Election recap and more in your November VPOST News!

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Subject: Election recap and more in your November VPOST News!

Election 2023 Recap

In Virginia on November 7, 2023, we had an election where all 140 legislative seats in the General Assembly (State Senate and House of Delegates) were on the ballot. Prior to the election, there was a Republican majority in the House of Delegates and a Democratic majority Senate. This was the first election since the new district lines were drawn under the redistricting process adopted by voters in 2020.

On November 8, 2023, the election results were in with Democrats remaining in control of the Senate and gaining a narrow majority of the House of Delegates. However, this does not mean that Democrats will be able to pass legislation easily. It is important to remember that the Governor can veto legislation and neither chamber has obtained a “veto-proof” majority. In order for anything to be passed and signed into law, there will have to be compromise from both sides.

So what's next? Stay informed by making sure you know who your new representative is by looking them up on Who's My Legislator. The next session of law-making begins on January 10, 2024. Stay tuned for policy updates from VPOST as we advocate in a bi-partisan manner for increased access to out-of-school time programs in Virginia.

Read: Where are the family-friendly education and childcare options?

Check out this piece in the Daily Press where one mother of school-age children highlights the severe need for afterschool and summer programs in the Williamsburg region.

Read the full article here.

Calling all Richmond Area Program Providers!

Greater Richmond Youth Development Network (RichmondYDN) brings together people who are working in out-of-school time, youth development, and education fields for networking, relationship building, and shared learning. The Greater Richmond Youth Development Networks seeks to promote high-quality youth programs by starting with ensuring that youth program professionals receive appropriate and culturally responsible professional development training. The Mary and Frances Youth Center is the Richmond region’s hub for youth development professionals' training, resources, and community conversations.

The Greater Richmond Youth Development Network Training Calendar is a comprehensive approach to professional development for youth-serving organizations and responds to a growing need for high-quality, unique, and diverse youth development workshops and programs. The Greater Richmond Youth Development Network Training Calendar brings together content experts, practitioners, and best practices in positive youth development from across the region to provide opportunities that build community through shared learning.

Nationally, and in Virginia, November is Native American Heritage Month. Take the opportunity to celebrate the history, culture, and lives of American Indians. Here are some resources to start with:

Native American Heritage Collection: From PBS/VPM, this collection includes videos, lesson plans, and various media.
Native Land: This interactive map allows you to enter an address to see the relevant indigenous territories in that location. Links to information on the corresponding nation, language, or treaty will appear.
Indians in Virginia: This entry in the Encyclopedia Virginia, from the Virginia Humanities, provides a wealth of information on Indigenous communities and peoples of Virginia.
National Park Service: As an archaeological site, Werowocomoco was confirmed in 2002, nearly 400 years after the Indian leader paramount chief Powhatan and his people interacted with Jamestown settlers here. This page contains information, including short videos.
National Geographic: In the educator resource library you can find resources for teaching youth in grades 3-12.

Schedule a Miss Virginia School Tour for your School or Community Group

In partnership with Virginia ABC, Miss Virginia travels across Virginia to elementary schools spreading a message of health, wellness, and substance use prevention to students and teachers through the Miss Virginia School Tour, both virtually or in-person.

Through the Miss Virginia School Tour, students will:

Demonstrate knowledge of how to identify what is safe and healthy for their bodies.
Learn what positive choices are and how to make them and how to say “no” when something is not healthy for their bodies.
Learn what it means to be a leader in their community and among their friends.
Be able to identify who is a trusted adult and understand the role they play in their lives.

Learn more here.

MusicMath: Orchestration

December 12, 2023 1:00-2:00 pm

Learn how to use fractions to create musical compositions, then perform the compositions using found instruments (pans, boxes, pencils, whistles). Create new combinations and permutations for the music fractions. Register here.

December 4-10, 2023 is CS ED Week!

There are numerous ways to get involved with Computer Science Education Week. Here are our top picks!

Code VA CS Week: Code VA is hosting a full week of events. More info here.
Hour of Code: Hour of Code is available year-round, but every year in December your class can join millions of students around the world in celebrating Computer Science Education Week with the Hour of Code. Registration for the annual celebration. Register here.
2023 State of Computer Science Education: Get informed on the state of computer science education in Virginia with this fact sheet.

Setting the Stage: Practical Ideas for Implementing High-Quality Afterschool Arts Program

November 16th at 3:00

Join the Afterschool Alliance and Forum for Youth Investment to unpack the findings from “Setting the Stage: Practical Ideas for Implementing High-Quality Afterschool Arts Programs,” which looks at how professional teaching artists, high-quality equipment, and dedicated, welcoming art spaces can make a difference for afterschool programs interested in embedding arts learning. The report, conducted by Research for Action and McClanahan Associates, Inc. and commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, also explores research-based 10 Principles for High-Quality Afterschool Arts Programs. Join us to dig into the recommendations made by the report, gain deeper insights from the researchers themselves, and have the chance to hear firsthand accounts from programs featured in the report. Register here.

Do you know an OST professional age 30 and under with a proven passion for developing themselves and others and persistence in growing as a leader? Nominate them today for NAA's (National Afterschool Association) Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders 2024. Nominations are open until December 6, 2023. Don't miss out on this opportunity to celebrate the next generation of educators of innovators, of leaders!

Nominate a leader today!

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Subject: Election recap and more in your November VPOST News!

MusicMath: Orchestration