BOOST Nation: Town Hall
BOOST NATION: Town Hall meetings are informal public meetings scheduled throughout the conference with national leaders. Everybody in the out-of-school time community is invited to attend, voice their opinions, share issues and challenges, share promising practices, and hear responses from public figures and elected officials about shared subjects of interest in your community.
WEDNESDAY, April 30
10:30AM - 12:15PM
Expanding Student Success: State of Expanded Learning in CA
Michael Funk, Director, Expanded Learning Division, California Department of Education, Sacramento, CA; Heather Williams, Director, Policy & Outreach, California AfterSchool Network, Sacramento, CA; Vanessa Hernandez, Senior Specialist, Policy & Outreach, California AfterSchool Network, Fresno, CA
Join CDE, CAN, and others from the System of Support for Expanded Learning for a rich discussion on California’s current Expanded Learning landscape, including the latest on ELO-P funding, federal policy implications, and the launch of a new strategic design process that leverages this complex landscape to help build thriving communities. Participants will have the opportunity to hear the latest updates from state leadership and engage in dialogue to help shape the future of Expanded Learning.
PK, E, M, H, ULA, MLA, CB, DS
Strand: BOOST Nation Town Hall; Program Design, Development & Quality, Staff Leadership, Partnerships & Building Relationships, Sustainability
2:45PM - 4:45PM
Inclusive Policies & Gender Support Plans for Transgender & Non-Binary Youth
Ellen Kahn, MSS, Senior Vice President, HRC Equality Programs, Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC; Lisa Stanton, Development Director/Parent, Havaya Summer Programs / HRCF Parents for Transgender Equality Council, Denver, CO
Over the last two years, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been introduced in state houses across the country leaving youth-serving professionals questioning how to best support transgender youth in the current political landscape. Join HRC for a discussion of real-world best policies to support transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth and practice creating Gender Support Plans for individualized support including hearing from the parent of a transgender kid why these are so important.
E, M, H, ULA, MLA, CB, DS
Strand: BOOST Nation Town Hall; Program Design, Development & Quality, Staff Leadership
THURSDAY, May 1
10:00AM - 12:00PM
Bridging the Gap: Promoting Well-Being Between Early Childhood and Adolescence
Philip Steigman, MS, MPP, Brookline, MA; Carlos Santini, CEO, Mizzen Education, Los Angeles, CA
During middle childhood, roughly the years of 6-12, key developmental outcomes like agency and belonging bode well for a child's long-term well-being. This is where afterschool programs shine! And now they can play a lead role in promoting thriving in their ecosystems when kids need it the most. This session will highlight new efforts to bring youth-serving systems together around collective well-being frameworks that leverage the latest developmental research.
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB
Strand: BOOST Nation: Town Hall; Program Design, Development & Quality
1:15PM - 2:30PM
#AfterschoolWorks – Opportunities and Challenges in the Trump Administration
Jodi Grant, JD, Executive Director; Maria Rizo, Sr. Communications Associate, Afterschool Alliance, Washington DC; Lisa Lucheta, Principal, Torani/R. Torre & Co., San Leandro, CA
How does the 2024 election impact afterschool? This Town Hall will discuss opportunities and challenges our field will face under the Trump administration, the nongovernmental DOGE committee, and at the state level. It will also focus on messaging: what works and what doesn't when communicating about afterschool and how to engage local businesses as advocates and allies.
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, DS
Strand: BOOST Nation Town Hall; Staff Leadership; Partnerships & Building Relationships; Sustainability
3:45PM - 5:15PM
Storytelling for Advocacy
Mike de la Rocha, Co-Founder, Revolve Impact, Los Angeles, CA
Storytelling for Advocacy: Stories as Medicine, Healing & Transformation" is an interactive Town Hall designed to explore the power of storytelling in advocacy work. Participants will dive into the "Self, Us, Now" methodology, learning how to harness personal, collective, and present-day narratives to drive change. Through creative exercises and best practices, participants will discover how storytelling can serve as a powerful tool for healing, empowerment, and transformation in their advocacy efforts."
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB, DS
Strand: BOOST Nation: Town Hall; Program Design, Development & Quality; Staff Leadership
FRIDAY, MAY 2
9:15AM - 11:15AM
Winning Settlement Dollars to Support Engagement, Community, & Connections in the Age of Social Media
Elizabeth Gaines, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Children's Funding Project, Washington, DC; Erica Lim, Ed.L.D., Senior Program Officer, The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation, Los Angeles, CA; Jennifer Dietrich, MA, Director of Policy, Partnership for Children and Youth, Sacramento, CA; Diana Carrillo, MBA, Vice President of Programs, arc, Torrance, CA; Eleanor Blume, Special Assistant Attorney General for Economic Justice, Office of the Attorney General, State of California Department of Justice, San Francisco, CA
Children's Funding Project, along with the Afterschool Alliance and CA3, is leading a coalition to ensure potential settlements from social media lawsuits are directed toward youth development programs. The antidote for addictive social media platforms is the abundance of people and programs that protect youth, prevent harm, and promote their well-being. Help us lift up how youth programs support young people in the age of social media, and weigh in on how settlement dollars should be invested.
M, H, ULA, MLA, CB, DS
Strand: BOOST Nation Town Hall; Sustainability
BOOST Nation: Town hall Contact
Have any questions or suggestions for a BOOST Nation: Town Hall meeting?
Please note: Name badges are required to attend all BOOST Conference events including all meals and all workshops.
