What We're Reading: "Start With Why" by Simon Sinek

Master consultant, CynDee, is reading Start With Why. Check out her takeaways below.

Photo via Human ResourceFUL

Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, discusses the importance of knowing why we do the work we do and then sharing that why with anyone who will listen.  Sinek describes what he calls the Golden Circle. At the center of this circle is the WHY?  This circle describes the reason we do what we do.  In other words, the cause that we value and embrace is found in the center.  The second circle is the “value proposition” and explains how we do something.  The third circle is about what we do, and explains the products or services that we provide.  

She Said I Was Smart, So I Am: The Importance of Mindset

By CynDee Zandes

This article is written by a member of our expert blogging community. 

Whether you call it your mindset, your paradigm, or your world view, the lens that you look through, intentionally or not, and interpret the world around you and your place in it is important to identify and understand. Dependent upon your age, this lens has been honed by years of messages from those around you, your own experience, and the outcomes of the choices you’ve made.  No one is oblivious to these pressures.  If the messages you have received are positive ones, like

"You are capable"

"You have integrity"

"You make good choices"

your mindset is different from the person who received negative messages, like

"You are unworthy"

"You lie and cheat with every breath you take"

"You make one poor decision after another, no wonder you are in the position you’re in"

The “tapes” we play in our head each day contribute to our mindset.

I'm finished! What's next??

By CynDee Zandes

This article is written by a member of our expert blogging community.

In the perfect world all youth would finish homework at the same time.  They would all finish with the science experiment at the same time, finish eating snack at the same time, be picked up at the same time, and so it goes.  While in some ways, that might appear to be perfect, it would also mean that we are either working with only one student or somehow we’ve managed to clone them.  Every person is unique and that is really what makes them interesting.  The challenge for those of us who work with youth in groups is how do we manage the, “I’m finished, what next?” question often posed each day, especially during homework time.

One month in...what should you see?

By: CynDee Zandes

This article is written by a member of our expert blogging team.

Well, for most of us, our afterschool program has been operating for about a month this school year.  The program routine is being established and everyone is getting into the groove.  There is a rhythm to the afterschool day so it’s time to take your program to the next level. 

Photo via C4K

By this time your program agreements are most likely established and your young people are demonstrating they understand your expectations of safety, respect, and responsibility in a variety of program environments—multi-purpose room, hallway, restroom, classroom, playground, drinking fountain, gymnasium, and laboratories.  Parents have learned the routine of sign-out and if you run program in California, how to complete an Early Release Form to pick a child up before the required time has passed. 

Shine some light on afterschool programs

Photo via Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach

On Thursday, October 18, 2012 over one million Americans in thousands of communities across the nation will celebrate Lights On Afterschool, an event that first began in 2000.  Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families.

One of the most startling facts is that in America, 15.1 million children (a rate of 1 in every 4) are left alone and unsupervised in the hours between the school bell and parents being able to leave work.  Afterschool programs across the country create a safe place for kids to be afterschool.  But they don’t stop at “safe place,” they bring in academic support, enrichment activities, youth voice and choice, wellness, career and college readiness, STEM, and any other club or class that youth will find relevant and rigorous and give them an opportunity to work with a partner or in small groups.

Get involved. Change a life.

We are working to improve the quality of afterschool and out-of-school time programs by providing staff with free and low-cost training and professional development. We believe that the impact that working in the field of informal education is two-fold: first to the adults working with youth who are educators, mentors, leaders and life-changers; and of course, to the kids in the programs who are exposed to opportunities that they might never receive otherwise that prepare them to be successful adults and leaders. 

Be a part of the movement. 

Volunteer your time by assisting us with a variety of special projects like researching grant opportunities, updating our blog or creating new media! Your skills and passion for helping youth is all you need! If you don’t have time to volunteer, become a part of our giving program! Donate the cost of one cup of Starbucks coffee every month, and you’ll be helping to bring high-quality training to afterschool programs in your community! Help us spread the word! Become a member, then share our cause with your friends and colleagues to strengthen the network of support for kids in afterschool and out-of-school time programs. Join us on Twitter and Facebook, follow the Afterschool the Movement blog and subscribe to our monthly newsletter! Feeling extra charitable? Do all three! You will be a part of a legacy that is leveling the playing field for youth so that every young person will have the opportunity to maximize his or her potential.

A Look Back at Independence, A Look Forward to Interdependence

Photo via Asia Society

According to Stephen Covey there is a Maturity Continuum that moves from “dependence” to “independence” and then to “interdependence.”  Just as this continuum is important for human beings in individual development, it is an important continuum for countries as well.  Countries must progress through the stages from dependent, to independent, and interdependent just like people.  As we become more globally interdependent, countries which have a long history of independence, may find that transition to interdependence easier to make.  In the United States we are all familiar with July 4th, but are you as familiar with September 16th?

In Mexico, on September 16, 1810, the “Cry of Independence” was uttered in the small town of Dolores.  This event marked the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence from Spain.  A Roman Catholic priest, Hidalgo, led the Revolution until his death, and his role in Mexican Independence is as celebrated as the role of Washington in the United States.