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Letter from BOOST

Greetings BOOSTers!

We hope you are enjoying your summer!  Did you know that July is Park and Recreation month?  We encourage you to get out and enjoy your local parks or take a road trip and discover your area parks.  

Since 1985, America has celebrated July as the nation's official Park and Recreation Month.  This year's theme is "Rock Your Park!"

Take the Five in July Park Pledge

There are five weekends in July 2011 - five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays!  Create a healthy weekend habit by getting out to a park, trail, playground, swimming pool, natural area, or other public space every weekend.  Feel the energy of the crowds and have a great time!  For more information visit http://www.nrpa.org/july. 

Thank you for all of the work you do to support children, youth, families and communities.

Stay cool,

Tia Quinn
Executive Director, BOOST Collaborative

BOOST Interns Graduate  

On May 22, our college intern Allison Spalding graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Art History.  Allison was an intern at the BOOST Collaborative for the spring semester. Allison played a major role in presenter coordination and management for the 2011 BOOST Conference.  

At the completion of her internship, Allison has joined the BOOST Collaborative Team as an Event Assistant.  Congratulations Allison!



 

On Friday, June 10, our high school interns Josh Synder and Nick Fontaine graduated from Health Sciences High and Middle College (HSHMC) in San Diego, CA.

Josh and Nick were a valuable part of the BOOST Collaborative team this spring and assisted with the preparation for the 2011 BOOST Conference.  We are very proud of Josh and Nick and all their accomplishments. Josh and Nick will both be attending Grossmont College in the fall. We wish Josh and Nick the best as they begin a new chapter in their lives.

Click here to view the news segement from NBC San Diego featuring the HSHMC graduation.

BOOST Professional Development

WIN A FREE HEALTHY BEHAVIORS CONFERENCE REGISTRATION 

(worth $325) 

1. Subscribe to our YouTube page

2. Tell us what your favorite video is from our YouTube page by posting your response on our Facebook page.  

One YouTube subscriber will be chosen at random to win free conference registration (worth $325) to the Healthy Behaviors Conference in San Diego this December!  

Contest starts on July 14 and ends on July 27 at 5:00pm PST. Winner will be chosen at random. Includes only conference registration (worth $325) for the Healthy Behaviors Conference December 7-9, 2011 in San Diego, CA. Does not include travel, hotel, or other associated expenses.

Summertime is upon us. Summer brings many changes for OST programs. Many afterschool programs turn into full-day programs. The mix of children is dramatically altered - new children register for the summer program that did not attend the program during the school year. Some older kids depart and a new batch of kindergartners arrives. The curriculum and routine of the afterschool program transform into a very different summer program. The staff makeup of the program may change if new staff are hired or school-year programs are combined to form fewer full-day programs. These changes significantly transform the sense of community in school-age child care programs.

To read more by Mike Ashcraft click here.

To read other weekly entries please click here. 

Program Highlight

aNoteToMyKid.com  

A New Program for LGBTQ Youth and their Families 

It Gets Better: aNoteToMyKid's Patrick Wallace

aNotetoMyKid.com is a new Web site designed to give parents of LGBTQ children, or any parents for that matter, the opportunity to publicly share letters of unconditional love for their children. The site officially launched in May 2011 with eight heartfelt letters from loving parents from across the country. 

Designed to be a positive force in the lives of parents and children around the world, aNoteToMyKid.com also hopes to provide parents who may not know how to broach the subject of sexuality with their children with an opportunity to learn from example.  

"The love and support of our parents has been a treasured blessing in our lives," said Patrick Wallace, aNoteToMyKid.com Ambassador. "But many people we've been fortunate enough to meet have not been so lucky. We've heard stories first hand of LGBT youth being ridiculed, disowned and physically abused for being gay. If aNoteToMyKid.com helps just one parent learn how to express his or her love then our work - this labor of love - will have a purpose." 

Here are a few select quotes from the letters currently posted on aNotetoMyKid.com: 

  "I feel great about telling others that you are gay, and using it to explain the goodness that you put forth in life, and the strength you have shown while growing up in a world that can be judgmental, prejudice, and mean to those "THEY" perceive as different.  Everyone is different, and thank heavens for that!!!"

"I do not love you because you are gay; I do not love you even though you are gay; I love you because you are my son and because you are such a wonderful person." 

"My best advice is to follow your heart, never fear the unknown, seek out the differences in people and, accept yourself for who you are, always carry integrity with you and be welcoming of people from all walks of life."

All parents and family members from all walks of life are encouraged to submit their own unique letters of unconditional love. If interested, please submit letters via email [email protected] or [email protected]. Our team will review any and all letters we receive. 

Phyras Men  

Co-Art Director

Long Beach YMCA Youth Institute

Long Beach, CA

Over the past 6 years Phyras Men has mentored, taught and supported high school youth at the Long Beach YMCA Youth Institute. With his 10 years of experience as a digital media artist, Phyras helps youth reach their highest potential through youth development and digital media arts programs. In recognition of his work with youth, he received an award of Innovation in Career and Work Skills Development.

Phyras has mastered the art of being a mentor, a friend, and a brother. He is "Youth Development" personified, being one of the first staff to arrive to programs and one of the last staff to leave every day. Phyras' ability to uniquely connect with the youth he serves makes him an outstanding staff member. Because he grew up in the Youth Institute and is from the same neighborhood as the youth he serves, Phyras is able to make personal connections with the youth. He can empathize with youth in a way that they do not feel like they are at it alone. The youth he serves can count on him to be there at any given time, through thick and thin. He is not only respected and admired by the youth but also by his colleagues. Phyras is an integral part of a positive, creative, and forward-thinking team.   

Submitted by:

Carola Secada

Operations and Training Director

Downtown Community Development Long Beach YMCA

Long Beach, CA

Have a staff member you would like to recognize in the our monthly newsletter?  Contact us at [email protected]

Recommended # of Participants: 10-40

Setup: A flat area with grass or dirt is preferred. This area should be free of any ground hazards. We do not recommend running this activity on the pavement.  

Objective: To stand up from the ground at the same time as your partner, staying connected and maintaining your balance for 3 seconds.

Instructions:
1) Sit on the ground facing your partner (both team members must start with their bottoms on the ground).
2) Team members' hands and feet must stay in contact throughout the activity.

3) Team members must stand up at the same time and hold the upright position for 3 seconds without loosing their balance.
4) Once the group members stand up in pairs, they then have to help their teammates succeed and move to the next challenge.

5) In the next challenge, the same rules apply; work with 3 people, 4 people, half the group, and then the whole group!

Example:  Sit down with a partner and demonstrate what the team will be doing without showing them the exact technique.  Demonstrate hands together, feet together,bottoms on the ground, and stand up at the same time.

Safety: 
Give 2-3 feet of space between groups
Remind group members that if they are going to lose their balance, don't go all out with the save. Encourage them to regain their balance and try again.
When trying this with 6 or more people, it is important to debrief with the group and remind them of the following risks: 

      *Before standing up, make sure no one's arms, shoulders, or wrists are twisted in an uncomfortable way.
      *Make sure all group members are ready to begin before pulling them off the ground.
      *Be careful of falling on top of other people 

 

Submitted by: Jered Cherry  

Program Director
Positive Adventures
San Diego, California  
www.positiveadventures.com 

Low-income students suffer large learning setbacks over summer vacation, but in Making Summer Count: How Summer Can Boost Children's Learning, RAND researchers find evidence of ways to ease the problem, and analyze costs, challenges and opportunities.