News
Youth-led Creative Expression Contest to Prevent COVID-19 across Texas!
Request for Applications (RFA)
We are inviting young people from across Texas to submit creative materials (videos, digital art, murals) to promote behaviors that can prevent the spread of COVID-19. Materials will be used by schools, health departments, and other community groups to promote COVID-19 protective behaviors. This contest is being hosted by the COVID-19 Communications Team within the Health Promotion/Behavioral Sciences Department at UTHealth School of Public Health in partnership with community organizations across Texas.
GUIDELINES:
- Submissions must be created by student(s) and supported by an identified parent, adult mentor, or sponsor. Parent/Guardian permission and signature are required with submission.
- K through 12 students, student clubs, after-school programs, youth nonprofit organizations, school wellness teams, and other youth-based groups are encouraged to apply.
- Creative expression content can be in English or Spanish and may include translation into other languages.
- Submissions can be either as an individual or as a group of youth. If completed as a group, we need permission forms from all youth involved with the submission.
- Creative expression content needs to be authentic and original, or it will be excluded from the competition. We will review for authentication and use of other’s materials or ideas.
- Creative expression content should link directly to any of the four main COVID-19 prevention behaviors (mask wearing, handwashing, social distancing, not touching your face). However, simple, direct, and brief content/message (e.g., short videos) is encouraged
- Multiple submission are allowed!
APPLICATION PROCESS & KEY DATES:
- Campaign Launch: Request for Applications (RFAs) will be sent on Friday, July 17th, 2020.
- Application Format: Applicants must submit the application from at https://sph.uth.edu/landing/covid-youth/.
- Due Date: Creative Expression Submissions are due Sunday, August 30, 2020.
- Awards: 1st – $300 Wal-mart e-gift card; 2nd – $100 Wal-Mart e-gift card; Honorable recognition – Submissions will be posted on UTSPH Facebook page.
- Notification of Awards: Participants will be notified of awards by September 30, 2020.
- If you have any questions, contact Jacob Szeszulski at [email protected] (preferred) or call 1-713-500-9679.
The Houston Area Urban League is one of many national affiliates advocating for equitable education via a National Urban League project. This year HAUL will be more intentional with efforts. You have been extended an invitation to participate in Listening Sessions to address COVID 19 educational needs because of your service to and for children/youth. The Listening Sessions will focus on how your practice has been impacted, what you have experienced, and what must be done to address COVID-19 related education needs.
As we are gearing local efforts, you may be contacted to aid in local efforts. For now, you are welcome to participate in the listening sessions hosted by the National Urban League. When registering, please indicate “Houston Area Urban League” or “Houston” as affiliated organization. Please see registration below or attached flyer with QR code.
Please join us for one of our upcoming Listening Sessions. Registration is quick and easy, click here
COVID-19 and Domestic Violence Resource (English):
Recurso para el COVID-19 y la Violencia Doméstica (Español):
Institute of Engagement Launches Shift Press Fellowship Application
All Greater Houston area high school-aged residents are invited to apply
On Wednesday, July, 22 2020, The Institute of Engagement launched applications for the Shift Press Fellowship, an online, 10-week paid fellowship for eight Greater Houston-area youth to develop journalistic and critical thinking skills.
The organization is looking for young people who are passionate about this city and are looking to grow. In addition to attending weekly e-workshops, fellows will produce at least five written pieces. These pieces may come in the form of reporting, op-eds, and investigative journalism as well as more personal writing.
Jalesha Bass, graduate of Yates High School and a current student at the University of Texas at Austin, says “This fellowship gives young people a great opportunity to tell their stories, gain knowledge about topics of their interest, and learn how stories impact all community action.”
“This fellowship values the crucial perspectives of young people and gives them agency in defining the narratives of their generation,” says Amy Fan, graduate of Bellaire High School and Duke University.
Young people can best shape their communities when they define themselves by the stories they tell, as opposed to the ones adults force on them.
“Engaging the dreams and concerns of Houston’s young people is the key to a bright future. I’m excited to see this work expand the fellows’ collective range of imagination,” says Uyiosa Elegon, a graduate of DeBakey High School and the University of Houston.
Fellows will receive a $1000 stipend for the 10 week fellowship. The team will also equip fellows with resources, such as reliable WiFi, if needed.
High school-aged individuals in the Greater Houston area are encouraged to apply for the 2018-19 fellowship at www.shift.press/apply by midnight on July 29, 2020.
BACKGROUND:
The Institute of Engagement is a collective that helps young people take responsible ownership of their Houston.
The team’s past work includes the year-long 2018-19 Civic Fellowship. Thirteen students from seven high schools and four different school districts in the Greater Houston area deepened their knowledge of issue areas that they each identified as important. The fellows gained different civic skills like root cause analysis, house meeting, op-ed writing. Throughout the fellowship, the fellows facilitated house meetings with community members and grew to be a strong cohort.
For more information, visit www.shift.press/fellowship.
Like them on Facebook: www.fb.me/shiftpresshtx
READYNEWS: News & resources from the Forum and the field about collaborative work to get young people ready by 21.
In this Issue:
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Graduation
- Youth Voice
- School Reopening
Thriving, Robust Equity, and Transformative Learning & Development
The potential for thriving is universal, but so too is the existence of adversity. Young people can overcome adversities, but the ease of doing so is not equally shared. Opportunity structures – in schools, communities, and society – make it easier for some youth to avoid or buffer the impacts of adversity than others.
A new paper from the Readiness Projects partners, Thriving, Robust Equity, and Transformative Learning & Development, speaks to the needs of all youth, as every youth can benefit from robust approaches to thriving, equity, and learning. The cumulative impacts of inequity and trauma, however, propel the authors to call out the need to improve opportunity structures to address and eliminate the disadvantages created by current systems and practices. The report also calls out the need to eliminate the root causes of structural inequality in opportunities for youth to thrive across all domains. Throughout the paper, the authors:
- Introduce a formula and a rationale for addressing thriving, equity, and learning and development together that helps us better focus on actionable social factors.
- Summarize prevailing definitions of thriving, equity, and learning and development (and related terms).
- Take a deeper dive into the dimensions that contribute to individual and collective thriving.
- Offer powerful and aligned conceptualizations of thriving, equity, and learning and development.
- Describe the opportunities and conditions required to ensure that efforts to create “equitable educational outcomes” or “equitable learning and development opportunities” are as powerful and inclusive as possible.
Social and Emotional Learning:
Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Roadmap for Reopening Schools
The return to school this fall will be unlike any other. Students, families, educators, and community partners have all been impacted by a global pandemic, economic crisis, and the ongoing mobilization against systemic racism. Social and emotional learning has a powerful role to play in helping schools reopen in the fall in the face of these challenges. The Forum for Youth Investment is a proud collaborator on Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: SEL Roadmap for Reopening School
This new guidance provides school leaders with whole-school, anti-racist SEL strategies centered on relationships and built on the existing strengths of the school community to support students and adults as they return to school this fall.
Graduation: New Toolkits from America’s Promise Alliance to Navigate Graduation Barriers
What does it take to help more young people – particularly those navigating the greatest barriers to graduation – graduate ready and well for whatever their futures hold? Communities and states in the GradNation campaign’s Acceleration Initiative help answer this question in a new case study series
The case studies highlight key themes and tangible examples from these community and statewide efforts to improve secondary school outcomes for specific groups of young people:
- Holistic Approaches to Helping Young People Succeed examines the complex barriers to success in school and life that many of today’s young people face and suggests strategies to support their holistic needs in an intentional, comprehensive way
- Building Responsive Pathways to Graduation and Beyond outlines strategies to create meaningful pathways that lead young people to viable career opportunities after they complete high school.
- Creating Effective Youth-Supporting Partnerships highlights the ways in which states and communities have leveraged strategic collaboration to align efforts to promote success for students facing the greatest obstacles to graduation
Youth Voice: Our Thoughts, Our Words, Our Work: An Online Conversation with Young Thought Leaders and Activists in Minnesota’s Fight for Racial Equity
Every Hour Counts Online Discussion July 29, 2020 2:00-3:30 EDT
Our nation is facing two major turning points, the COVID-19 pandemic and our fight for meaningful change in racial inequities and injustice. How are youth leading during this time?
Join Youthprise, Minnesota, and Every Hour Counts for a forum on what Minnesota’s fight for racial equity looks like and how youth are leading. Youthprise’s Neese Parker, Youth Engagement Manager, and Shiranthi Goonathilaka, Board Member, will moderate a panel discussion of young activists and thought leaders making a difference in Minnesota and pushing for change in new and meaningful ways.
The conversation will focus on:
- Movement building and Black liberation organizing.
- School resource officer reform.
- Amplifying the actions being called for to end racial injustice and inequality.
- Highlighting opportunities for supporting youth leadership.
- National updates and next steps.
| School Reopening: Council of Chief State School Officers Releases Guidance on Reopening Schools State and local education leaders around the country are tackling the tremendous and urgent task of planning, launching, and sustaining a strong school year in the wake of COVID-19 related school closures. While school may look different this fall than what families are accustomed to, the focus remains the same: every student receives a high-quality education. This is true whether that means learning remotely, in person, or through a hybrid of the two. To support leaders as they strive for equity, are mindful of health and safety, and focus on teaching and learning, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) created Restart and Recovery: Considerations for Teaching and Learning. This resource builds on other critical resources aligned with CCSSO’s Restart and Recovery Framework, which is designed to assist states as they work to reopen school buildings and recover student learning loss in the 2020-21 school year. Explore these resources. |
The Power 2020 Experience with Y Teen L.I.F.E (Leadership. Inspiration. Fellowship. Education.)
August 4 – 27
Tuesdays – Thursdays 9am to 4pm
Programming will take place at the Houston Texans YMCA, 5202 Griggs Rd.
Open to Teens 12-15 years old | Spots Limited | No cost to participants
- Engage in Self Development and Empowerment Sessions
- Strengthen your learning potential while connecting with Y Teen L.I.F.E
- Participants that complete the 3-week cohort program will receive a reward to support virtual learning
Link to Register: https://bit.ly/3fTbHUZ
We are committed to keeping our participants and staff safe and healthy and the following procedures will be in place for this in-person program:
- Restricted access to childcare/camp spaces to only staff and participants
- Small group sizes with a 1:9 ratio with a significantly reduced capacity for the entire camp program
- Separate rooms for each group of young people with the same staff each day
- Multiple temperature checks and health screening each day
- Social distancing throughout the entire program
- Scheduled handwashing and access to hand sanitizer
- Staff and teens will wear face masks
- Increased cleaning and disinfecting processes throughout the day
Greetings,
Sharing an awesome opportunity for high school teens that are ready to make lasting change!
We have a great line-up of facilitators that will be engaging participants around mobilizing, organizing and enacting change. We also have governmental advocacy and local/state leaders joining us for a special conversation on civic engagement/advocacy.
At the end of the week, youth will be able to share their plans of action around social justice. Our goal is that any young person who is sitting at home right now wanting to be a part of the change, “leaves” the week knowing that their voice matters, that they have the ability to enact change and that there are organizations ready for their leadership.
Changemakers Virtual Experience: This virtual event is designed for young people to connect and collaborate around issues that matter to them. Changemakers provides a space for youth leaders to create plans and put them into action through grassroots organizing; topics of equity, social justice, advocacy, and inclusion are all included in the Changemakers experience.This is a virtual experience that can change the world!
July 28 – 31, 2-3:30pm each day
Link to register: https://ymcahouston.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkcuCqqT0qHNC3ywmBzFuyPNgH2YNBGpPR
H-Town Fish Camp is open and free to all incoming 9th graders in the Houston area! CollegeCommunityCareer, Project Grad and the Y are teaming up for a fun virtual experience designed to support student transition into high school and learning in a virtual/autonomous environment.
Daily sessions will feature on-campus resources, mental health, time management, academic tracks and endorsements, leadership development and civic engagement. Please share with students/families in your community!
H-Town Fish Camp
Tuesday – Friday, August 11-14
2 – 3:30pm
Registration: https://forms.gle/jDRFDKXQFvphfrGu8
For Parents/Guardians of children Pre-K – 12th grade, get ready for: Four Dimensions College-Career Readiness
Get ready to learn the four keys of college and career readiness to prepare your child for a successful future.
Based on the work of David Conley – “Are They Ready”
Every Monday morning from 11 am to 12 pm is the Spanish webinar where Irene Greaves serves as the interpreter for John Robinson. Every Wednesday 11 am to 12 pm is the English webinar. Greaves and Robinson have been working together for several years now, and Irene Greaves is also the author of “Lovescaping” and facilitates in English and Spanish.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlcu6orTItHdawRnJ4FwlQoFFJD5Wi2-uY
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you have any technical difficulties, please contact Amanda Hampton, [email protected].
If you have any questions about the program, please contact John Robinson, [email protected].
Greetings BGCGH Supporters:
Summer is quickly rounding out. We have seen needs increasing in each of our communities. We look forward to your support on the referrals and volunteerism at our club, pantries, and initiatives. We appreciate your ongoing support- Stay Safe!
Family Engagement Program: Financial Resources for Families:
PROJECT GIVES– this program provides emergency food assistance through resource gift cards and direct food access through local restaurants at no charge to the family. For family/client referral please have them apply here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/projectgives or for more information email [email protected] .
Healthy Lifestyles Program: BGCGH Drive Thru Food Pantries:
We still need your assistance for our BGCGH Drive-Thru Pantries. This week we are in need of volunteer support at 4 of our pantries. Please use this link to sign-up if you are interested https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409084AA5AF22AAF49-bgcgh20
The work will be as SAFE as possible: data recording, packing – boxes/bags, placing bags in trunks or on the sidewalk- all while social distancing, masks (feel free to bring your own face covering as well), and gloves. The respective clubs will be open for employee and volunteers to wash hands, use restroom, and take breaks. See attached Flyer for dates and times.
Also, please check our website for up-to-date information on all of our efforts www.bgcgh.org .
If you have questions, please let us know. Thanks so much for your support- we appreciate everyone’s help small to big!
Browse Resources
Resources for News
- UTHealth – Youth-led Creative Expression Contest to Prevent COVID-19 Across Texas
- Houston Area Urban League (HAUL) – Listening Sessions to Address COVID-19 Educational Needs
- Houston Coalition Against Hate – COVID-19 and Domestic Violence Resources
- Institute of Engagement – Shift Press Fellowship Application
- Ready News – News from the Forum and the Field about Collaborative Work to get Young People Ready by 21
- Houston Texans YMCA – Power 2020 Camp for Teens
- YMCA Houston – Social Justice Opportunity for High School Teens
- YMCA Houston – H-Town Fish Camp
- Houston Area Urban League (HAUL) – Four Dimensions College-Career Readiness
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston – Drive-Thru Food Pantry Schedule