This week as part of our Rising Resources blog, we’re introducing you to the highly teacher-oriented site, You for Youth. This website was created for educators to discover the resources and gain the knowledge they need to manage their 21st CCLC (century community learning center) program and make it the best after school experience possible. To allow educators to do this, You for Youth helps facilitate collaboration and provides professional learning opportunities plus plenty more!
To start learning more about what Y4Y has to offer, teachers can simply sign in or create an account. As with many of the resources we recommend, educators can explore the page on its own without an account, but if they think they will be a frequent user, creating one can only be beneficial. This week’s resource is different than others because its focus is geared strictly towards instructors rather than students too.
Other resources, such as Funbrain and Robot App Store, are platforms where students and teachers are learning side by side, or where educators are guiding students. You for Youth’s objectives are to meet the needs of different types of educators. To help start, there are resources intended for state coordinators, program/site coordinators, and 21st CCLC practitioners.
The You for Youth website contains a multitude of resources and learning opportunities. Learning opportunities stem from detail oriented, in-depth courses, guides, webinars, blogs, and even mini 30-minute courses called click & go. Although each of these learning opportunities is valuable, I found the courses had the most to offer. Each course is outlined with an introduction, strategies, how to coach your staff, and the tools needed to begin.
There are up to 11 courses to delve into, from an introduction to 21st century community learning centers to STEM and even college and career readiness. What makes this section such a phenomenal resource is the range of topics. Another great feature is the notepad as it allows teachers to take notes throughout the course and then come back to them at any point by just signing in.
The resources are just as helpful as the learning opportunities but are a faster way to get to the information. The best part about this section is the learn more library. In this section, there are external links and videos that coincide with the Y4Y courses, so teachers can advance their knowledge. For CCLC program leaders looking to integrate STEM, there is also a STEM initiatives section to check out. It has types of projects to get your program involved with NASA, the National Parks Service, and even NOAA, for example!
The Y4Y team also offers free technical training services to those interested. Training topics include STEM, literacy, family engagement, and much more. There are also customizable training sessions that can be targeted to meet a range of needs. On this page teachers can directly send in a request form or any general questions about they have about the section. If they need any other help as they navigate the website or have a suggestion for how to make it better, I found that the best way to contact them directly.
After checking out their STEM initiatives and everything else on this resourceful website, make sure to head over to our store to see what other cool EdTech you can get your hands on for your program. We have everything from classroom bundles to robots and much more that can enrich your CCLC program. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for the latest Facebook, Twitter and Instagram updates on all things tech related as well!