Greetings YDEKC Members and Friends,
This race (marathon? ironman? ultramarathon?) we are running without knowing the course or distance is pretty exhausting, eh? We are trying to pace ourselves — and hope that you are too — and we know that each of us is experiencing a very different reality. Several iterations have been going around about being in the same storm, but not in the same boat, and it rings very true. To help you care for yourself and your community, we have compiled a list of SEL and Wellness resources that we’ll be updating regularly with new content from our newsletters each week.
YDEKC believes in the power of youth-serving organizations to support young people’s well-being, and that programs are even more critical right now as school’s are closed. The Youth Development Strategy Table that we co-convene with School’s Out Washington has written this memo to our state’s policymakers encouraging a multi-phased approach to supporting expanded learning, school-age childcare, mentoring, and wrap around services. Funding and support for youth-serving organizations is essential to ensure that kids are well cared for and engaged this summer, whether that’s in-person or virtually. We invite your organization to sign-on to the letter to show your support. As a field, we will likely be offering more in-person programming — even if socially-distanced — before schools are back in session. We are also watching for advice from the American Camping Association in collaboration with the CDC for official recommendations for ensuring our kids and our staff are healthy, safe and engaged this summer. Stay tuned.
Happy Ramadan to all who celebrate,
Jessica, and the rest of the YDEKC team
Youth Development Executives of King County
ydekc.org | jwerner@ydekc.org | 206.336.6912 |