The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has two free, full-day programs for youth coming up during school breaks. Playing with Dinos takes place during Regents week, January 28-30, 2015. Youth in grades 9-12 will delve deep into AMNH's dinosaur halls and educational game design to help staff develop quick, fun, and easy games for museum visitors to play. Killer Snails takes place over February break, February 16-20, 2015. Youth in grades 8-12 will help to develop a card game to be distributed by AMNH, working with scientists and game designers to learn about venom toxins, game design, and killer snails. Youth can apply here for Playing with Dinos and here for Killer Snails. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

The National Liberty Museum's Selma Speech & Essay Contest engages high school students ages 14-18 in thinking, writing and speaking about relevant, current issues of individual freedom and self-determination in the US today. In order to enter, youth must view the film Selma and submit an original 500-700 word speech and a videotaped reading of this speech on the topic: "What do you think needs to be done today to protect individual freedom and self-determination? What are you doing or will you do to peacefully advance those rights?" The grand prize is $5,000, with runners-up receiving between $500 and $2,500 each. The deadline to enter is January 30, 2015.

The Latino College Expo is holding its Annual Leadership Summit and College Fair on March 14, 2015. The Expo, which is open to high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors and their families, provides a full day of activities aimed at inspiring students and equipping them with the tools and information necessary to attain college success. The Leadership Summit begins at 8:00am and is comprised of workshops on such topics as college access, the college application process, financial aid, scholarships, college sports, visual and performing arts, and leadership. Youth must register online (passcode: youthsummit2015) for Leadership Summit workshops. The College Fair begins at 12:00pm, after the workshops have ended. There is no registration required for the fair, but the earlier participants arrive, the better. Schools and organizations from all over the country are attending to share information about their institutions.

The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) has released RFPs for SONYC and COMPASS programs. Through the SONYC RFP, DYCD is seeking qualified nonprofit organizations to provide programs for students in grades 6-8 at the public school sites that currently lack comprehensive afterschool services. Through the two COMPASS RFPs, the City is seeking qualified nonprofit organizations to operate school-based and/or center-based elementary programs for students in grades K -5. DYCD anticipates that the term of the contracts awarded from these RFPs will be from July 1, 2015 to August 31, 2018 with an option to renew for two additional years. Click here for more information about eligible sites, how to submit proposals, and when pre-proposal conferences for each RFP will be held.

On January 28, 2015, the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) holds a free webinar, Breaking Stereotypes: How Role Models and Mentors are Inspiring Girls in STEM. Through initiatives like the FabFems Project (an international directory of female STEM role models), the NGCP brings together individuals and organizations committed to supporting and engaging girls in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM). In the webinar, participants will hear how role models and mentors are creating impact in national and international settings, through both in-person and online environments. The webinar will also explore programs and resources from throughout NGCP and the FabFems network, and share opportunities to get involved in role modeling and mentoring projects.

On February 2, 2015, Graduate NYC!, the NYC Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Readiness, Capital One Bank, and the New School's Center for NYC Affairs hold a Community Best Practices Forum on FAFSA, Financial Aid, & Funding Your Students' College Education. The event will share useful tips from the New School's republished "FAFSA: The How-To Guide for High School Students," which was designed to meet the needs of NYC's first generation college students. Forum attendees will also get updated information on college financing and new tools for working with students on FAFSA and financial aid issues, and there will be networking and opportunities for questions and discussions throughout the day. Participants must register ahead of time, and space is limited.

To mark its 15-year anniversary, TASC recently released a report on its history and how the afterschool field has grown over time entitled After-School and Beyond: A 15-Year History of The After-School Corporation. In the report, TASC reflects on the challenges it has faced over the years and the lessons learned, discusses the history of the afterschool field in New York City, and shares thoughts about where the field can continue to grow in the future.

The Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative has released "You Can't Fix What You Don't Look At: Acknowledging Race in Addressing Racial Discipline Disparities." This briefing paper highlights recommendations for school administrators, educators, and youth workers recommendations for a race-conscious approach to intervention, as a way of beginning to frankly discuss and directly address racial disparities, including discipline disparities. This is the fourth in a series of briefing papers on disparities in discipline.