The Summer Symposium features successful strategies that grantees can use to implement and manage all components of a 21st CCLC program and any high-quality afterschool or summer learning program. Attendees will hear from nationally recognized speakers during plenary sessions and work closely with education experts and peers during interactive workshops. State and local leaders and grantees will gain valuable perspectives on afterschool issues and receive important updates about the 21st CCLC program.

This year’s theme is “Strong You, Strong Me, Strong Community.” Ideas for building on individual and collective strengths are woven throughout each of the following symposium strands:

College and Career Reimagined
Your students may dream of being successful performance artists, space travelers, or farmers who find sustainable ways to feed the world. Nurture those dreams by introducing real-world experiences and pathways that enhance school-day learning, support continued education, and help students realize success. Imagine new possibilities with the sessions in this strand.

Fast Track to Learning: Engaging the Whole Child
Research and experience tell us that students respond well to strategies that engage their passions and connect them to their communities. Sessions in this strand demonstrate such strategies for use in out-of-school time settings.

Great Leaders Track: Management, Leadership, and Sustainability
Leaders become great, in part, by learning to effectively manage and sustain their organizations. They also value professional growth and welcome diverse experiences and ideas. Sessions in this strand will help you master management skills and build habits of mind that create strong mentors and role models for colleagues and students alike.

Innovative Community and Family Connections
When educational programs, community organizations, and public agencies operate in silos, they can miss opportunities to support the students and families they serve. This strand introduces ways to leverage the strengths of partners and families to build a strong network that helps ensure critical connections are created and sustained.

Student Stories: Youth Discuss Program Impacts
How does it feel when students say, “This was the best activity/summer/field trip ever!” You know, fantastic! This strand features opportunities to listen to student-presented sessions. Their stories can remind you of your program’s impact, and how important it is to listen to student voice and choice as you design activities.

Taking Charge of Health: Strategies to Promote Wellness
Many factors contribute to healthy mental, physical, and social behaviors, and everyone needs support to achieve balance. This strand will provide practical knowledge and proven strategies to support wellness for students and staff.

Virtual Teaching and Learning: Strategies That Work
Just as the higher education and business worlds have done, the K-12 education world now embraces virtual technologies to share information and deliver learning opportunities. Sessions in this strand will help program leaders and staff members master virtual tools and strategies that welcome, engage, and support all students so your program can operate in hybrid, virtual, and in-person settings.

Championing Equity
Achieving equity and justice goes beyond offering all students the same choices. Each student needs to feel empowered to take advantage of the choices they have. This strand will help you tailor your approach. You can ensure that the diverse students in your program get culturally responsive support and resources that meet their individual needs — and build on their strengths.

Please register here. Virtual meeting links will be sent upon registration.