“There is a young person smiling at the idea of going to school, going home, or going to their afterschool program. They are feeling valued and supported at these places. Being there, feels uplifting, joyful, healthy, and fun. They feel a sense of belonging. It feels like an entire community wrapping their arms around them.
It feels like growth, exploration, challenges, and gratitude…”
– An excerpt from the opening poem
from the Whole Child, Whole Day
Mini-grantee Celebration
On May 7th, we gathered virtually to celebrate the accomplishments of the Whole Child, Whole Day mini-grantees. These youth-serving organizations are bright spots in our community, dedicated to supporting the whole child in partnership with families, youth, schools, and community. They provide real examples of what this work looks like in practice in our region, with an intentional focus on increasing racial equity and supporting youth of color in the region.
We invite you to learn more about these projects, the organizations, and the impact they have made on the youth and families they serve. One of our goals for this initiative was to elevate these stories through pictures and videos in lieu of a written evaluation report, which can often be quite burdensome for grantees. We are excited to see this work come to life in a variety of ways and urge you to dig into the various visual artifacts that have been created to capture the look, feel, and sound of whole child, whole day collaboration.
We promise you will be inspired, and we hope that it will encourage you to reach out to these organizations and other community-led organizations to partner and collaborate with them.
Whole Child, Whole Day: Youth Development in Action Video: An impact montage of the 16 mini-grantees, answering the question: What does supporting the whole child look like in practice? What do adults need to do to create learning environments where the whole child can thrive?”
Whole Child, Whole Day Mini-Grant Final Report: A collection of posters of mini-grantee journeys that outlines the what, so what, and now what of each project.
Mini-Grant Gallery Walk: A quick view of impact quotes from all 16 mini-grantees
Sharing the Learning: A one-page collection of practices that support the whole child, based on themes collected from the mini-grant projects.
Virtual mini-grantee celebration: A recording of the May 7, 2020 virtual gathering to celebrate the mini-grantees, build community, and reflect on themes.
Cheers and gratitude to all the mini-grantees! Special thanks to the Whole Child, Whole Day Advisory committee, community partners and the YDEKC Advisory Board members who served on our Grant Review Committee, Tara Fisher (our video producer) & Reel Grrls, and to the small, but mighty, YDEKC team for all the ways you helped to support this project. And last but not least, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for generous support of this initiative.
We encourage you to continue to be part of this conversation and shared learning by joining us for our next SEL-related event, Whole Child, Whole Day: Heart, Mind, & Body, on July 24, 31, and August 7.