Potential Partnership for Pennsylvania BOOST Funding

After working in the out-of-school time field for 11 years in the Pittsburgh, PA area, I’m excited for Pennsylvania’s BOOST Funding opportunity!

As the Founder & Executive Director of ELIE Circle, LLC, I am happy to offer support to applicants for three of BOOST’s Funding Priorities:

• Engaging prospective school-age youth participants and other stakeholders in the development and implementation of OST programming.
• Integrating trauma-informed approaches into the program curriculum and professional development curriculum of personnel who have regular contact with school-age youth.
• Seeking funding for programming providing learning and development opportunities that are evidence-informed, high-quality, and otherwise unavailable in the proposed service area, including programming that will fill a documented ‘gap’ or area of interest among youth (e.g., identified in a needs assessment, survey, etc.).

I am open to assisting applicants in any way related to these funding priorities; however, I have provided three examples.

1. Facilitate professional development opportunities for staff.

• ELIE Circle’s 3-part Holistic Health Framework is specifically designed for community-based educational spaces (CBES; e.g., afterschool programs, summer camps, libraries, museums, scouts) to support the holistic health of both young people and staff. The framework consists of describing holistic health, barriers to holistic health (inaccurate history, oppression manifestations, staff’s identity and stress, and stress/trauma effects), and holistic health tools (advocacy/activism, connecting, critical self-reflection, evaluating curriculum/activities, facilitating safety, introspection, and learning accurate history).
• The Introduction to Working in Community-Based Educational Spaces course is designed to prepare young professionals (i.e., less than 5 years of experience in the field) for a career in CBES with a foundation in education and social work. Through engagement with materials and other participants, they will have an understanding of CBES through an equity lens including holistic health framework, young people’s development, learning, safety, and relationships.
• Based on my dissertation, Supporting 5th-12th Grade Black Girls in Community-Based Educational Spaces, I present a research-based and empirically-tested conceptual model for staff in CBES to use to explore gendered racial socialization messages and 5th-12th grade Black girls’ interpretation of messages, gendered racial identity ideologies, and outward display of sense of self in CBES. I identify techniques that will likely help staff support Black girls.
• I am also open to creating and facilitating new professional development opportunities based on your needs.

2. Create activities/curricula, programs, and events on a variety of topics including but not limited to research, entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, art, math, social-emotional skills, and physical fitness.

• Identity Project — High school students explored who they are, including their social identities and learned about intersectionality.
• Research Project — Middle and high school students learned about research for the purpose of improving their communities through various outlets (social enterprises, 3D-printed products, educating the community). The foundation was to research a social issue important to them, inquire about the issue from others, propose a solution, and showcase the process.
• Social Skills Small Group — Elementary school students explored how to problem solve, conflict resolution skills, and different feelings.
• Social Work Apprenticeship — High school students explored the basics and fundamentals of social work through speakers, shadowing experiences, experiential learning (e.g., support and educational groups, facilitating active listening sessions, community organizing, researching, and managing mock cases), and a culminating project to showcase their learning.
• I am also open to creating new activities/curricula, programs, and events based on your needs.

3. Evaluation

Proposals are due October 31, 2024 at 8:00pm.

If you are interested in partnering to apply for BOOST funding, please email me at debralyn@eliecircle.com.

About ELIE Circle

ELIE Circle is a LLC with a social mission and strives to foster the holistic health of (1) Black girls & Black women and (2) young people & staff in community-based educational spaces (CBES; e.g., afterschool programs, summer camps, libraries, museums, scouts) through activities and professional development grounded in research and practice.

About Me

I am an educator, licensed social worker, and researcher passionate about (a) designing activities/curricula and programs for young people (K-12th grade) in community-based educational spaces (e.g., museums, afterschool programs, summer camps, scouts) and (b) facilitating professional development experiences. I have a BA in Psychology with a Human Development and Family Science minor, a MSW with a Children, Youth, and Families certificate, and a PhD in Education (Learning Sciences and Policy). I use my personal experiences as a Black woman, professional experiences in administrative and direct service roles in CBES, and educational experiences to guide my work.

Debralyn Woodberry-Shaw, PhD, LMSW