Advocacy
Advocacy
Lights On Afterschool
Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. The effort has become a hallmark of the afterschool movement and generates media coverage across the country each year.
This year, we celebrate all we have accomplished and overcome at Lights On Afterschool on Friday, October 8th, 2021. We will be at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota for dinner, a program and the lighting ceremony.
Contact Your Legislator
Find your legislator to share information about how Afterschool makes a difference in South Dakota.
Contact Your Legislator
Find your legislator to share information about how Afterschool makes a difference in South Dakota.
Children’s Day at the Capitol
Children’s Day at the Capitol certainly looks a lot different this year. We’ve pivoted in response to COVID and are looking forward to chatting virtually with legislators on February 1, 2021.
We are excited to unveil our latest project, South Dakota’s First Ever Searchable Map of Afterschool.
To better understand the state of afterschool in South Dakota, we have initiated an exciting project to map and assess the afterschool landscape and gather data on individual programs.
Although the project is not yet completed, the findings we have thus far are startling—showing large deserts of care across the state.
Advocacy Updates and Resources
It’s Women’s History Month – Resources
Toolkit: Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA Resources & Events Catalog - A searchable catalog of resources and events specifically catered to engaging girls in astrophysics and celebrating women in NASA and space history Article: State of Girls and Women in STEM, March...
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
Celebrate Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on February 24, 2022! DiscoverE’s Girl Day is a time when volunteers, educators, and others act as role models, facilitate engineering activities, and show girls how engineers change our world. Earn an A+ from all of the...
11 Tips for Effective Program Advocacy
Creating an Advocacy Plan for your program is important! Here are some activities from Matt Watrous that have the most efficacy in a long-term Program Advocacy Plan: Get your legislators into your specific program within the calendar year. Visit your legislators where...
IF/THEN Ambassador – Joyonna Gamble-George, Health Scientist
Personal Statement Hi, I’m Dr. Joy. When I was a little girl, I had a curious mind fit for a scientist. I loved taking things apart when they stopped working and trying to repair them by putting them back together. Curiosity led me to complete a summer research...
IF/THEN Ambassador – Aisha Lawrey, Electrical Engineer
Personal Statement Hi, I’m Aisha Lawrey and I’m an Electrical Engineer. When I was a kid, I just knew I was going to be a lawyer. I watched shows on TV about Law and it looked glamourous to me. That all changed my junior year of HS, while talking to my geometry...
Become An Afterschool Champion
We kicked off 2022 with an inspiring Fireside Chat last week featuring Matt Watrous, Government Relations Midwest Director from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Dana Benjamin-Allen, Founder of Back of the Napkin Consulting. Matt and Dana shared insights into...
South Dakota Celebrates 20 Years of Lights On Afterschool in 2019
South Dakota celebrated the 20th anniversary of Lights On Afterschool in coordination with the SoDakSACA Afterschool Conference on October 11, 2019. The event was scheduled to take place at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead, but was moved to the...
Afterschool Day at the Capitol 2020
We celebrated Afterschool Day at the Capitol on February 5, 2020! One day is set aside every year during the legislative session for Out-of-School Time (OST) professionals and programs to assemble in the capitol rotunda in Pierre to celebrate Afterschool Day at the...
Categories
Resources sorted by type for easy reference
Summer Learning
View More
STEM In Afterschool
View More
Accelerated Learning: COVID Response
View More