The YWCA of the City of New York works to eliminate racism, empower women, and stand up for social justice by providing leadership and advocacy training for young women in culturally diverse communities. Their Women’s History Month Girls Symposium will take place in-person on March 31, 2023 and virtually on April 1, 2023. Together, attendees will engage in dialogue around the theme of “A Force for the Future,” which aims to drive conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusivity across all facets of life. Registration is now open.

Writers in grades 6 to 12 in New York City are invited to submit poetry and prose to be judged by a panel of Brooklyn Public Library’s expert young adult librarians for creativity, style and voice. They are offering separate prizes for middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) writers. Top winners in poetry and prose will receive the Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize with cash awards, and have their pieces published in the Teen Writing Journal distributed by Brooklyn Public Library. Winners will be notified by email no later than May 1, 2023. Submissions are open until March 31, 2023.

The New York Urban League has launched the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Scholarship for students entering college in Fall 2023. Eligible participants will receive a scholarship ranging from $1,500 to $10,000, participate in quarterly professional development activities, and gain access to internship and employment opportunities while being mentored by volunteers of the New York Urban League and New York Urban League Young Professionals. Applications are due March 11, 2023.

The Collaborative for Advancing Health Equity in Out-of-School Time (OST) invites OST professionals to join the Advancing Health Equity in OST Community of Practice (CoP). Designed to be a collective learning experience, CoP members will connect virtually to share best practices, successes, and challenges with implementing health equity strategies. Sessions take place from 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM on March 28, 2023, April 25, 2023, and May 23, 2023. Register by March 24, 2023.

The Johnson Family Foundation is launching a fellowship program to help build a pipeline for rising social justice leaders. The Johnson Justice Fellowship is a full-time two-year fellowship, based in New York City, for people interested in leading careers in the service of the public good. They are partnering with Riders Alliance, Center for Popular Democracy, and New American Leaders to launch this fellowship. Applications are due by March 31, 2023.

On the surface, the 2022-2023 school year looks like a return to normalcy. Nearly all public schools report offering full-time in-person classes, most have stopped COVID protocols, and the percentage of schools reporting that staff or students have been quarantined is down. A survey of 1,016 afterschool program providers conducted by Afterschool Alliance found that 94 percent of afterschool program providers are physically open. However, a closer examination reveals irregularities indicating that more work remains to be done before declaring a rebound from the pandemic. Read their brief, "Afterschool Programs Open, but Still Recovering Post-Pandemic," to learn more about the issues arising.

Out-of-school time programs have a long history of focusing on social and emotional learning skills as part of their mission to build a sense of belonging among young people and positive relationships between youth and adults. High-quality SEL programs have been shown to improve young people’s behavior, attitudes, and academic performance. Skills for Success: Developing Social and Emotional Competencies in Out-of-School-Time Programs, a report from the RAND Corporation, provides tips and recommendations to help OST providers incorporate high-quality SEL instruction and practices into their programs.

The Wallace Foundation has released a new podcast series, Beyond the Classroom, that discusses findings from a student-designed study meant to help surface young people’s insights into how to improve out-of-school time (OST) programs. The study, consisting of focus groups and a survey, was designed by 12 high school and college students from New York, Colorado and Kentucky and was advised by four university researchers. The three-episode podcast series brings together members of the research team and OST practitioners to discuss the findings of the study and offer solutions around accessibility, improving staff recruitment and retention, and creating spaces where everyone belongs.

Search for job opportunities in afterschool from organizations including YMCA of Greater New York, StreetSquash, and Youth Communication on PASE's Job & Volunteer Listings.