The DAA Collective newsletter keeps Denver's afterschool community connected to resources, professional learning and networking opportunities. Learn more about us.
DAA National Lights on Afterschool Photo Contest
Youth from VIVE Wellness pose with their decorated lightbulbs
Thank you to everyone that participated in the DAA National Lights on Afterschool Photo Contest!
The winner of the contest is....VIVE Wellness!
A photo mosaic has been created from all of the pictures we received of youth with their decorated lightbulbs. Check out the mosaic on the DAAlearn website, HERE.
DAA Collective Coffee and Conversation
On Wednesday, November 8th, the DAA Collective Leadership Team hosted our first "Coffee and Conversation" event at Central Park Recreation Center! Providers and professionals gathered together to converse about the intersection between OST and youth mental health. They discussed the challenges and barriers their organizations face, as well as recognizing and sharing the actions and ideas they are using to build better connections with youth. Shout out to everyone who attended for engaging enthusiastically and thoughtfully, and for fostering great opportunities for creativity and collaboration! And special shout outs to our Office of Children's Affairs colleagues, Austin Collins (Mental Health Administrator), Rhett Gutierrez (Policy Director), and Kim Schulz (Associate Director of Strategy and Sustainability) for helping to facilitate and support this conversation.
In our November 22nd DAA Collective Newsletter, we will feature a more in-depth synopsis and re-cap of the event, including resources to share, so please make sure you check that out!
The December Coffee and Conversation event will take place on Tuesday, December 5th from 9a-11a. Location and topic TBD!
Support Resources For Families In Need
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.
Although registration for the Denver Rescue Mission's Thanksgiving Banquet-In-A-Box program is full, people can arrive at Empower Field at Mile High in Parking Lot B (1701 Bryant St, Denver, CO, 80204) between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. on November 21, 2023 to pick up a Thanksgiving box. Boxes will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis.
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.
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
Beginning November 10, when you log in to DAAconnect, you will see some new updates! We worked with our vendor, Cityspan, to make DAAconnect more user friendly and streamlined. Updates and changes are also being made to the Youth Program Locator to make searching easier for families and providers.
Some of the updates include:
The Focus Area form will be removed from DAAconnect and this will be reflected in the Dashboard and in the profile forms.
The Partner Directory will be removed and will now be combined with the Youth Program Locator.
The Program Schedule form has been expanded to include specific times on specific days; there is also a new option of ‘TBD’ for programs that do not yet have a schedule, but should still be shown on the Locator.
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!
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
Scholars Unlimited has key finance roles open! If you are interested in making a huge community impact and working with amazing humans, please consider applying!
Registration for Girls Inc. of Metro Denver's Creating The Future STEM Camp is currently open! This FREE camp aims to foster curiosity and inspire girls to develop a passion for STEM subjects and careers with hands-on learning experiences. The camp runs from November 20th-21st, and is open to 4th-6th grade girls.
Registration closes on Friday, November 10th! For more information, and to register, check out these flyers: English Spanish
The Flourish Lab (powered by StandUP) is an online professional growth experience for out-of-school time educators. Designed to positively shift the way adults show up for young people, The Flourish Lab uses a series of virtual workshops to encourage youth-serving adults to create supportive environments for young people by learning how to flourish first.
Join for an interactive and informational webinar to learn more about how to develop your afterschool staff. REGISTER HERE: November 14 | 1:00 - 1:45 MT
Emotional Intelligence Corner:
Grounding Into Our Bodies
Many of us notice when young people in our programs (and in our personal lives) are dysregulated and look to implement strategies to bring them back into their body and regulate their systems. One of the greatest tools we can offer young people is to show up for them ourselves in a regulated state. Practicing small strategies regularly, when we are not dysregulated, increases the likelihood we will notice and implement them when we notice ourselves being activated. Here are a few somatic strategies we can use to ground ourselves and regulate our systems so we can show up as our best selves for the youth we serve. The work you do is beautiful, rewarding, stressful and challenging…take care of yourself and what you need!
If you want to go deeper in learning about regulating your nervous system and more tools and resources…check out thisarticle from Unyte.
Here are a few grounding techniques to try:
Run water over your hands
Move your body in ways that feel most comfortable to you
Focus on your breathing while you control how you inhale and exhale
