Outside the school

In the past few weeks, I've attended a number of interesting meetings outside the school.

One meeting was a community council meeting with different organizations that serve young people in our area. There are so many youth programs in the area, and it was valuable to learn about some of them and meet the people involved. It's also helpful to know what other people are doing so that we can tell students about other opportunities.

Another meeting was the first session of a yearlong seminar I am participating in this year. In this group, I, along with a dozen other out-of-school time practitioners, will be engaging in inquiry about our work and doing writing and research. This is the first time that this program is taking place in Philadelphia, and I am excited about what is coming up.

Finally, there was the first meeting of the year for a group focusing on college preparation and access. The attendees were diverse, ranging from administrators in youth-serving organizations to staff in school-based programs to school district personnel to college representatives. It was a great way to get a feel for the ongoing trends in postsecondary options that we have long been interested in.

While I enjoy learning from my peers during these meetings, it is even more important to spend quality time with the students. I got to do just that this week on a trip we took to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. We heard from an admissions representative, took a student-led tour of the campus, and had a meal in the dining hall. It was a real hit. Many of the students loved the experience and got a better sense of what life after high school is really like. That kind of positive educational experience is what we're here, after all.