Greetings YDEKC Members and Friends –
This month, YDEKC celebrated 6 years of advancing the youth development field in King County! To celebrate, we quietly upgraded our website! Thanks to Sarah Terry, our Research and Evaluation lead, our online Resource Center is now searchable by type (Measurement, Policy, Partnerships or Social Emotional Learning) or by toolkit (Measurement or Partnerships). Please explore and tell us what you think! Read on for new reports, funding opportunities and resources to continue to build the youth development field and support all of our young people in reaching their full potential.
Use the hyperlinks below to jump to another section of our Field Notes.
Cross Sector Convening | Advocacy | Field Building | Funding & Training Opportunities
In service and gratitude,
Jessica
Executive Director, Youth Development Executives of King County
ydekc.org | jwerner@ydekc.org | 206.336.6912 |
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Cross Sector Convening: We lead, convene, and participate in cross-sector collaboration and partnerships, particularly with the K-12 education sector.
SURVEY SAYS! We want to hear from you: Social Emotional Learning in the Road Map Region Survey!
YDEKC’s recent Social Emotional Learning Symposiums revealed an increasing awareness of the importance of integrating these skills into all youth environments and a demand for cross-sector collaboration and learning. To understand how we can support the Road Map Region (and beyond), please share with us what you’re excited about and where additional support is needed in your community. Fill out the survey here.
YDEKC’s Partnership Ecosystem Toolkit
Are you preparing to develop a new program or evaluate an existing one? We recommend using a Logic Modeltemplate in the planning process, to help you define everything from short, medium, and long-term outcomes to the external factors that influence the effectiveness of your program. If this is your first time creating a Logic Model, try out our new Facilitator’s Guide and work with a partner to talk through all of the components of your model before putting it on paper.
Check out the School-Community Partnerships Toolkit in the Resource Center of our recently updated website. We’ve organized the tools into five categories: Assessing Readiness, Mapping Needs & Assets, Establishing Partnership, Working Together, and Evaluating Programs. Interested in bringing these tools to life with your team? Contact Anne Arias, Project Manager, at aarias@ydekc.org to set up a session to introduce the toolkit.
National Council Reaches Scientific Consensus on How People Learn
The National Social Emotional Academic Development (SEAD) Commision’s 28-member Council of Distinguished Scientists (CDS) recently released The Evidence Base for How We Learn: Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. The research brief draws from the fields of neuroscience, education research, medicine, economics, and psychology to articulate a scientific consensus regarding how people learn. The report affirms that social, emotional, and academic development are interconnected and central to the learning process, advancing the field beyond debate about whether schools should address these dimensions of learning to a focus on how schools can effectively integrate them into their daily work.
Washington’s Social Emotional Learning Online Education Module from OSPI
OSPI recently released their SEL Online Education Module: Building Foundations and Strategies, a free online course for people who work with children statewide. Register and log in here! In 2017, the Washington State Legislature charged OSPI with continuing the work of the 2015 Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks Workgroup to develop detailed, culturally relevant grade level SEL indicators for the existing Benchmarks, solicit feedback from statewide stakeholders, and develop a model of best practices for implementation of grade level SEL indicators. The report will be completed by June 30, 2019. For more information on OSPI’s SEL work, contact Ron Hertel, Social and Emotional Learning Program Supervisor. |
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Advocacy: We advocate for policy changes that address youth development field needs and King County youth issues.
Get out the Vote for November Election!
YDEKC encourages all of our member organizations to support their staff, clients, and families to vote in the November Election! Local elections have a tremendous effect on our programs, clients, and communities. Check out the King County Elections Education & Outreach page for more information and resources to help spread the word!
Vets and Human Services Levy on the Ballot
The renewal of the Veterans and Human Services Levy is on the ballot and includes support for young adults in transitional housing. In addition to specific supports for young people, this levy complements Best Starts for Kids and the Mental Illness and Drug Dependency (MIDD) – providing complementary supports and services to King County’s residents to ensure folks can meet their basic needs and thrive.
Save the Date: Expanded Learning Opportunities Lobby Day is January 16, 2017
Olympia, WA, 1/16/2017
YDEKC will encourage providers of extended learning opportunities to attend an ELO or Out of School time Lobby Day in the next legislative session. David Beard from SOWA will be the lead, but please save the date and plan to head to Olypmia! |
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Field Building: We build tools, disseminate effective practices, and foster skills that support leadership, racial equity, and organizational development.
Measurement Toolkit Training Series for 2017-18!
Our Measurement Toolkit Training Series kicked off in last week with our workshop on theories of change and logic models. Additional sessions will be offered approximately every other month through the 2017-18 school year. Session names and descriptions are now available on our website.
Member Survey Coming Soon!
With so many exciting initiatives happening in the coming weeks and months, we are feeling that the time is right for a pulse check on our past, present, and future work. To this end, we will be sending out our first annual survey of YDEKC members. The goals of the survey are to better understand your experiences with YDEKC, YDEKC’s impact on the local landscape, and the needs of your organizations moving forward. Please keep an eye out for this survey in mid-October, and most importantly, please fill it out. We need to hear from you!
The King County Youth Development Network is live on Facebook!
The King County Youth Development Network (KCYDN) is a collaborative resource sharing network to support youth workers and the youth development field in King County. If you have job postings, training opportunities, or events for youth workers, please submit them on our Facebook page! YDEKC, SOAR, and School’s Out Washington (SOWA) collaborate to manage the page. |
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Funding & Training Opportunities
Best Starts for Kids Quality Out-of-School Time RFP is open! Applications are due November 3rd!
School’s Out Washington (SOWA) and Best Starts for Kids are partnering to create more opportunities for children and youth to flourish outside of the school day, through investments in high-quality out-of-school-time programs. Through this investment, SOWA will be awarding a total of approximately $8 million over the next 3 years to support quality out-of-school time programming in King County. For more information and to view the RFP, visit SOWA’s Best Starts for Kids page.
Best Starts for Kids Stop the School-to-Prison Pipeline RFP is open! Applications due November 20th!
King County’s Employment and Education Resources’ (EER) team is leading the Best Starts for Kids strategy for Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline (SSPP). This strategy supports youth and young adults between the ages of 12 and 24 who are at-risk of, currently, or were involved in the criminal justice system and face challenges staying in school, completing high school, gaining access to higher education and employment opportunities. Historically, this has been true for youth and young adults of color, especially African Americans, LatinX, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and East Africans, who have experienced historical, racial trauma and oppression. For more information, visit the Best Starts blog here!
Boards in Gear
Webinar, 11/14/2017, 12:00PM-1:30PM
Join Washington Nonprofits for Boards in Gear! Boards move forward an organization’s mission, and they steward the assets and relationships of that organization to keep it out of harm. Strengthening the practice of nonprofit boards within a community will lead to more effective and sustainable results as that community addresses poverty, education, the environment and other critical issues. This webinar will cover board responsibilities, operations, development, fundraising, and advocacy. It is based on the Boards in Gear resources developed in partnership with some of our state’s leading board experts. You will leave with concrete action steps, tools, and connections. More info and registration here. |
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Thank you for continuing to work together to advance the youth development field. Hope to see you soon!
The YDEKC Team
Jessica Werner, Executive Director
Sarah Terry, Research & Evaluation Manager
René Murry, Public Policy Manager
Anne Powell Arias, Project Manager
Eddie Cleofe, Communications & Database Coordinator
Copyright © 2017 Youth Development Executives of King County, All rights reserved.
Youth Development Executives of King County (YDEKC) is a coalition of youth-serving organizations working together to improve outcomes for young people. |
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