Throughout the course of this 18-month initiative, the Challenge learning community – a primary team consisting of afterschool program partners, a research team from NYU, and SCE, and a secondary team of human resource professionals and system intermediaries – will explore what it means to be a prepared and skilled 21st century citizen. To do this, we have partnered with eight programs that use digital tools for learning. We will study how the work is done, in differing contexts, with different sets of challenges, and how success is achieved navigating all of these factors.

Each program partner has similar qualities: exemplar programs using digital tools for learning, and serving youth ages 13-18 in afterschool settings. Each focuses on skill growth by working with youth to create and connect hands-on learning experiences to life, work and play beyond the program. Each program partner serves an urban population (a challenge we hope to address in future grantmaking). However, each program partner differs in how it defines 21st century skills, the tools used, and program model, all of which are based on the unique community context.

Uniquely positioned, each partner has identified a set of skills – digital, social and emotional, and civic that are most valuable for the youth based on the demands of each community. Prescient in the program design, organizational leadership also understands that in a world where technology is changing how we work, digital media skills are a critical vehicle for teens to develop in-demand workforce skills. Many, if not all, have partnered with local employers and other organizations to create economic pathways through project-based training, networking opportunities, and paid apprenticeships.  Due to this, the Challenge will also explore the changing nature of work and the role of digital media and informal learning environments in equipping youth with skills needed to thrive as professionals in the workforce.

And that, we believe is our sweet spot. Our goal is to honor the important contextual differences while identifying and understanding common processes. And then together, we will analyze and articulate best practices and share what we’ve learned with educators, informal learning practitioners, and others with a vested interest in ensuring more youth have access to more meaningful learning experiences using digital tools, while preparing them for success in work, life, and play.

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Learning Community Participants

Program Partners

 AS220: Founded in 1985, AS220 is a non-profit community arts organization located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island and is the parent organization to AS220 Youth. AS220 Youth serves 450 students four days a week, year round, in partnership with an alternative middle school and the state juvenile detention center. AS220 Youth’s core project focus is ZuKrewe:  a youth-led artist collective that uses music, art, social justice, and popular culture to promote and create social change. ZuKrewe represents a diverse group of young people who are using their talents to positively affect their friends, families, and neighborhoods while encouraging their peers to become involved in the issues that matter most to them. The program combines in-depth arts, entrepreneurial, and technical education with service to communities in Providence and greater Rhode Island and helps prepare our youth postsecondary education and/or the workforce. Zukrewe is divided into 5 teams, with each team responsible for elements that contribute to a final performance on social-justice topics at the end of the year. https://as220.org/

The Beam Center: Founded in 2005 in Brooklyn, NY, Beam Center connects youth to learning with creative projects that combine STEM with art and design while fostering collaboration and authentic relationships with adults. The Beam Center’s Apprentice Program recruits high school juniors and seniors from Title-I public school partners and provides an intensive internship-like, afterschool experience for cohorts of 25-30 students. Apprenticeships take place twice-a-week over a 16-week period with Beam faculty engineers, artists, and scientists to create a large-scale collaborative project each session. Students learn the basics of digital and manual tool use, as well as how to collaboratively plan and execute a large project. Projects vary per session but all employ design-thinking, hands-on creation, multidisciplinary academic content, digital and manual fabrication skills, and digital media creation. The experience forms the basis for future interest-driven learning as well as skills that can be used in a variety of settings. Apprentices who complete the program are eligible for paid summer jobs at a community day camp and afterschool programs through a partnership with ExpandEd NYC. https://beamcenter.org/

YOUmedia, Chicago Public Library: Since 1873, Chicago Public Library (CPL) has encouraged lifelong learning by offering equal access to information and knowledge. Created in 2009, CPL’s YOUmedia is a 21st century teen learning lab in 12 branches. It serves as a national model that has informed the work of nearly 30 libraries and other public spaces throughout the country. This Library program) offers teens numerous entry-points for self-expression, project-based learning, and collaboration. At YOUmedia, high-school students from across Chicago can access—free of charge—a range of technologies that would be difficult to find elsewhere, such as DSLR cameras, maker bots, and graphic design software. Whether building basic skills, learning advanced production techniques, or pursuing more individualized projects, specially-trained mentors support teens in using these technologies as tools for creating, learning, and communicating. YOUmedia’s digital learning opportunities are also designed with low barriers to participation: teens can join a project at lower engagement levels and “level up” as their skills and interest develops. https://www.chipublib.org/programs-and-partnerships/youmedia/

Digital Harbor Foundation (DHF): In 2013, DHF transformed a closed-down inner-city Baltimore rec center into the DHF Tech Center, a 5,000-ft² makerspace to deliver youth-focused technology education programs in high-growth pathways ranging from digital fabrication to web development, design, and electronics. Based in maker philosophy and practice, DHF programs provide support for informal learning, and create a continuous, progressive pathway into technology education, innovation, and career options for youth ages 13-18. All incoming DHF youth enroll in Maker Foundations, a 14-week exploratory course designed to give youth hands-on experience with the various meanings of ‘technology,’ help them identify their own interests, and develop career-ready skills and self-efficacy as creative technologists. When youth complete Maker Foundations, they progress to the MegaLab programs, an array of seven-week project-based courses that build access, interest, and competence in technology innovation and creativity, especially for minority and underserved youth. These intermediate and advanced courses offer deeper experience in high-growth, interconnected areas such as Interactive Design, JavaScript, Game Design, CAD software, and Electronics. http://www.digitalharbor.org/

DreamYard: Established in 1994, DreamYard is the largest arts provider in the Bronx. The organization’s approach is rooted in art and social justice pedagogy and supports students in developing a lifelong learning pathway. DreamYard’s Digital Learning Portfolio initiative captures the process of student learning, encouraging students to manage and direct their own learning narrative to better present themselves to colleges, employers, and peer interest groups. DreamYard is building out their digital portfolio work with the DreamYard Bronx Art Collective (BAC), a year-round visual art program to activate STEM learning and interest in design, coding, digital art, and more.  DreamYard is supporting youth as they experiment with ideas in hands-on, real-world situations. The skills and knowledge that youth acquire at DreamYard are wide-ranging, from learning to use technology, to developing original pieces of art, to creating community place-based design initiatives, to developing communication and leadership skills. http://www.dreamyard.com/

Free Spirit Media: Founded in 2001, Free Spirit Media (FSM) provides youth on Chicago’s South and West sides with a comprehensive foundation in media literacy and hands-on digital media production experience. FSM News is an afterschool and summer program where student reporters produce news packages, issue specific mini-documentaries, socially conscious narrative pieces, and public service announcements for broadcast on local Chicago TV stations. Curriculum focuses on news literacy, solutions-oriented reporting, journalism ethics, and digital media production as a form of civic engagement. At the apprentice level, the curriculum is focused on building the literacy and technical skills needed for journalism and video production. By the program’s completion, apprentices produce and distribute a newscast using the digital media skills gained throughout the year. Advanced crews are responsible for completing 5-6 themed newscasts throughout the year to showcase their skills in broadcast journalism and digital media production. https://freespiritmedia.org

The Knowledge House (TKH): Located in the Bronx, TKH provides technology and digital media instruction to young adults to prepare them for the 21st century workforce. The Intro to Tech Entrepreneurship course provides low-income students in NYC with an introduction to the various technology occupations and skillsets (AutoCAD, Virtual Reality, Data Visualization, UX/UI, Graphic Design, Digital Marketing, and more), coding, and workplace skills to prepare them to thrive in the technology ecosystem. Students engage in project-based learning through daily digital and coding exercises, individual and group projects, and final presentations. To complete these core programs, students ideate, design, develop, and demonstrate a technology product produced within a team that addresses a community or user need. Students present their digital project at a demonstration event (Demo Day) open to the community. The program also exposes students to professionals in the technology sector through networking events, site visits and Hackathons. http://www.theknowledgehouse.org

West Michigan Center for Arts + Tech (WMCAT): Founded in 2005, WMCAT after school Teen Arts and Tech Program provides hands-on studio experiences to high school students in Grand Rapids, Michigan. WMCAT engages nearly 150 students twice a week throughout the school year in student-centered, project-based learning experiences melding the arts and technology. This non-drop in program is comprised of both introductory and advanced level courses, guided by professional teaching artists to expand teens’ technical skills, build their creative confidence, and promote engagement with their community. WMCAT provides studios in video production, audio production, digital photography, and video game and app design and engages teens in creating original films, podcasts, video games, and photo essays to elevate their voices and affect community conversations. The tuition-free after school program eliminates financial barriers, offers transportation to and from the WMCAT facility, and provides all students with access to professional equipment, intentionally outfitted studio spaces, and mentoring from teaching artists. http://www.wmcat.org/

Research Partner

The Innovatory Learning Group, based in New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, is an interdisciplinary research group that designs and studies novel ways to interact with technology and information in the service of improving educational opportunities for all learners. The team – Dr. June Ahn, Dr. Dixie Ching and Dr. Rafi Santo – brings expertise in out-of-school and community-based programs, digital media and learning, design of learning technologies, digital initiatives in informal learning organizations, and the role of networks in informal organizational development that will inform the research and learning community aspects of SCE Digital Learning Challenge. www.innovatory.group

Funding Partner

Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) is a Chicago-based foundation invested in shaping an ecosystem of anytime, anywhere learning to prepare youth to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing and highly-connected world. Through three primary programs—digital learning, social and emotional learning, and catalyst grants—SCE connects talent and innovation with forces for positive change. SCE’s exchange model leverages up-to-date research, best practices, grantmaking, and innovative programming to design, evaluate, and promote high-quality learning experiences for young people beyond the classroom, particularly youth from underserved communities. www.scefdn.org

SCE is pleased to announce the next phase of the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Challenge, the SEL Demonstration Initiative. This phase of the work will focus on demonstrating how the Preparing Youth to Thrive content, training, performance measures and practices can be integrated into youth serving organizations across the country to improve SEL practice. Five afterschool system partners with local, statewide and national reach will participate in partnership with David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality over the coming year. The organizations include School’s Out Washington (Seattle), Sprockets (St. Paul), After-school All Stars (Los Angeles), Beyond the Bell (Milwaukee) and Wyman. The initiative will culminate in the release of case studies that will highlight the process of how each organization integrated the social and emotional learning supports and these lessons will be shared widely with the field.

The supports will include the performance measures as adapted from the Preparing Youth to Thrive: Methodology and Findings from the SEL Challenge, as well as training and coaching with the SEL Challenge Ambassadors.

We’ll be posting updates and highlights about the SEL Demonstration Initiative throughout the coming year. And we’ll continue to welcome your stories of ways that you are integrating the Preparing Youth to Thrive materials into your activities and continuous improvement processes. You can submit a resource or story here.

Digital Learning Challenge Q&A Call

January 10, 2017; 1:00 PM CST

Thanks to all of those who joined the Q&A call on Tuesday, January 10^th. The call was recorded and you can download the audio here:

• Part 1: http://bit.ly/DLCQAP1
• Part 2: http://bit.ly/DLCQAP2
• A printable document can be found here: http://bit.ly/DLCFAQ

If your question is not answered here, please email challenge@scefdn.comfdn.org, subject line: Digital Learning Challenge. As a reminder, applications close at 5:00 PM CST on January 20^th.

Where can I find additional information on the Digital Learning Challenge (DL Challenge)?

• Call to Action: http://bit.ly/SCEDLChallenge2017
• Application Form: http://www.bit.ly/SCEDLC (for a complete list of application questions, please see page 11 of the Call to Action)
• Facebook Page: facebook.com/SCEFDN

For specifics on the initiative, please see the following pages of the Call to Action:

• Page 4:                SCE Background and Digital Learning Program History
• Pages 5-6:          DL Challenge Overview
• Page 7:                Initiative Objectives
• Page 8:                Participant Eligibility, Initiative Components, Challenge Questions
• Page 9:                Award Information, Application Review Criteria
• Page 10:              Application Submission Information (link, deadlines, etc.)
• Page 11:               Application Questions
• Page 12:              Initiative Timeline

ELIGIBILITY

Are fiscally-sponsored organizations eligible?

Only 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible to apply. We will also accept applications from programs that have a fiscal sponsor.

Can you provide additional clarification on the eligible age range?

The primary age of the youth in your program must fall within the 13-18 age range. Programs that serve a subset of the 13-18 age range or that have some youth that fall outside of the age range are eligible to apply as long as the programs main focus is teens.

Please be sure to indicate the percentage 13-18 year old students in your program in the application.

Is there a specific number of students our program should serve?

There is no minimum or maximum number of youth program participants required to apply. We are looking for a diverse set of program types and sizes. We will focus on understanding what you do with the youth you serve.

Can we start a new program with this grant money or are only organizations with established programs eligible to apply?

Applications will not be accepted for new or pilot programs. Programs must demonstrate some evidence of impact of 21st century skill growth with teens using digital tools. However, you have flexibility in how you use the grant funds. Please see the section on award allocation on page 7 for additional details.

Do I need to apply to the initiative with a partner?

This application does not require programs to apply with a partner. SCE is interested in learning how you, a youth-serving afterschool organization, have previously partnered with other organizations to implement and develop your program.

The partnership component of the grant comes from the learning community process: the Challenge will be a partnership between the selected afterschool programs, the evaluation team and SCE, and a secondary team of HR professionals, supply-side distributors and developers and system intermediaries.

Are you only considering applicants that are following an evidence-based program?

We would like all applicants to demonstrate that their programs are based on strong theories of change and have some kind of data that informs their practice. Your program may not be using a not using pre-packaged evidenced-base program but is still producing results.

My organization is run by a public/private/charter school, am I eligible to apply? 

Schools that run an afterschool program are eligible to apply as long as the program takes place outside of the school day. A community partner that offers an afterschool program that is housed in or in partnership with the school may also apply. Please highlight the afterschool program in your application, while also addressing how that program fits into your overall mission.

My program runs from August – June/My program is a year-round program with both an afterschool program and summer components. Are we eligible to apply?

You are eligible to apply. Organizations must apply with programs that operate outside of school but during the 2017-2018 school year. The evaluation team will work with you to schedule site-visits between November 2017 – January 2018. Please see the program evaluation section on page 5 for additional information.

My program is a summer program. Are we eligible to apply?

Summer programs are not eligible because of the program design and evaluation schedule.

My organization is run by a government entity or recreation agency, am I eligible to apply?

Yes, you are eligible to apply, since you are eligible to receive grant funds. Be sure to apply with one afterschool program at one specific rec center and discuss how that fits within the larger initiative.

Can programs apply from outside the Chicagoland area? Is there is a regional focus to this funding initiative?

Yes, you can apply from outside the Chicagoland area. The Challenge is a national initiative.

We are looking for a diverse set of program types and sizes located in different places. We want to understand how organizations have overcome challenges and barriers in your own community to implement a program that impacts the lives of the youth you serve.

My organization partners with afterschool providers/convenes a network of afterschool programs. Are we, as a provider/system intermediary, eligible to apply? Or is this opportunity geared toward a single afterschool program?

The initiative is seeking to identify direct-service organizations to understand their practices as it relates to 21st century skill growth using digital tools. In the application, the direct-service organization should discuss their partnership with you.

We encourage you to share this opportunity with your network of afterschool programs. We will keep you updated on how we will involve intermediaries as we move through the process.

Does a national program working with local partners and able to adjust their approach in local communities, still qualify?

Please encourage top digital media programs from your network to apply. In the application, the organizations should discuss their partnership with you.

Our organization has just one site, but we offer a variety of programs. Do we have to select one particular offering or can we submit all of our programming for consideration?

If you’d like to be considered for more than one program at the same site, you would have to send separate application submissions for each. We will only select one program from within a single organization. Please note that your program must align with the 2017-2018 school year.

LEARNING COMMUNITY LOGISTICS

What is the timeline of the learning community?

The initiative will run from May 2017 until December 2018. The first convening is June 12-13 in Chicago. If your staff representatives are unable to attend that meeting, then you should not apply for the initiative. Please see page 12 of the Call to Action for more timeline specifics.

Could you share concrete examples of developers/distributors and intermediaries that might be engaged by the Learning Community?

A secondary component of this initiative is to understand how we can support partnerships and growth among informal learning environments, system intermediaries and supply-side developers and distributors in order to equip teens with the 21^st century skills they need to thrive as individuals, professionals and citizens. Our intention is to pursue multiple avenues to share this information with educators and informal learning practitioners so they will be better equipped to use digital media in their work.

We want to hear from you, in your applications, about the digital media products and services you currently use, and which you would like to use. This feedback will help us inform who we identify and connect with throughout the initiative.

Do you have an estimated amount of time that our program staff member will spend on meetings and reporting outside of program implementation?

The learning community requires full and active participation from two members of your team: a key senior leader and an organization member who has substantial experience and knowledge of the program.

We understand the lift required of the senior leader, however, in our experience, the success of the learning community requires buy-in from senior leadership in order to prioritize and advocate for skill-building in your organization.

For more specific information on the time requirement, please see the program evaluation section on page 5.

PROGRAM EVALUATION

What types of evidence of a program’s impact should we include in the application and how would you like it presented? 

Please provide findings from evaluations, questionnaires, case studies, interviews, videos, or other qualitative or quantitative means.

This may be different for each organization because we are not asking for applicants to show us specific outcome data on a specific set of skills. Please tell your own story about your own organization and the impact it has.

Is the evaluation team affiliated with a university?

Yes. We are in the final stages of contract deliberations with our evaluators who have been working in digital youth program evaluation for many years. We will be announcing details of the partnership soon.

What were the criteria you used to determine evaluation team?

We went through a rigorous process that required experience in at least two of four of the following areas:

• Evaluating place-based/asset-based programs
• Evaluating digital learning programs/tools/services
• Analyzing and measuring 21st century skill growth and outcomes
• Evaluating OST programs

Our selected evaluation team has extensive experience in each of these areas. We are excited to announce the partnership soon.

What will the data collection and evaluation entail?

Currently the data collection and evaluation process entails six key components:

1. An artifact analysis in which the partner will provide materials about your program to the evaluation team;
2. Obtain consent forms and administer pre-post teen questionnaires;
3. Interviews with program staff and organization leaders;
4. Coordinate with the evaluation team to host a 2-3 day site visit that will include observations, stakeholder interviews, and teen focus groups;
5. Collaborate with the evaluation team to implement a youth voice component of the project; and
6. Information gathering and sharing during in-person and virtual convenings.

Should grantees have their own research and evaluation capacity/partnerships?

The work with the evaluation team isn’t a substitute for having your own evaluator or evaluation process. If you have the resources, working with an evaluator inform ongoing improvements and outcomes for youth. If you do have an evaluator, the Challenge evaluators will work with them so as not to duplicate efforts and ensure that data collection is complementary. If you don’t have an evaluator, we expect that the data collection and findings that come out of this process will help inform your programs.

Do you plan to develop or pilot new measures in the Challenge?

No, our goal with this initiative is not to develop or pilot new measures, rather we want to understand how you define 21^st century skills, what tools you use to build those skills in teens, the measures you use to evaluate these skills and what data you collect to inform 21^st century skill growth.

How much input will the grantees have on the development of the research process?

The learning community will work together to ensure this process is helpful and informative for all participants. The findings from the learning community will ultimately inform the production of practical resources to assist other youth-serving organization with ways to incorporate digital tools into programs. The evaluation team will be responsible for the production of the tools with input from the partners.

What is the estimated time commitment that organization staff have to devote to the evaluation component project (e.g. frequency of conference calls, length of convenings, Field Guide preparation, etc.)

There will be three convenings throughout the program period that will be about 1.5 days each and take place in Chicago. There will also be three virtual convenings that will be up to three hours each. There will be some time toward the beginning of the initiative when you will participate in interviews and provide documents to the evaluator, and then more intensive time later when the evaluation team makes site visits.

The site visits will be approximately 2-3 days and be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time. You will also be expected to facilitate data collection including questionnaire administration (including obtaining consent) and a youth photovoice project.

AWARD ALLOCATION

How many grants do you expect to award?

We expect to award 5-7 grants to afterschool organizations serving teens.

How is the amount of each recipient’s award determined? Is it based on number of program participants, program budget, or other? 

Due to the time and dedication of the program staff, all organizations will receive the same size grant of up to $100,000.

What is the duration of the grant?/At the end of the first year, is there a grant renewal process?

The learning community will take place over approximately 18 months: the first convening will be in June 2017, the program evaluation will begin in September 2017 and end in May 2018, and the final convening will be in July 2018. Following the convening, we expect program partners to provide input and feedback on any final materials, due at the close of the grant period in December 2018. There will be no grant renewal process and we will disperse multiple payments throughout the course of the Challenge.

Please see page 12 of the Call to Action for an initiative timeline.

How will recipients be chosen aside from the criteria listed?

We are looking for exemplars of different size, location and shape. We have a rigorous selection process and grantees require board approval.

Does this grant cover supporting staff for the afterschool programs?/Will this grant allow the purchase of updated technical equipment?

The awards must be spent on supporting ongoing digital learning programming. This can include staff salaries, tools, operations, professional development and training, and data collection/measurement systems. We will ask for more specifics on how you intend to spend the money during the RFP process.

SCE will cover all convening-related expenses separately.

Are the funds to support programming, participation in a learning community or both?

While the awards do not need to be fully devoted to facilitating the collaboration involved in this program, we do require each program to designate at least two key staff members to take full and active participation in the learning community. For more information on the time requirements please see the program evaluation section on page 5.

BUDGET

Is there a budget requirement?

In this phase, we do not require a proposed budget allocation for the grant.

Is there a particular format you would like to see for the budget submission?

No. Please submit as a single PDF, your current general program, total youth services budget (required for multiservice organizations), and your annual organization budget.

Are there organization budget maximums or minimums that we need to meet in order to apply?

No. We are looking for programs that can demonstrate impact on 21st century skill growth with teens. We want to learn about the creative ways you’ve utilized the resources in your community.

Are evaluation costs included in the grant, covered separately by SCE, or do we need to find additional funding to cover evaluation costs?

SCE will provide the evaluation team with funding to support their efforts.

Should we be accepted, what are the specific reporting actions we would need to take?

The initiative does not require the program staff to draft the final deliverables, but they will be required to provide input in the content and style of the materials. Please be prepared to actively participate in the learning community and ensure that your organization has the administrative capacity, infrastructure, and motivation to participate in all initiative activities.

FRAMEWORKS, SKILLS and TOOLS

How does SCE define/prioritize 21st century skill growth?

We frame 21st century skills as a broad set of knowledge, skills, and work habits that are believed to be critically important to success in today’s world. We welcome applications from organizations that are focusing on different skills and dispositions than those discussed in the application; we want to know what’s most important and effective for you and the youth that you serve.

As an organization, we promote shared ownership and empower partner organizations to pursue solutions in ways that work best for them. Our goal is to focus on how new models of teaching and learning are activated, rather than on the language used to describe them.

Is there a particular type of digital tool my program must use?

There is no stipulation on the types of digital tools you use. Our goal is to learn how you encourage youth to explore their own interests using these tools and how you connect those learnings to the challenges faced in their own lives and communities outside the program.

How important is staff training and what kind of information would you like for us to provide?

Please be sure to describe your organizational management strategies, including how you train and support staff to facilitate programs. If applicable, please include any local or online professional development sources that you use.

EQUITY

Are there particular at-risk populations that you are interested in addressing through this challenge?

Youth can be at-risk in a number of different ways. At SCE, we think about vulnerability in terms of access. SCE is interested in partnering with organizations who serve youth who may otherwise have limited access to digital learning opportunities.

SUCCESS

What does success look like?

The ultimate goal of this initiative is to better understand how we can support partnerships and growth among informal learning environments, system intermediaries, and supply-side developers and distributors. Our intention is to share this information across multiple avenues and sectors to ensure educators and informal learning practitioners are equipped to use digital media in their work, and ultimately engage youth in more meaningful learning experiences.

 

 

SCE is thrilled to announce our 2016 Catalyst award recipients! This year, 20 changemakers topped the list of organizations that caught our attention, impressed and intrigued us. As part of a special discretionary program, we make unexpected, one-time grants to support efforts that we admire.

Click here to view the complete list of Catalyst Grant recipients.

Almost Home Kids (http://www.almosthomekids.org/)
Almost Home Kids provides transitional care in a home-like setting to children with complicated health needs, and trains their families to address these needs. Almost Home Kids is a short-term community-based pediatric healthcare facility that brings together medical professionals, recreational volunteers, community providers, sponsors, donors, friends, corporate and civic partners to provide respite care, transitional care, transportation, physical therapy, caregiver resources, medical education and more.

Canine Therapy Corps (www.caninetherapycorps.org)
Canine Therapy Corps provides interactive, animal-assisted therapy programs to a variety of populations throughout Chicago, from children undergoing cancer treatments to adults recuperating from spinal cord injuries.

The Cara Program, CleanSlate (http://www.cleanslatechicago.org/)
Cleanslate, a social enterprise of The Cara Program in Chicago, provides paid transitional neighborhood beautification jobs which have a dual purpose – invigorating communities and providing a platform to help individuals build the skills to secure lasting careers. In FY15 Cleanslate generated $1.6M in income and created 275 jobs.

Chicago Media Project (http://www.chicagomediaproject.org/)
The Chicago Media Project supports and amplifies social impact films through a community model of philanthropy. The four main program areas include film funding, community events, support of new media platforms and member events. The main annual event is Good Pitch Chicago, which brings together documentary filmmakers with foundations, NGOs, philanthropists, policy makers, brands and media around leading social issues to forge coalitions that support social justice filmmaking. Since 2008 the events have raised over $8,000,000 for 200 documentaries.

Embarc, Inc. (https://www.embarcchicago.org/)
Embarc is a three-year program that provides community-driven, experienced-based learning opportunities to low-income Chicago Public High School students to inspire and prepare them for college and career success. Embarc provides these experiences by partnering with businesses and cultural institutions throughout the city.

Feeding America, Backpack Program (http://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/helping-hungry-children/backpack-program/)
Feeding America’s Backpack program provides 450,000 children on the National School Lunch or Breakfast Program with bags of easy-to-prepare food to take home on the weekends.

Family Matters (https://www.familymatterschicago.org/)
Family Matters offers a safe space to neighborhood residents and families seeking to promote positive change in the North of Howard neighborhood in Chicago. Here, parents, children, and youth partner with staff and volunteers to further their education, build leadership skills, and strengthen the community.

GirlForward (https://www.girlforward.org/)
GirlForward provides adolescent refugee girls with individual mentorship, educational programs and leadership opportunities. The organization pairs refugees ranging in age from 12 to 21 with American mentors and hosts a summer camp to prepare teens for their first year of high school in the United States. The organization serves over 100 refugee girls annually through programs in Chicago, IL and Austin, TX.

The Health Wagon (http://thehealthwagon.org/)
The Health Wagon’s mission is to provide quality health care to the medically underserved people in the mountains of Appalachia. HW’s average patient is 38-years-old; 98% of patients are uninsured and 70% have an income of less than $20,000 annually, despite working multiple jobs. These patients make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. The mobile health clinic fills that gap by bringing healthcare to them.

Jovenes Unidos (http://padresunidos.org/)
Padres & Jovenes Unidos is a multi-issue organization in Colorado led by people of color who work for educational equity, racial justice, immigrant rights and quality healthcare for all. Jovenes Unidos, the youth initiative of Padres Unidos, emerged as young people became active in reforming their schools. Jovenes Unidos led the drive to end the school-to-jail pipeline by advocating for and passing a law to formerly change the state discipline code. It has also created a data driven report card for Denver Public School as call to action. In just six years, Jovenes Unidos has cut suspension rates for students of color in half.

Lava Mae (http://lavamae.org/)
Lava Mae is taking “radical hospitality” to the street, and bringing humanity, innovation, and collaboration to the way services are provided to those experiencing homelessness in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 2014, Lava Mae retrofits former public transit busses with two full private bathrooms and offers hot showers, clean toilets, shampoo, soap and towels free of charge to the homeless. To-date, Lava Mae has provided 2,300 San Franciscans with 14,000+ showers on their mobile units, inspired replication of their hygiene services, and dramatically raised awareness about the lack of showers among the broader community across the U.S. and around the globe.

Library for All (http://www.libraryforall.org/)
Library For All is a nonprofit organization focused on building a digital library to deliver quality educational materials in developing countries. Started in 2012, LFA has partnered with schools, NGOs and governments in Haiti, Mongolia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Cambodia to customize the Library according to their users’ specific needs. LFA is a recipient of the 2016 Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellowship and was featured at Chicago Ideas Week.

Operation Gratitude (https://www.operationgratitude.com/)
Operation Gratitude annually sends over 200,000 care packages filled with food, entertainment, hygiene, and handmade items, plus personal letters of appreciation to Veterans, First Responders, new recruits, Wounded Heroes and their care givers, and U.S. service members deployed overseas to boost morale and support. Each package contains donated product valued from $45-100, and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship.

Project C.U.R.E. (https://projectcure.org/)
Project C.U.R.E. delivers medical supplies to resource-limited communities across the globe. In 2015, Project C.U.R.E. delivered 145 containers valued at $53.4, million to 47 countries. The C.U.R.E. Kits program sends suitcase-sized, pre-packed kits of basic medical supplies that can be checked as luggage. Valued at $2,000, contents include exam supplies, wound care, personal hygiene items and other critical supplies often lacking in clinics in developing countries but are essential for medical care. Each kit costs $200 to send.

Recipe for Change (http://www.recipeforchangeproject.com/)
Recipe for Change is a program designed to give dignity and opportunity to the inmates of Cook County Jail through an introduction to healthy food, good nutrition and the art of quality cooking. More than a traditional cooking class, these students, who are detainees, are challenged to meet the expectations of the best and most rigorous culinary arts school. Recipe for Change aims to give inmates a sense of work ethic, patience, and the motivation to be a better person when they are back outside in the world.

Resource Center Chicago, City Farm Program (http://www.cityfarmchicago.org/our-roots/city-farm-programs/)
The Resource Center is a not-for-profit environmental education organization that strives to improve the quality of life in Chicago by finding new life in underused and overlooked resources. City Farm transforms vacant city land into fertile, productive farmland. It integrates education, land reuse, local investment and jobs, community beautification and healthier agriculture and eating.

Simple Good (http://www.thesimplegood.com/)
The Simple Good uses arts and discussion to bring together low-income youth around the positive concept of ‘good’. The Simple Good partners with schools to develop public art projects and youth art programming, with the goal to share the message that no matter where you go in the world, good means the same to all of us – and that is what connects us as human beings.

TASC Inc. (http://www2.tasc.org/)
TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities) works to decrease the number of people who go through the criminal justice system. TASC places people with substance abuse or mental health problems into rehabilitative programs across Illinois and provides monitoring and recovery support for sustained success. Through direct services and public policy, the organization advocates for effective and cost-saving solutions that allow individuals, families, and communities to thrive.

University of Illinois Hospital, Baby Cuddling Program (http://hospital.uillinois.edu/patients-and-visitors/volunteer-services)
Research has shown that infants who are held demonstrate greater growth, physiological stability, and have shorter hospital stays than infants who are not. Since critically ill newborns are frequently hospitalized for an extended period of time, parents find themselves emotionally and physically torn between their desires to visit with their infants and other life responsibilities. The Cuddle Program uses extensively trained volunteers to support the families of infants by providing comfort to their hospitalized infant. Through training, Cuddlers learn to handle, hold, rock, and cuddle stable infants-as an extension of the parents’ role-as they convalesce from premature birth or other illnesses.

Urban Initiatives (http://www.urbaninitiatives.org/)
Urban Initiatives engages kids through sports and team membership with the goal of building accountability for their actions in academics, nutrition, physical fitness and personal contact. Their flagship program Work to Play provides children in grades K-4 with the opportunity to join a soccer team, regardless of skill level. Ongoing team participation depends on meeting academic and behavioral standards, as measured by their teachers on a weekly basis.

SCE’s Digital Learning Challenge is LIVE!

To download the application, please visit: http://bit.ly/SCEDLChallenge2017

We are excited to announce that applications are now open for SCE’s next Digital Learning Challenge. Through this process, SCE will select a short list of exceptional afterschool programs to participate in a learning community to explore how digital media can promote the development of skills to prepare the next generation for success.

During the next two years, the Challenge will bring together a community of afterschool programs, along with an evaluation team, human resource professionals, and digital product developers and distributors to explore what it means to be a prepared and skilled 21st century citizen. The initiative will unpack the practices and programs of top afterschool organizations that support teens as they build, produce, and remix media, and how these activities connect to opportunities and obstacles faced beyond the program. These digital media programs can be any size, shape, or location. We will be studying how the work is done, in differing contexts, with different sets of challenges, and how success was achieved navigating all of these factors.

Our hope is that we can analyze and articulate best practices and share what we’ve learned with educators, informal learning practitioners, and others with a vested interest in using digital tools. Ultimately, our goal is to engage youth in more meaningful learning experiences.

The application process for afterschool program partners for the Digital Learning Challenge will close on January 20. To download the application, please visit: http://bit.ly/SCEDLChallenge2017.

SCE will host a Q&A session for interested parties on January 10, 2017 at 1:00 PM CST. Use the following conference line: 712-770-8009, Code: 698992. Please email questions prior to the call to challenge@scefdn.comfdn.org using the subject line Digital Learning Challenge.

On January 2, 2017, SCE is opening applications for a new Challenge initiative focused on digital learning. Over the last two weeks, SCE has posted a series of blogs that outline why we view digital learning as a key pathway to the development of 21^st century skills and a list of questions we aim to address through our next this initiative. This is the final post in the series before the newest program goes live.  We call it: What Does Success Look Like?

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SCE Digital Learning Challenge: What Does Success Look Like?

Our previous investments and partnerships have taught us that that many afterschool programs have access to the internet and computers, but the quality of programming and equipment is highly variable depending on where kids live and what resources are available. We know that training can be expensive and for many inaccessible, but we believe that many organizations have figured out innovative ways to train their staff on new models of teaching and learning and digital technology at low-cost and high-impact.

That said, we are well aware of the fact that technology alone is not the answer and technical assistance can be scarce and expensive, but we are certain there are organizations out there that have figured out clever ways to cut through some of these challenges.

We believe that the people working for nonprofits all across the country have figured out ways to use both interpersonal and digital skill-building to equip youth with the skills to thrive. This initiative is focused on those organizations: we want to learn how organizations work with the people, utilize the spaces, and find the resources readily available in the community to implement a digital learning program that is both engaging and impactful.

If you’ve been following along this blog series, you are aware that SCE intends to bring together a learning community of afterschool programs and a strong evaluation partner to engage in a process to uncover best practices. It is our assumption that each partner operates in their own specific way, with their own specific language, but we believe there are likely commonalities. Throughout this Challenge, we plan to also invite human resource professionals, system intermediaries, and digital media supply-side organizations (including product developers and distributors) to the table in an attempt to break down silos between and across industries, while supporting and promoting collaboration.

Success for us means getting closer to the solutions of these tough challenges and finding creative ways to communicate and elevate these ideas so other informal learning practitioners and educators can make use of them. We hope to better understand from you, the afterschool organizations, how we can better support partnerships and growth among informal learning environments, system intermediaries, and supply-side developers and distributors to ensure that teens are equipped with the 21^st century skills they need to thrive as individuals, professionals and citizens.

We hope this program captures your interest and imagination.  It is a large challenge, one that will involve hard work, time, learning, connection with quality colleagues, and, of course, fun.

On January 2, 2017, SCE is launching a new Challenge initiative focused on digital learning. Our first blog outlined SCE’s methodology and why we are prioritizing digital learning as a key pathway to the development of 21^st century skills. This post provides a list of questions we will address through this new initiative. Check back next week to see our final post in the series: What Does Success Look Like?

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 SCE’s BIG QUESTIONS

Our last post described how SCE’s Digital Learning Challenge intends to bring together leading program practitioners, an evaluation team, HR Professionals, digital product developers and distributors to form a learning community. Our goal is to challenge this expert group to answer important questions about what it means to be a 21^st century citizen, and share wisdom about how digital tools and practices can equip youth with the skills needed to thrive as individuals, professionals and citizens in a rapidly changing world. Our hope is that other organizations will find this knowledge useful to more effectively support the development of programs and services that cultivate 21^st century skill development.

The learning community will attempt to answer the following questions:

• What does it mean to be a 21^st century citizen? What skills are needed to thrive in today’s and tomorrow’s workforce? How do organizations think about, identify and measure outcomes?

Why this question?: We believe that in order to persist through school and be successful in today’s changing world, students must be flexible, collaborative, curious, resilient, and be able to communicate effectively. We want to understand how your organization interprets 21^st century skill growth and is supporting and measuring the growth of these skills. We will then use this information to facilitate discussions to understand how employers are defining 21^st century skills.

• How are you engaging youth ages 13-18 using digital media to explore their interests?

Why this question?: Many organizations have cited consistent attendance as a challenge. Teens tend to ‘vote with their feet’ meaning, they show up when they are interested in the programming provided to them. Out-of-school time (OST) programming is entirely voluntary, which further supports the notion that attendance is driven by student interest levels and quality of offerings. We are interested in connecting with organizations who have a proven track record of success engaging youth in digital media programming.

• What are the best ways to support adults to a) teach with digital media, and b) build meaningful and motivating relationships with teens?

Why this question?: We have taken a specific interest in teens because they are at a critical juncture in their lives; they are independent, but still require the guidance of adults to help them navigate the rapidly changing world. We believe that the most successful organizations have developed staff practices that promote learning and leadership in order to support youth voice and meet the youth where they are. We also want to understand how your organization has supported staff development so they feel confident in engaging youth while building digital skills.

• How have organizations overcome obstacles specific to their communities or settings to increase digital media opportunities for low-income youth?

Why this question?: Afterschool programs and informal educators, in particular, face challenges acquiring technology (hardware, software, and network), the skills to teach with digital media (pedagogy), and the knowledge about which tools to employ (navigation and quality of tools, safety and privacy concerns) to support youth-driven digital media practices (participation, production and co-creation). We want to understand the ways in which different programs have addressed and overcome these barriers.

• What are the main characteristics of youth serving organizations that successfully create digital media learning opportunities for teens? How do they address place-based priorities and capitalize on community assets?

Why this question?: Communities, like people, are different.  They have different strengths and weaknesses, are different in sizes and how they use space and serve different demographics. While some might face greater challenges – lack of resources, infrastructure, political will, funding – we believe the seeds of innovation exist in every home, school, neighborhood, and community. We want to understand the context of where you work, what barriers exist, and how you are breaking through these barriers.

Check back for next week’s blog: What Does Success Look Like?

On January 2, 2017, SCE is launching a new Challenge initiative focused on digital learning. In the coming weeks, we will post a three-part blog that will outline SCE’s approach, aspirations, what motivates us to invest in this topic, which questions we hope to answer and what, we believe, would constitute success in this initiative.

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SCE and Digital Learning: How did we get here?

SCE, our MISSION and METHODOLGY

Founded in 2009, SCE’s mission is to help equip youth with the skills needed to thrive in the 21^st century. Our emphasis on informal learning environments is intentional: we support programs and platforms that offer youth a way to explore their own interests and connect to their world. We believe that learning does not happen solely in school, and we seek to blend the development of social and emotional skills with digital fluency.

We describe ourselves as an Exchange for a reason. In our seven year history, we have learned that building partnerships with top practitioners, policy developers, applied researchers, and funders creates the optimal environment to address hard problems and to create sustainable change. We continually ask challenging questions and we believe we move closer to solutions by discovering, analyzing, and elevating outstanding field work.

We launched a similar initiative in 2014. SCE partnered with expert practitioners and a team of top researchers to design and implement the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Challenge. The two-year Challenge shed new light on how afterschool programs can equip teens with valuable social and emotional skills by improving the intentionality and impact of skill building and assessment. Our field guide Preparing Youth to Thrive: Promising Practices for Social & Emotional Learning attempts to offer a practical roadmap of activities, practices, case studies, and assessment tools.

SCE believes that in order for the next generation thrive as individuals, professionals and citizens in a rapidly changing world, they must become motivated, thoughtful lifelong learners, while becoming fluent in the new language of digital literacy. Our next initiative will bring together a  community of leading program practitioners, researchers and evaluators,  HR professionals, and digital product developers/distributors to explore important questions about what it means to be a 21^st century citizen.  This effort aspires to gain and share knowledge about how digital tools and practices can promote the development of skills for the workforce and positive community participation.

WHY DIGITAL LEARNING?

Technology has changed how we view, interact with, and shape the world. We have shifted from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy, where anyone with access to the Internet can, under the right conditions, tap into an endless supply of information and connect with citizens all over the world. Technology has also transformed how we work. Workplaces require professionals who can quickly adapt to new roles and master new tools, responsibilities, and jobs while communicating and negotiating across companies, sectors, and continents.

While technology has increased access to knowledge and opportunity, there is evidence of a widening digital divide for low-income individuals, families and communities. Obsolete tools, uneven internet access and mindsets around innovation in education often hinder the development of learning the skills critical to success in today’s knowledge economy. SCE’s previous investments in organizations like Common Sense Media, Games for Change, Hive Chicago, PowerMyLearning, Gooru and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop have focused on these issues.

Over the last few years, there has been an increased focus on using digital media for learning in non-school settings as supported by MacArthur’s Digital Media and Learning initiative, the research on Connected Learning Theory, and the growth of HIVE Learning Networks. The initiatives support kids to build, produce and remix, instead of passively consume, media. These ‘makerspace’ programs provide hands-on learning using digital tools in safe spaces where youth can explore their interests and cultivate their passions while building 21st century skills. Most importantly, makerspaces represent a ‘mindset’: makers create something out of nothing by exploring their own interests. The most successful of these programs are able to draw connections between the program activities/skills and opportunities and obstacles that exist beyond the boundaries of the program. Here, the concept of ‘citizenship’ is a powerful one: it empowers youth as agents of change in their own communities.

Through our work in the digital learning arena and consultation with field experts, we have learned that the decentralized, local nature of afterschool programs often makes it hard for technology developers and distributors to fully grasp the dynamics of their intended markets or to reach scale. These findings are further supported by a large body of research that advises that a top down, one-size-fits-all program is not the solution. It is for this reason we are interested not only in the specifics of these kinds of digital learning programs, but also about the place-based context of this work.

Eligible applicants for this initiative do not necessarily call themselves ‘makerspaces’ or a ‘civics’ program per se, but we do believe that these skills and concepts are important for 21st century learners. We wish to elevate exemplary digital media programs that promote the development of 21st century skills and understand the process by which they overcome challenges specific to their population or community using limited resources.

Check back for next week’s blog: SCE’s BIG QUESTIONS