The DAA Collective newsletter keeps Denver's afterschool community connected to resources, professional learning and networking opportunities. Learn more about us.
Sign-Up to Attend December's Coffee and Conversation: Recruitment for Youth Programming
Participants at the November event voted, and the December Coffee and Conversation topic will be about recruitment for youth programming! We want to hear from both sides of this conversation: those struggling with consistently enrolling youth into their programs and those whose programs are at capacity and may have strategies around recruitment and retention. Let's work together to build collaborative opportunities within the OST community and strategize ideas on eliminating barriers and getting more young people into programs!
Please join us on Tuesday, December 5th from 9a-11a at Hiawatha Davis Jr. Recreation Center (3334 Holly St, Denver, CO 80207)
Re-Cap of OST and Youth Mental Health Coffee and Conversation
For those of you who were not able to make it, here’s what you missed at a glance… The November event provided space for the more than 30 participants, representing 20 organizations to mingle and share specifically what their programs are doing to support youth mental health (see below) as well as share questions and wonderings they have. We kicked everything off with Austin Collins, Mental Health Administrator, with the Office of Children Affairs, sharing his role with the city as well as a link to resources for the OST community. Finally, participants shared and explored the following questions with their tables, where they had robust conversations about:
How to support youth mental health when you are not a trained provider.
What are the barriers and gaps to providing support? What are some ideas and potential solutions to eliminate barriers?
Participants shared their ideal program states if barriers did not exist and what they can do together to start moving toward that ideal state.
How do you know mental health is a need for your youth and how do you measure impact?
The expectation was not to “solve” the challenges, but rather to share space, learn about each other, gather resources and make connections for the future.
Some people in attendance identified what their organizations are currently doing for youth mental health. To learn more, click on the links below:
This entire year has been a challenging one for everyone, and we know that the approaching holiday season is going to be particularly difficult and stressful for some of the families that we serve. Here is a short list of some resources to pass along to anyone that could use some extra support over the holidays:
Food Food Bank of the Rockiesoffers special holiday distributions, and their mobile pantries will provide fresh and shelf-stable items leading up to holidays and may have items like stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, gravy mix, and protein like turkey.
Utility/Bill Help
The Colorado Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) is a federally funded program that helps eligible Colorado families, seniors and individuals pay a portion of their winter home heating and water costs.
Community Ministry partners with Xcel energy and Energy Outreach Colorado to assist residents in paying overdue utility bills.
Toys Denver Santa Claus Shop invites parents who are referred from Denver Human Services, Social Service Agencies and Community Partners to Shop for toys for their children ages 0-11 in early December each year.
Kenzi's Causes will hold their Annual Toy Drive in Denver on December 2, 2023, providing each child (ages birth to 18) with a big toy, a small toy, and a wooden toy car. Registration and birth certificates are required to attend the event and guarantee toys for your child(ren). Registration will open on their website on Thursday, November 30th at 9am.
If your organization is offering support services to families over the holidays, and you would like for us to get the word out in the DAA Collective newsletter, please email program details to Erma Cerda.
DAAconnect Updates
New updates in DAAconnect
If you have logged in to DAAconnect recently, you may have noticed some changes! We have listened to our DAAconnect users and have implemented some exciting changes to help streamline the onboarding and profile updating process, including the following:
The Focus Area has been removed from the system and no longer appears in the Dashboard. This simplifies the profile setup and updating process and alleviates the confusion between a focus area and a program. Now you will simply need to make sure your Organization Info, Site Info and Program Schedules are updated in order to appear on the Youth Program Locator.
You now have the option to select that the program days and times are ‘To Be Determined’ on the Program Schedule form. This versatile option allows providers to advertise their programs to Denver families on the Youth Program Locator, while still figuring out some of the details, like the specific dates and times of the program schedule.
We appreciated everyone’s patience while the system was temporarily down for updates and look forward to continuing to improve DAAconnect for our providers’ data management needs.*
*Note: The Youth Program Locator is being updated this week and possibly next week by the City of Denver’s technology services team, so updates are being paused momentarily.
Winter break and spring term are just around the corner!
Are you offering programs during winter break? Do your programs change in the spring term? Make sure to update your program schedule in DAAconnect so that families can easily find you on the Youth Program Locator. If you are not on the Youth Program Locator or need to update your information, pleaselogin to DAAconnect today and update your programs.
Free After-School Meals Available for Denver's Youth
Out-of-School Time Community, please let youth in your programs know about the FREE after-school meal program!
The Office of Children’s Affairs warmly welcomes all youth aged 5 to 18 to receive a nutritious after-school supper and/or snack at various Tasty Food sites across the city. No ID or registration required – just come on over and enjoy!
To find a Tasty Food site near you, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/Tasty-Foods This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Comunidad de tiempo fuera de la escuela, ¡infórmeles a los jóvenes en sus programas sobre el programa de comidas GRATUITAS después de la escuela!
La Oficina de Asuntos Infantiles da la bienvenida a todos los jóvenes de 5 a 18 años para que reciban una cena y/o un refrigerio nutritivo después de la escuela en varios sitios de Tasty Food en toda la ciudad. No se requiere identificación ni registro, ¡solo ven y disfruta!
Para encontrar un sitio de Tasty Food cerca de usted, visite: https://tinyurl.com/Tasty-Foods Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.
Upcoming Professional Learning Sessions
We are so excited to see all of you at the upcoming professional learning sessions this fall! Please note:
If you are unable to attend after having signed up, please cancel your registration in Eventbrite or email Erma Cerda so that we can open seats up to other interested parties!
All sessions are slated to take place in-person at the times and dates listed. However, the details are subject to change if necessary (ie: inclement weather, facilitator illness, etc), so make sure that you register to attend so that you will receive important updates and correspondence!
Groundwork Denver is hiring for a Green Pathways Project Manager position!
Groundwork Denver has a mission to partner with youth and community to build a healthy, equitable, and sustainable environment.
Sims-Fayola Foundation is looking to fill an Empowerment Coach Position! Check out the job description HERE.
If you are interested in applying for this role, please email HR at joy@sffoundation.org
The Colorado Health Foundation Nonprofit Sabbatical Programgives nonprofit leaders the capacity for downtime and rejuvenation so they can reenter their professional lives with a fresh sense of commitment to their organization’s mission and those they serve. The sabbatical award is a grant that provides nonprofit executives with a salary subsidy, funds for their hiatus activities, and funds to support their organizations’ interim leadership needs, and staff capacity building.
The application closes December 15, 2023 at 11:59 p.m., MST.
If you’re a Colorado nonprofit executive who has served at least three years in your current executive role, has seven or more years of experience leading within the nonprofit sector, and has a demonstrated record of community contribution, you might be eligible for The Colorado Health Foundation 2024 Nonprofit Sabbatical Program.
Emotional Intelligence Corner:
What will you ripple out into the world today?
Last week was Anti-Bullying Awareness Week and the DAA provided several community partners with the book Each Kindness by Jaqueline Woodson whose central theme is the impact of bullying and the ripple effect of the small moments. Below are links to YouTube Read Aloud versions of the book in both English and Spanish. Video book readings can be a powerful learning modality for both youth and adults when focusing on SEAL concepts. What will you ripple out into the world today?
