Gap year programs

Sherry Sims, Founder of the Black Career Women’s Network

Jacqueline Twillie, founder of ZeroGap

Kimberly Cummings, Career and Leadership Development Expert

Ariel Lopez, Career Coach and CEO of Hello Knac

Latesha Byrd, Career Coach and Talent Development Consultant

Angelina Darrisaw, CEO of C-Suite Coach

FAIRMONT, W.Va (WDTV) – One in five children is alone after the end of a day of school, according to young people, and the results of this fact could affect young people’s development.

That’s why Tygart Valley United Way created an after-school program called Flipside, especially for high school students.

“We just noticed that there was a gap in the service. There is an after-school program in elementary school in Marion County, but there is no program for middle schools, ”said Shannon Yost, program director for Tygart Valley United Way.

She also mentions that they want Flipside to be social and active enrichment, while keeping them in a safe environment that globally provides students with what they need on a daily basis.

“We’re providing them with a hot meal every day, so they’re going to be fed, we’re going to help them with their homework, and then we’re going to provide the activity and the socializing aspect,” Yost said.

After more than a year of the pandemic, Yost hopes this program will give students in grades 5-8 a chance to recover from lost academic and social time.

“It’s really important to keep these kids engaged and make them feel like they are taken care of too.

Pre-registrations will begin in early August.

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AT&T Foundation donates over $ 40,000 to support Camden youth affected by the digital divide

CAMDEN, NJ, July 20, 2021 – As part of AT&T’s recently announced national pledge to help bridge the digital divide and the homework divide, the AT&T Foundation is donating more than $ 40,000 to two organizations that prepare young people from Camden to college and careers and helping them overcome the academic challenges they have faced over the past year.

A contribution of $ 25,750 to Hopeworks will support the Cohen Technology Center, which provides broadband connectivity, community and amenities to underserved youth to promote well-paying remote jobs. Learn more about this program here.

The Rowan University Foundation received a contribution of $ 15,000 to support the Launch Pad at Camden program, which provides low-income students with Internet access and digital literacy training to promote college enrollment. Learn more about this program here.

The contributions were announced at a special event at the Hopeworks’ Cohen Technology Center in Camden. Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen and Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. joined Joseph Divis, Acting President, AT&T-New Jersey, and representatives from Hopeworks and Rowan for the announcement.

“The generosity and foresight that have been invested in these donations are a noble gesture to help the children of our city bridge the digital divide and fight against many of the inequalities that have been exasperated by the pandemic”, said said Mayor Carstarphen. “I would like to thank the AT&T Foundation for its support of these two institutions anchored in our community and for their commitment to these two programs at Hopeworks and Rowan University.”

“Ensuring children and young adults have digital tools, access and opportunities is essential for Camden to take it to the next level. The two programs funded today by the AT&T Foundation provide these essential initiatives that will have long-term impacts for many years to come for children in the city, ”said Cappelli. “These are the types of collaborations that allow us to improve and improve outcomes for residents.”

“The pandemic has increased the challenges facing millions of students across the country, including here in New Jersey,” Divis said. “Underprivileged neighborhoods have been particularly affected. The AT&T Foundation is proud to continue working with Rowan and Hopeworks to help equip Camden students with the tools and experiences they will need to be successful.

“Hopeworks is proud to partner with AT&T to truly build a sustainable future for the youth of Camden and the region,” said Dan Rhoton, Executive Director of Hopeworks Camden, “in truly bridging the digital divide for our youth and their communities. families and communities. “

“Rowan University is proud to partner again with the AT&T Foundation to bridge the digital divide for students in the City of Camden,” said Dr. Dawn Singleton, Senior Director of Student Success and Inclusion Programs. students at Rowan University. “This collaboration is especially important for the first generation college students served by the Launch Pad. This will enhance the education access programs and resources we provide to students and families in the City of Camden.

AT&T is committed to investing more than $ 2 billion over the next 3 years to bridge the digital divide through affordable broadband offerings for consumers and educational institutions, as well as high-quality educational resources and services. community investments through AT&T Connected Learning, a program to connect students to skills, resources and opportunities for success in school and in life.

About Philanthropy and Social Innovation at AT&T
We are committed to advancing education, creating opportunity, strengthening communities and improving lives. AT&T Connected Learning is a multi-year commitment to bridge the digital divide and close the homework gap, so that today’s learners are connected to skills, resources and opportunities for success in school and in the world. life. Since 2008, we’ve committed $ 600 million to programs that help millions of students in all 50 states and around the world, especially those in underserved communities.

Source: AT&T

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Jeff Bezos’ first manned commercial spaceflight from Blue Origin is ready to take off on Tuesday morning, complete with the space company’s reusable New Shepard launcher.

Specifically, Blue Origin hopes to ascend to heaven on Tuesday, July 20 from the first desert launch site in West Texas. A live broadcast until take off begins at 6.30am CDT / 4.30am PT. The actual ignition is scheduled 90 minutes later, at 8 a.m. CDT / 5 a.m. HP. Sunday, the weather was not a constraint for the launch and New Shepard is expected to launch on schedule.

Discovery and the Washington Post have reported live coverage of Bezos’ first space flight. The program will air live on Discovery and Science at 8:00 a.m. ET and on washingtonpost.com.

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The live show, Space launch LIVE: Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos go to space, will be hosted by Libby Casey of The Washington Post and Chris Jacobs of Discovery from The Post’s Washington, DC Studios. He will present a field analysis by Washington Post space industry reporter Christian Davenport; commentary by astronaut Leland Melvin; the contribution of Dr Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary for Science and Research at the Smithsonian and a team of experts from the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

“We are delighted to join forces with The Washington Post to once again cover the next major chapter in space advancement,” said Scott Lewers, executive vice president of cross-platform, factual programming and responsible for content , Science. “With no onsite public viewing areas near the launch site, this show continues the Discovery and Science Channel’s mission of bringing the world to our viewers.”

“The Washington Post has made a separate investment in live coverage of major news events, drawing tens of millions of viewers to its programs featuring the latest developments as well as real-time analysis and commentary from our top journalists.” , said Micah Gelman, editorial video director at the Washington Post. “Following the success of our joint coverage of SpaceX’s first crewed mission last summer, we are delighted to partner again with Discovery and Science Channels to bring this historic launch to the eyes of Americans across the country as the appetite for space tourism is intensifying. ”

Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET / PT, Discovery will air a one-hour special, Jeff Bezos in space: Blue Origin takes off, highlighting the morning’s event, as well as post-launch interviews, behind-the-scenes material, and information on Blue Origins and Jeff Bezos. The special will also air the following evening, Wednesday, July 21, prime time at 8 p.m. ET / PT on Science Channel.

New Shepard has flown 15 consecutive successful missions in space and over the Kármán Line through a meticulous and progressive flight program to test its multiple redundant security systems. Now it’s time for the astronauts to get on board.

There will be four astronauts in total six seats. On board are Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, pilot Wally Funk and the winner of an auction of 7,500 people for the last slot of the flight. But the winner, who asked to remain anonymous, chose to fly on a future New Shepard mission due to scheduling conflicts. The amount of the winning bid will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life. in the space.

The winner will be 18-year-old Oliver Daemen. He will be the first paying customer to travel aboard New Shepard, marking the start of commercial operations for the program.

Flying aboard New Shepard will fulfill a long-held dream for Oliver, who has been fascinated by space, the Moon and rockets since the age of four. Oliver graduated from high school in 2020 and took a year off before continuing his education to earn his private pilot license.

At 18 and 82, Oliver Daemen and Wally Funk represent the youngest and oldest astronauts to ever travel to space.

Wally’s journey into space began in the 1960s when she was the youngest graduate of the Woman in Space program, a privately-funded project that tested female pilots for the fitness of astronauts. Later known as “Mercury 13”, thirteen American women successfully underwent the same physiological and psychological screening tests as the astronauts selected by NASA for Project Mercury, but they never flew into space. . Wally was the youngest graduate from this program.

She was the first female FAA inspector and the first female NTSB aviation safety investigator. The 82-year-old pilot will now be part of New Shepard’s first crew, and the oldest person to ever fly in space.

The astronauts spent 14 hours over a two-day period training for the flight.

The plan is to deploy at midnight, load the thruster 3 hours before launch, load the astronauts 45 minutes before launch, and close the hatch 24 minutes before takeoff.

After take-off, the separation of the capsules should take place at 2:45 a.m. They will experience 3 to 4 minutes of weightlessness in and out of the seats, then use three parachutes to descend back to Earth.

Blue Origin has two more paid flights scheduled for 2021, one at the end of September and one for October 1.

SEATTLE – (COMMERCIAL THREAD) – As students prepare to return to class after more than a year of challenges, PEMCO Mutual Insurance is once again holding its annual ‘Supply Surge’ school supplies drive, July 19 through August 6, to support some of those most in need – homeless and underserved students in the Pacific Northwest. The goal of the campaign is to help fill the gap in opportunity for these students by making sure they start the school year with the necessary supplies.

Since 2018, Supply Surge has rallied donors and organizations to collect more than 455,000 individual classroom supplies for students. This year, Supply Surge will bring together 37 South Lake Union companies, along with donors from across the state, to provide students with essential school supplies – from paper and pencils to backpacks and calculators – as schools return to in-person learning this fall.

“As the world adjusts to its new normal, many families continue to face challenges. With this year’s supply push, PEMCO and our generous community partners will work to help students in Washington and Oregon feel confident and prepared for the upcoming school year, ”said Stan McNaughton, CEO of PEMCO. “Supporting teachers, students and families has been important to PEMCO since our founding, and the past year and a half has reinforced the importance of supporting our neighbors. ”

The Supply Surge team currently includes 37 community-driven organizations such as Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Vulcan, Inc., Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Sellen Construction, MoPOP, Pacific Science Center, Bristol Myers Squibb and Starbucks, as well as many more. South Lake Union Businesses.

As part of PEMCO’s commitment to support the education and development of young learners through its Mutual good program, the PEMCO Foundation will match donations dollar for dollar for every donation made between August 4 and 6, up to a total of $ 5,000.

Donations from Supply Surge will benefit 13 middle and high schools in Seattle, Lynnwood, Spokane and Portland that have high numbers of homeless students. The schools were identified in partnership with the district’s student support programs and data from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Education’s Diversity Report, which provides information on the number of students per school who are experiencing the homelessness, whose families are struggling financially and how many students are a part of the Black, Indigenous and Colored (BIPOC) community.

“Our community needs and often does not have the necessary school supplies for our children,” said Melanee McClary, intervention specialist at Shaw Middle School in Spokane. “Sometimes our families have to choose between school supplies and food or pay an electricity bill. PEMCO’s support is therefore a huge relief for our families. ”

To see all the participating businesses, learn more or to donate school supplies, visit www.pemco.com/supply-surge.

About PEMCO Mutual insurance

PEMCO Mutual Insurance is the defender of your Northwest, offering auto, home, renters and boat coverage. We are constantly recognized for our exceptional service, the expertise of our employees and our social impact. Our Mutual Good programs raise the levels of achievement of young people in education; building stronger and greener environments; and increase safety at home, on the road and at play. Our Mission: Free our communities to worry less and live more. To learn more, visit www.pemco.com.

Angélica Infante-Green is the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education for Rhode Island.

For too long, there has been an unfortunate and unfair perception that summer learning is not fun or engaging and is only for underachieving students. As we wind down National Summer Learning Week, it’s time to remind students and parents of Rhode Island that this couldn’t be further from the truth here in the Ocean State.

Here’s the reality: Over the next few months, thousands of Kindergarten to Grade 12 students across Rhode Island will participate in free, high-quality, and engaging summer learning programs. Some students will dive into rigorous academic programs to earn or recoup course credit. Others will participate in enrichment classes, spend their summer days conducting science experiments at the beach, practicing Shri Yoga in the park, or learning how to create original stop-motion animated films in studio.

In line with a major recommendation from the Learning, Equity and Fast Track Task Force, a group convened by the Rhode Island Department of Education to make recommendations to accelerate learning in Rhode Island, this year, RIDE, in partnership with Governor Dan McKee, made significant investments to transform summer vacations into a time of lifelong learning and growth.

Rhode Island Summer Learning Programs are safe, interactive spaces in which students can reinforce and develop the progress they have made during the school year. More than that, these are opportunities for students to learn new skills, express themselves creatively, meet new friends, and truly grow as learners and as individuals.

We know that when we give students the opportunity to learn through rigorous and engaging lessons, they rise to the challenge. Especially as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and an exceptionally difficult school year, the worsening impact of which has created a clear learning gap that disproportionately affects our most vulnerable students, these opportunities for accelerated learning and personal growth are incredibly important. . Students of all ages, living in every community in Rhode Island, need and deserve equal access to a high quality education year round, and it is our responsibility at RIDE to ensure that this need is met. While there is certainly more work to be done, we are proud of the progress we have made in expanding summer learning opportunities across the state.

Using funding from the American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and High School Emergency Relief Program and working with colleges, local education agencies, community organizations and municipalities, RIDE is offering a total of 288 courses this year. free learning and enrichment, serving more than 5,700 students. These courses have been made available through our statewide All-Cours Network platform. We have built on the success of the Summer Academy for the Interactive Learning Program, an initiative that was launched last year in the midst of a pandemic, and we continue our commitment to reaching multilingual students and chronically absent, two groups of learners we know need extra support.

At the district level, we are proud that, for the first time in decades, the Providence Public School District has launched a summer learning program for all grade levels, now including elementary school students. In the past, summer apprenticeship at Providence focused primarily on credit recovery at the high school level. This year, students enrolled in the district-wide summer learning and entertainment program, which provides hands-on learning experiences for students as well as targeted literacy and math support.

Between all of these initiatives, the Rhode Island State education community has worked tirelessly to create one of the most comprehensive summer learning programming suites in the country. We strongly believe this work will help better position Rhode Island students for success in and out of the classroom, and we are encouraged that year after year we see more and more students raising their hands for spend part of their summer vacation in the classroom.

Summer is a great time for students to have fun, but that doesn’t mean they have to stop learning. In Rhode Island, we’ve created a system that ensures students can do both and progress toward academic success as we move past COVID.

DeKalb County’s Senior Center Without Walls: Virtual Village and DeKalb Virtual Career Academy “were recognized with 2021 Excellence Awards from the National Counties Association (NACo. The conference, which was held virtually and in person, was brought together county and nation officials in Prince George County, Maryland, July 9-12.

The Excellence Awards honor innovative and effective county government programs that strengthen services to residents.

NACo recognized DeKalb Senior Center Without Walls: Virtual Village as an example of innovation and excellence in the personal services category. Established in March 2020, the DeKalb County Social Services Department has sought to continue providing essential care to the elderly population of DeKalb during times of uncertainty and crisis. The Department of Social Services developed the Virtual Village to streamline access and information on county services and provide up-to-date information on pandemic-related topics in a safe social setting for ongoing community engagement.

NACo also recognized DeKalb Virtual Career Academy as an example of innovation and excellence in the category of services to youth and children. Virtually operating for the first time in 2020, WorkSource DeKalb continued its mission of providing an outlet for students in DeKalb County to cultivate soft skills, technical skills and help bridge the learning gap exacerbated by the pandemic. The Virtual Academy provides supportive academic training and critical work experience in health, business technology, digital technology, programming and information technology for youth and young adults. County of DeKalb and helped students obtain diplomas for their future education and training.

NACo President Larry Johnson, who represents DeKalb County District 3, praised the recognition of the Senior Center Without Walls and the Virtual Career Academy.

“DeKalb shows that even in a pandemic it is possible to deliver quality human development programs that allow residents to thrive,” Johnson said.

“DeKalb is proud to receive national attention for initiatives that support two of our most important populations: the elderly and the youth,” said Michael Thurmond, CEO of DeKalb County. “I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of our DeKalb County employees who made these awards possible.”

Former NACo President Gary Moore said: “Over the past year, county officials and frontline employees have shown bold and inspiring leadership. This year’s Award of Excellence winning programs exemplify the innovative ways counties are creating healthy, safe and vibrant communities across America.

Nationally, the awards are presented in 18 different categories that reflect the broad and comprehensive services provided by the counties. Categories include children and youth, criminal justice and public safety, county administration, information technology, health, civic engagement, and many more.

Launched in 1970, NACo’s annual Excellence Awards program is designed to recognize innovations from county governments. Each candidate is judged on their own merits and not against other candidates received.

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MANCHESTER, NH –

During the uncertainty of the pandemic, a large number of students opted for a gap year. This sent a wave of ripple through higher education institutions, and colleges have now devised new methods to bounce back from an unusual year.

Including all of its institutions, the New Hampshire university system has said the pandemic has left it with a $ 25 million deficit. A healthy savings account has filled the gap, but public colleges are bracing for long-term complications.

Enrollment in two- and four-year colleges across the country has been lower than in previous years. Granite State College told News 9 that its summer enrollments were down, but said it was receiving more solid inquiries for the fall semester than a year ago.

One obstacle facing colleges in New Hampshire is a 1.5% drop in the number of high school graduates each year.

“There are fewer high school students and graduates than ten years ago,” said university system spokeswoman Catherine Provencher. “The demographics tell us they will continue to decline in New England.”

Early projections show the University of New Hampshire is going against the trend. Administration officials said they had increased the UNH’s financial aid offer.

“We have bounced back from the COVID situation with an enrollment increase of 5% over last year at the undergraduate level and 15% over last year at the graduate level,” the marshal said Wayne Jones.

To combat these problems, the university system implemented a restructuring program to cut spending by 10%. To achieve this objective, the system offered early retirement and consolidated part of the staff.

Officials said they plan to release the COVID-19 protocols at the end of July.

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You can’t fill the boots of a legend, but KWU alumnus Kiefer Storrer ’13 is excited to give it a try.

He was recently hired as the Kansas Wesleyan debate and forensic head coach, where he will take the reins from longtime coach Gary Harmon.

“It’s hard for anyone to keep up with someone this good, but I’m happy to do it. I know I can do it, ”Storrer said. “This job has been my dream since I was 20 or 21. Gary made the transition very easy.

During his 16 years at KWU, Harmon built a strong program and recruited students such as Storrer.

“Kansas Wesleyan was the only college I applied to because my high school debate coach knew Harmon, and she suggested I come here to pursue my career,” Storrer said. “I really found a home with the debate and forensic team and a good sense of community at KWU in general.”

During his student years, Storrer scored four individual victories, including top overall contender at Louisiana State University-Shreveport in 2012 and second place in parliamentary debate at Christian Nationals in 2013. He was also part of the debate team that placed first overall in Christian. Nationals in 2013.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in communication, Storrer took a year off to work. He then attended the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri, where he helped coach the debate team as he completed his master’s degree. During this time, he also served as a judge for some forensic debates and competitions organized by KWU.

In the fall of 2016, he heard about a job at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona.

“I had to decide over a weekend if I wanted to move 6pm there,” he said. “My car died halfway through college, so I didn’t have a car at the time. My dad helped me move. We packed his little Honda and drove 18 hours to Arizona.

His first year was an assistant coach for the debate and forensic program.

After that year he was promoted to Head Coach.

“It was good preparation for future coaching experiences,” said Storer. “I have coached over 100 students at community college.

For some students, debate and forensics were a new experience.

“I only had a few who had debated in high school,” Storrer said. “The hardest part about community college is that I rarely had students for the full two years. Even though we had them for a short time, we had some success and got some national titles. “

Titles include the coaching of Glendale Community College’s first-ever National Champion in the Parliamentary Debate at the Phi Rho Pi (Community College) Nationals in 2018 and Glendale Community College’s first-ever Showcase Artist at the Pi Kappa Delta Nationals in 2019.

In 2019, he received the Collie-Taylor Fellowship Award at the Phi Rho Pi Nationals, an annual peer-reviewed award showcasing training excellence and contributions to the forensic community. He was also elected governor of the region of Phi Rho Pi III from 2018 to 2020.

When COVID-19 hit, Glendale cut the coaching position and he returned to Kansas in July 2020.

“Barbara Marshall jumped through the hoops for me to be an assistant coach and teach as an adjunct faculty member,” Storrer said.

He collaborated with Harmon for the team’s 2020-21 competitive year, which took place exclusively online.

“We had huge success last year,” Storrer said. “The students are talented, but we’ve embraced online forensics as well.

“We were able to walk away with three national titles and several rankings at the national championships. We’ve had success online, and it’s the prospect of going on a road trip that’s exciting. It’s crazy to think how much better we will be in person.

Pursuing the culture is a priority as he enters his first year as a head coach.

“You can’t train passion,” Storrer said. “We are fortunate to have hard working students. There are other programs where a coach will write an entire speech for someone, and I’m so glad that is not our team’s culture. We have college students who are young and thoughtful. They have something to say and a story to share. Helping cultivate and facilitate each student’s voice is important to me.

Storrer started running when he was hired as a head coach.

“I communicate with the students and they can work on events during the summer,” he said.

“I couldn’t do it without the students. They are very talented and motivated. We have so much potential. The program will continue to grow.

At the community college level, Storrer said he didn’t have the ability to recruit students.

“I am excited about the recruiting. We have such a good recruiting (admissions) office, ”Storrer said. “It makes my job a lot easier to have those I know who are interested. I think the recruitment is going well and will be even stronger.

As the 2020-21 school year was her first at KWU, her influence in the classroom drew students such as junior Elizabeth Schaefer to the team.

“For part of an oral interpretation course, we are required to participate in a competition. I was the first one, so I thought, “Maybe I should try again,” said Schaefer, a drama junior with a music minor. “I did forensics in high school and went to national championships in my senior year. I promised myself I would stop there, but I met Kiefer and he invited me to join the team.

Schaefer placed third in Dramatic Performance and fourth in the Oral Performance Program at the National Christian College Forensics Invitational and was semi-finalist in Dramatic Performance at the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament.

“I love my team. We are close to each other and we support each other,” Schaefer said.

The family atmosphere is essential according to Harmon.

“The quality of the team is going to be solid, and it was really important that we keep the core that we’ve built over the past two years,” he said.

Storrer worked closely with Harmon as an assistant coach, and Harmon said he had earned the team’s respect.

“It’s relational. Kiefer was coming into my team, so he had to build a relationship with them – a relationship that they would trust, understand and know he knew what he was talking about, ”Harmon said. “At the end of the year, the students would go to him to ask questions before they came to see me, that’s where we wanted them to be.

The Wesleyan team is young and strong, with a bright future.

“I think Harmon wanted to know he was leaving the program in good hands,” Storrer said. “I didn’t have to go through a lot of obstacles to build that confidence. I think he always believed in me.