PASE Network News

Curious to learn more about restorative justice in schools? Check out the recently launched project, On Our Terms. The project was designed by an intergenerational group of New York City students, parents, educators, and activists, shaped by the wisdom of first-hand experience with restorative justice and activism. The online platform, and the companion print report, provides an opportunity to hear directly from those who have experienced restorative justice in schools on topics such as community and healing, reimagining safety, racial justice, and community building. Check out the project today to learn more about what restorative justice looks like in NYC schools today, as well as what the future could hold. 

In their new paper, Youth Work 2.0: Expanding Career Pathways for the Youth Development Sector, Change Impact expands upon decades of research and practice to offer three strategies for career development for youth workers and tools that can guide a more equitable approach to workforce development. They provide examples from their partners to demonstrate the benefits of investing in youth workers. Change Impact has also included a curated list of new resources on this topic.

Assessing an organization’s efforts can be a first step to improving them. At youth programs, good data can mean better decisions on staff training, student activities, and other key matters. This report from the Wallace Foundation looks at how afterschool, summer, and other out-of-school-time (OST) programs gauge their work and impact. It also examines the obstacles they face in doing so. In addition to surveying these common challenges, the report offers recommendations for how to remove those obstacles. It is based in large part on interviews and surveys of staff from OST programs that experts in the OST field recommended for study. 

From 2019 through 2021, five Boys & Girls Club organizations, with startup resources from The Wallace Foundation, set out to test whether they could develop the Youth Arts Initiative within the resource constraints of multipurpose OST programs. This report shares early lessons learned by these five OST organizations, which were documented by a two-and-a-half-year study. It provides a preliminary roadmap for multipurpose OST organizations seeking to increase the quality of their arts programming and close gaps in access to high-quality arts programming.

After hearing about the difficulties faced in obtaining approval from New York City in becoming a vendor that can accept city funding, Change Impact created a guide that will help you through the vendor process. If you would like an electronic and/or hard copy of this guide, which features helpful tips and suggestions on obtaining MTAC approval, please email communications@heckscherfoundation.org with your organization name, an individual to direct the mail to, and a mailing address. If you would like to receive the electronic version only, please indicate that when you reach out. Heckscher Foundation for Children will then send it to you at no expense.