The DAA Collective newsletter keeps Denver's afterschool community connected to resources, professional learning and networking opportunities. Learn more about us.
Submit a 2024 Afterschool Professional Award Nomination by Friday, March 1st!
The Denver Afterschool Alliance's Afterschool Professional Awards Ceremony is back for 2024!!
We will spend this years Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week (April 22nd-26th) acknowledging and highlighting the power and impact of OST providers, culminating with an awards ceremony where selected individuals and organizations in the Denver Metro Area will be acknowledged by city and community leaders. We invite you to honor a peer, supervisor, yourself and/or your organization with a nomination in the following six award categories that align with DAA’s values of Equity and Inclusivity; Quality; Collaboration; Driven by Data and Creativity. A committee comprised of DAA staff, DAA Sustainability Coalition members and DAA Collective members will work together to select award recipients.
Organizational Quality Future OST Leader Creativity and Innovation Equity and Inclusivity Youth and Community Collaborator OST Champion
Please click on the form below for a more detailed description of the award categories and to submit a nomination! Nominations are due by 5pm on Friday, March 1st! Not sure if the person (or you) fits a specific category? NOMINATE! If you have someone in mind that you want to honor, celebrate and appreciate: submit a nomination. If the person is not selected for the “award,” they will still receive notification of the nomination and that makes a HUGE impact. Let people know you see them and appreciate them!
Is your organization looking to hire teens for the summer? Does your organization serve teens that will be looking for summer employment opportunities? Let's bridge the divide in our DAA Collective newsletter! If you would like to spread the word about employment opportunities to youth serving organizations in Denver, please send a flyer or job posting to Erma Cerda. We will post it in the newsletter for programs to share with young job seekers!
Hero Kids Sports is looking to hire positive, enthusiastic young people (ages 16+) with an interest in developing their leadership skills and helping kids build confidence through sport for their summer Coach In Training (CIT) positions. For more information, click HERE.
Join the TEN Community!
Transform Education Now (TEN) builds power with communities to demand innovation, improvement, and high-quality public schools in all neighborhoods, with a mission to ensure that every child has access to a great school. Their work is driven by our communities and our parent leaders across the city. They would love for parents from your networks to join in these discussions and provide their invaluable leadership!
For more information about TEN Colorado and how parents can join their community, check out their website HERE.
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 HERE
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 AQUÍ
Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.
DAAconnect Updates
We are partnering with DPS’ Youth Resiliency team to provider greater visibility of the Youth Program Locator across DPS schools and in front of youth and families that could benefit from programs and resources. As we are ramping up our marketing efforts with DPS, please check your listing on the Youth Program Locator for accuracy and make any needed updates to descriptions, schedules, etc. Also, we are looking for more family support services to be added the Youth Program Locator! If any partner organizations you work with offer any family support services, like rental assistance, mental health counseling, clothing, etc., please let our DAAconnect team know!
Help us help families….The Youth Program Locator is only beneficial for youth and families if the listings are accurate, up-to-date and there are a variety of programs and resources available!
New feature alert: If you have a program coming soon you would like to be listed on the Locator, but do not know the specific dates and times, we now have a solution! When setting up a Program, select the “Schedule to be determined” option. See example below:
If you have any questions or need assistance with you profile, we are happy to help…reach out to daaconnect@denvergov.org or schedule a meeting HERE.
The Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization (AOPYO) is excited to share their new Youth Center with the community! Join AOPYO on February 24th from 12p -5pm for a day of wellness, live entertainment, food trucks and vendors to celebrate the grand opening! RSVP HERE
AOPYO offers a number of great classes all week long:
Monday: Zumba and Tai Chi for Community at 7pm Mondays and Wednesdays: Tai Chi for Middle Schoolers at 4:30pm and Tai Chi for High Schoolers at 5:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays: Drop In Sessions Wednesday: Tai Chi for Community at 7pm Thursday: Spanish for Community, ¡Palabra! at 7pm To register, click HERE
The CIRCLE Organization has some great offerings coming up:
CIRCLE's Cultural Café: Free to BE...BE Seen, BE Heard, BELONG
March 2nd, 2024 | TICKETS OPEN Get your ticket today! EARLY BIRD PRICING: First 50 tickets are $50 per ticket. For: Multi-Generational audience ~ educators, community members, life long learners, students, and creatives.
Join community leaders, educators, parents, and students for an interactive, collective learning experience. This year's annual multi-generational "Un-conference" Cultural Café will bring people together for an inclusive and interactive day of shared vision, learning, dialogue, and action. Hear from, and engage with inspiring speakers and fellow attendees around this year's theme: Free to BE...BE Seen, BE Heard, BELONG. Experience a cultural mercado while supporting local BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ vendors & creatives selling unique art, jewelry, and more! For more Details or How to Get Involved: https://events.humanitix.com/circle-cultural-cafe-2024
CIRCLE's STAMP Summer Camps Three different camps in June and August 2024! For: Rising 9th graders through students who just graduated high school.
CIRCLE's three summer camps are for 9th - 12th grade students eager to learn and grow together as they move through their own identity and leadership journey. They will develop friendships, meet with community leaders, and participate in hands-on projects to spark their creativity, understanding of their communities, and how to make change in their own unique way. These camps are a great way to get students involved in the STAMP programs and build connections with peers passionate about similar causes and issues. Details & Registration for all Three Camps:https://events.humanitix.com/tours/2024-stamp-camps
Leadership Out Loud is a program offered by Girls Inc. of Metro Denver for girls entering 9th and 10th grade. Through this program, girls gain leadership and advocacy skills through a week-long immersive summer camp, an internship with local leaders and organizations, a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with lawmakers, all while working on interest-driven advocacy campaigns.
UC Health's P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth) program is a five-hour, in-hospital injury awareness and prevention program for high school students. The goal of P.A.R.T.Y. is to provide young people with information about traumatic injury, thus enabling them to recognize potential injury producing situations, make safer choices and adopt behaviors that reduce risk. If you are interested in scheduling a P.A.R.T.Y. program at your organization, check out this program flyer.
Did you know Colorado children ages 5 and under can receive a free book every month just by signing up to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library? For more information and to register a child, click HERE.
Apple’s Swift Student Challenge is a global competition for students to showcase their creativity and coding skills by creating an app playground using the Swift programming language.
Challenge winners will receive one year of membership in the Apple Developer Program, a voucher to take an App Development with Swift certification exam, and a special gift from Apple! And new to this years challenge, out of the 350 Challenge winners, 50 Distinguished Winners will be recognized for their exceptional work with an invitation to Apple in Cupertino! Applications are now open through February 25, 2024! Click HERE for more information!
The CSU Extension 4-H Youth Development Program is offering a spring break day camp in Denver from March 25th-29th! The camp, Perfectly Imperfect, teaches youth (7th grade- 10th grade aged) about color, texture, shape and design while creating art! Register by February 23rd! For more information, check out the program flyer HERE.
Servicios de la Raza is offering an 8-week, culturally based, family strengthening community mobilization program called Cara y Corazón. This program is offered to equip parents and other extended family with tools and tips on raising and teaching their children with a positive bicultural base. They will meet every Thursday from 6pm-8pm starting April 4th through May 23rd. Check out the program flyer, HERE.
To sign up, click HERE.
If you have any questions regarding Cara y Corazon, please contact Jose Palacios
Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities
Coming Soon: The full DAA Collective Spring Slate will be released at the end of February!
Emotional Intelligence Corner: Enhancing Your Emotional Literacy
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK) is a nonprofit with a mission of making kindness the norm.
The foundation achieves this by inspiring and facilitating kindness through free resources focusing on schools, workplaces and home/communities. Random Acts of Kindness week is happening NOW! No worries…you can take on their daily challenges at any time. We invite you to check out the many resources RAK has to offer and show a bit of kindness to yourself and others today (and every day)! The suggested activity for kindness week today is:
