What makes your favorite spot your favorite? What is it about the atmosphere that keeps you coming back for more? In this session, we’ll discuss how a positive environment and climate contribute to youth experiences in out-of-school settings, gain tools to improve youth spaces, and design a youth-friendly spot to which young people will flock!

Great programming is the core of all out-of-school time programs and is the key driver for helping youth to develop the skills and knowledge they need to be successful throughout their development. This session will cover the basics of great programming including key practices that create emotional safety and learning readiness, the key components of a great programming session, designing and implementing high-quality activities and programs, and best practice facilitation.

Managing a group of young people can be one of the hardest parts of youth development; you can’t lead engaging programming if youth aren’t listening or following directions! This interactive session will introduce core approaches for promoting positive behavior before and during program implementation and a simple strategy for responding to distracting youth behavior. Participants will leave with a clear plan for implementing successful group management to support youth in your program.

Strong school partnerships help create seamless experiences for youth. Fun afterschool activities that strengthen academic skills can help youth develop positive academic mindsets, which lead to improved academic outcomes. In this session, participants will learn how to season their afterschool program with the principles of learning and the Georgia Standards of Excellence to create appetizing (fun and enriching) learning activities.

Based on the Food Network’s hit show “Chopped,” participants will become “chefs,” where they create and “plate” samples of high-quality programming. Participants will work in groups and leverage new knowledge, tools, and resources learned throughout the day in this fast-paced, competitive environment. Groups will present their programming and reflect on their experience, with one group from each room moving on to compete in the ASYD Chopped Finals.