridge Public Library: Virtual Book Club for ages 10-13, 10/13, 6:00-7:00:, Hybrid book club for ages 10+, O'Neill Library, 11/4, 4:00-5:00, contact Clara at 617-349-4023, chendricks@cambridgema.gov https://cambridgepl.libcal.com/event/8320790
  • Lynsey Ford, MIT Seed: I'm the new Program Administrator for the MIT Seed program and it's great to meet you all! Program website link: https://oeop.mit.edu/programs/seed and my email: fordl@mit.edu
  • Khari Milner, AFCOST/CPS: Museum of Science Engineering Challenge Field Trip on W, 10/20 (a CPS half day), starting at 2:30pm, free admission to MOS as well.  Part of Mass STEM Week.
  • Shawn and Annie, MSN/ESON: looking for a few more caregivers to be part of our K-8 Parent/Caregiver Advisory Group, which meets during 6 wed nights across the year Flyer: NOT FOR WIDE DISTRIBUTION - this is for you to hand or email to a parent you have in mind
  • Khari Milner: put your data into the Community Partner Portal! 
  • Puja Kranz-Howe, YWCA Cambridge: still recruiting for Gold and Gender Expansive Youth Programs! Virtual, Paid, and open to middle and high schoolers of all genders. bit.ly/FALLGOLD bit.ly/FALLGEY  My email is youthleadership@ywcacam.org.
  • Edson Soares, Cambridge St Upper School:  Hey Everyone, tomorrow after school from 6:30 to 8:00 is the CSUS Back To School night outdoors if you would like to come and share info please let me know and I will connect you!

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MSN and ESON After School Guides for 2021-22

10/27/2021

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Has a parent ever asked you: "Hey do you know of a program for......?"  Have you ever noticed a talented young person and wanted to know where to send them to hone that skill? 

Check out the landscape of programs offered to young people and families this fall in our ESON and MSN Resource Guides.

If you run a program: Read your entry and look at the other options  - part of being in this network is knowing more than just your own offerings. Also, send us pictures (or edits) from your programs that we can add to the Guide! 

If you work with families and young people right now, tell them about this resource. They can be shared in multiple ways: 
  • Flyer with QR codes for both guides (electronic versions) and Shawn and Annie's contact info
  • Live version of Middle School Network After School Guide: https://bit.ly/MSNAfterschoolGuide2021
  • Live version of the ESON After School Guide (for PK-5th grade) : https://bit.ly/ESONAfterschoolGuide2021 
  • Request a # of printed copies from us and we will deliver them to you! 
  • Both Guides are on Find It Cambridge 
  • Bonus: ESON slideshow of programs and resources (including how to get a voucher)
 Help us make this community resource as powerful as it can be! Spread the word! ​
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