News
Check out the latest news about NAA and special announcements pertinent to the field of afterschool.
Mentorship and its Impact on the OST Profession
Monday, 09 January 2023 13:10January is National Mentorship Month! Mentorship allows people of all ages to learn from one another, providing a path to knowledge transfer for education, work, and more. Mentoring exposes young people to caring, involved role models, and while out-of-school-time professionals often serve in that role for the young people in their programs, the relationships built between mentors and mentees are important for both individuals and organizations.
The Connection Between Improv & Confidence at Work
Monday, 09 January 2023 13:09Does the thought of meeting new people, public speaking, or introducing yourself in a room full of strangers give you cold sweats and heart palpitations? These standard, professional job obligations can be an anxiety trigger for many, but the art of performing comedy without a script could help ease your nerves. Improv can increase creativity, well-being, and our ability to tolerate uncertainty in a few simple ways.
AT&T and NAA Team Up for The Achievery
Monday, 09 January 2023 13:07NAA is teaming up with AT&T to offer you and your youth an amazing online learning resource named The Achievery.
What Do You Want to Learn More About This Year?
Tuesday, 03 January 2023 11:25It’s a new year ripe with different opportunities to further foster development, provide education, and encourage advocacy for the out-of-school-time community. At NAA, we have a few focal points to cover, and we want to hear from you about what you are most interested in learning and experiencing in 2023.
‘Thank you’ is a Verb: How to Recognize the Hard Work of OST Professionals in 2023
Tuesday, 03 January 2023 11:24We have all seen it and felt it; the sense of wellbeing in adults is often closely tied to how we experience our workdays. Sources of job stress, job turnover, and job dissatisfaction among youth development professionals have been identified as things like work-life imbalances, overwhelming workloads, lack of training or professional development, and not being meaningfully recognized for the time and expertise they contribute. This new year is filled with opportunities – prioritizing how we demonstrate appreciation for out-of-school time workers will help us pursue each with better-connected employees.
2022 Reflections with CEO Gina Warner
Tuesday, 03 January 2023 11:22The new year brings with it fresh opportunities to dream up and pursue both personal and professional goals. Before we charge full speed ahead, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the trials and triumphs we experienced in 2022. It has been a year with continued resilience and cautious optimism as in-person meetings, office hours, and events slowly made their way back into our lives. 365 days of reimagining and rebuilding in a post-pandemic nation together is cause for some celebration.
New Year’s Resolutions You Can Fulfill at Convention
Tuesday, 03 January 2023 11:213…2…1… Happy New Year! 2023 offers each of us a blank slate. It comes with brand-new opportunities to get our thoughts organized and our things right through dedication kick-started by resolutions. Setting New Year’s resolutions is a form of self-efficacy; “by virtue of aspiring to a goal and following through on it, I have a sense of control over what's happening in my life.” With the crisis of the pandemic behind us, and new normals before us, this year comes in with a reminder to carve out time just for you. In fewer than three months, you can knock out your most critical resolutions by attending the National AfterSchool Association’s 2023 Convention!
Job Quality: It's What's on the Agenda this Legislative Session
Wednesday, 21 December 2022 08:16It’s that time of year again; 43 states are preparing for their State Legislature or General Assembly to begin in January, while two have already started, and five gear up in February and March. Though each state has its policies to create, enact, or kill, some common themes emerge among proposed legislation for workers across the nation. Uplifting the out-of-school time (OST) profession has been an NAA focal point since day one. Now, equipped with a more robust advocacy strategy, NAA is poised to support a comprehensive overhaul of job quality in the field with our Thriving Workforce Initiative.
6 Tips to Navigating Holiday Fatigue
Monday, 19 December 2022 09:50The holiday season is often filled with loved ones, food and excitement. It can also be a time of anxiety and stress. Work deadlines, family obligations, disrupted sleeping patterns, and more add to physical and emotional exhaustion. Fortunately, there are ways to combat the effects of stretching ourselves too thin or the negative impact of holidays.
NAA COO Heidi Ham Named December’s Reloveutionary Leader
Wednesday, 14 December 2022 14:21The National AfterSchool Association’s very own Chief Operating Officer, Heidi Ham, has been announced as the December Reloveutionary Leader by Reloveution!
Reloveution (ree-love-ooshun) is a mission-based movement determined to create a world where every workplace is designed to support the needs of human beings AND achieve its highest goals with compassion and community. Founder Melissa Badgley explained that Heidi was nominated as the Reloveutionary Leader of the month because she lives the mission of the organization every day.
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