SEARCH FOR RESOURCES
This study used data collected in fall 2022 from 9,210 youth who attended one of 80 overnight Jewish camps in U.S. and Canada, as well as 3,524 staff. The study found a correlation between staff well-being and youth well-being: in camps where staff felt they received adequate training to support youth social-emotional development and mental health, and they felt supported and listened to, were the camps where parents felt their children were well supported. This resource supports resiliency.
This guide, by the Oregon Department of Education, offers an inspiring vision for summer learning in the post-pandemic world, prioritizing those most in need. It includes a focus on mental health and well-being and providing learning opportunities that can ignite and renew engagement, foster learning, and nourish in-person connections. It also includes information on state and federal funding streams.
For this report, the Chicago teen program, After School Matters, partnered with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct surveys to understand three key topics as they relate to the unique circumstances of summer 2020: (1) teen experiences, (2) instructor experiences, and (3) program quality. The report compares summer 2020 with previous years and looks ahead to inform future practices. The recommendations are to continue to support basic needs and mental health for teens and instructors, training on facilitating remote learning for instructors, and to focus on teen belonging to help buffer stress. While these recommendations are for a teen program, the ideas are applicable to a younger afterschool population as well.
This guide provides engaging activities and challenges to be used for youth-serving summer programs, whether running virtually or in-person, or to send digitally to families. It is organized to support four different age groups (5-9), (10-12), (13-15), (16-18). The first unit was released May 27, 2020 and subsequent units will be released in two-week increments. Unit 1 is Why I Am which is arts focused; Unit 2 is Healthy Life for physical and mental health activities; Unit 3 is Passion and Purpose on service learning; Unit 4 is Invention and Imagination with a focus on STEM and arts; and Unit 5 is Exploring My World on cultures. Also included is a guide on implementation and on safety considerations for virtual programming. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
This report examines evidence on outcomes and the effectiveness of summer experiences for youth on academic learning, social and emotional development, physical and mental health, and safety. The report provides comprehensive conclusions and recommendations on how to improve planning, administration, and coordination; availability, access, and equity; and advancing data collection and research to bring equity so all children have positive outcomes from summer experiences. There is a report at a glance for those with limited time to explore this seminal resource. There is also a webinar that summarizes the findings of the report. Webinar recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztV64zu730c&feature=youtu.be