The DAA Collective newsletter keeps Denver's afterschool community connected to resources, professional learning and networking opportunities. Learn more about us.
January Coffee and Conversation Networking Event
Let's welcome 2025 with connection!
Building community and deepening relationships is a priority for the DAA in 2025. Join us on Wednesday, January 29th from 9am-11am for an opportunity to meet, connect and network with peers in the Out-of-School Time community! We all share the goal of providing access to high quality afterschool and summer programming for youth, so come ready to share and learn about all the diverse OST opportunities Denver has to offer.
As an added bonus, this event will take place at the new Blossom House Community Hub (3300 W Nevada Place, Denver, CO 80219)! Cultivated by LifeSpan Local, this hub will include early childhood education, a Denver Public Library branch, a community kitchen, youth space, community spaces and much more!
Upcoming Spanish-Language Method's Workshops Available
Please join us for one, or both of two SEL Methods Workshops provided in Spanish. These hands-on workshops, created by the Weikart center, provide participants with SEL skills geared to improve the quality of staff interactions with youth and support youth SEL skill development. The two workshops we will start with are:
Únase a nosotros en uno o ambos de los dos Talleres de Métodos SEL ofrecidos en español.
Estos talleres prácticos, creados por el Weikart Center, proporcionan a los participantes habilidades de SEL diseñadas para mejorar la calidad de las interacciones del personal con los jóvenes y apoyar el desarrollo de habilidades SEL en los jóvenes. Los dos talleres con los que comenzaremos son:
Calling all Band Leaders, Dance Teams, ROTC, Community Partners and more! The Future Fest 2025 Parade Registration is now OPEN! Sign your group up today and be a part of this vibrant celebration on April 26, 2025! Learn more at denvergov.org/futurefest
Denver Free Days are back in 2025! Organizations from across the metro area provide hundreds of free days and free programs each year made possible, in part, by funding from SCFD (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District). Mile High Mamas has created a guide for easy reference all year long to all the FREE opportunities available! Check it out HERE.
DAAconnect Updates
For 2024 OCA award recipients, the final due date for Fall 2024 award reports (with programming dates Aug 19-Dec 31) is due January 21!
Need help? Don't wait until the last minute: email us at DAAconnect@denvergov.org TODAY and we can help!
Opportunities for Teens and Young Adults
FilmSeen is an incredible opportunity for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 13-18 to dive into the world of filmmaking! This FREE program, brought to you by YouthSeen and SeriesFest's Mobile Cinema Lab, is designed to help young creatives tell their stories and bring them to life on screen.
Participants will:
Learn the essentials of preproduction, production, and postproduction.
Work alongside industry professionals to create their own short films.
Celebrate their creations at a special screening event!
Program Dates: January 28 - February 27 Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:00-8:00 PM Location: At YouthSeen (address shared after registration)
Spots are limited to just 20 participants, so register HERE today!
Spread the word about this incredible opportunity by sharing thisprogram flyer with your networks!
Applications are open for the Denver Sister Cities International's Denver Young Ambassador Program! The Denver Young Ambassador program is a life-changing initiative that gives Denver teens (ages 14–17) the opportunity to experience immersive cultural exchanges, foster meaningful collaborations, and amplify Denver’s voice in the global community.
Scholarships are available! For more information, click HERE.
Community Opportunities
Seeking Storytellers and Filmmakers! The acclaimedSeriesFest Mobile Cinema Lab Summer Intensive is looking for students ages 13-18 who are seeking to apply, grow, and hone their skills for creating content. By using professional film equipment, students will work as a team to write, direct, edit, and act in their own short film or TV Pilot, guided by film industry experts. This one week camp is open to all levels of aspiring filmmakers- beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The camp concludes with a special red carpet screening for friends and family!
Dates: June 16-20, 2025 AND June 23-27, 2025
Location: Community College of Aurora
Transform Education Now (TEN) is hosting an upcoming School Choice Event to support families in exploring educational opportunities for their children.
This event will provide valuable resources, information, and connections to help families make informed decisions about their child’s education.
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, January 25th
Time: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Location: Infinity Park Event Center, 4400 E Kentucky Ave, Glendale, CO 80246
Please spread the word out to your communities with the following flyers (there is a QR code available on the flyers to register to attend): English Spanish
EQurious Miranda’s musings on all things SEAL
2025=CREATIVITY!
Hello Qurious Readers!
With the new year in full swing, I am grounding myself in a theme for the year. I find that having a focus helps manage the overwhelm that has a tendency to creep in and consume me. In the final 2024 post, I wrote about the Right Brain Refresh and how it ignited passion and motivation in a new way for me. This morning while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Martha Beck was talking about her new book, Beyond Anxiety and the power of accessing the right side of our brains and how to use creativity and curiosity to move through anxiety. I had just experienced this a month ago at Art from Ashes and it made sense that intentionally engaging in creative activities could be a tool to reduce and move through anxiety, while simultaneously increasing joy and productivity. This is the word/theme I had been searching for: CREATIVITY.
I am grateful to have this EQurious space to lean in and access my creativity, and invite you to consider how and where you can create space for yourself, your team and young people to express their creativity. One idea is to create a vision boardor creativity journal or a combination of both with your staff and young people. It offers opportunities to write, draw, doodle, cut out pictures…the ideas are endless! Supervisors can use them as a touchstone for check-ins with their staff, group leaders can use them to facilitate activities with youth as a whole group, or as a tool when youth need space to work through anxiety, challenges and/or to express their joy and ideas. Whatever you decide to try: be intentional, make it a priority, and reflect regularly.
How will creativity propel and fuel your 2025 goals and intentions?!?
