Windi Hazzard is a trained educator. While completing her Master’s in International Multicultural Education, she took a part time job as a site coordinator at Homework Central, an academic support afterschool program in San Mateo County. She’s been there ever since. Working in an afterschool program opened up Windi’s understanding of the nonprofit world and helped her to see the potential for connecting to communities and supporting long-term systemic change. This felt different from her experience in the classroom, where she knew change was happening, but one person at a time. She saw the possibility of making broad change for many young people at once as a leader in afterschool.
Windi’s experience as a CalSAC Apprentice Trainer is what helped her identify how to lead for systemic change, by ensuring that her approach is human-focused, community-based, and equity-centered. Windi shared, “Now that I’ve become a CalSAC trainer, I think of the youth and community more…before I’d ask myself, do I have the handouts, the games, do I know what program will happen? I was thinking about what information I needed to impart on the youth or staff. Now I’m considering the people. I’m thinking about the conversations that we need to have together to bring forward learning, recognizing that most people know a lot of the answers already and know best what they need - so the question is really, how can we get the most out of the next 2 hours together?” Research shows that Windi’s shift in approach is what makes a difference for young people. Youth, and in fact all people need agency and voice to learn more effectively and to thrive in school, work, and life.
Windi is also using many of the resources and learning she gained through the apprenticeship to support her staff team. She’s even found that the training content is helpful in her own life. A key focus of Windi’s training cohort was CalSAC’s newly developed mental health and wellness modules. She shared, “I’m more reflective now and I’m thinking more about the other person I’m engaging with. I feel more connected to my work and more deeply grounded in why I’m doing this important work.” This shift in approach and mindset as well as access to a network and resources are key ingredients to supporting job retention in the afterschool field. Considering that the afterschool field has an approximate turnover rate of 40% every year, strengthening retention efforts is critical for ensuring quality programming for young people. Research of CalSAC’s programs show that 79% of respondents stayed in the afterschool field longer because of their experiences and opportunities with the organization.
““I’m more reflective now and I’m thinking more about the other person I’m engaging with. I feel more connected to my work and more deeply grounded in why I’m doing this important work.””
It has also been important for Windi to be able to speak to the significance of wellness and social and emotional learning for young people in addition to the hard skills taught in school. This is an especially important lesson in 2020-2021, considering that young people will soon be returning to the classroom after more than a year away from a traditional school environment, and bringing with them a myriad of mental health concerns and trauma. Educators know that to learn, these mental health needs must be addressed – and considering that afterschool programs have been supporting wellness and social and emotional health for decades, they are well-primed to meet the moment. It is essential that afterschool practitioners have the training they need to help young people navigate difficult emotions and to support individual and community healing after COVID-19. Luckily, in part because of the generous support of the Union Bank Foundation, there are 37 new Certified Trainers available across the state of California ready to provide the mental health and wellness, social and emotional and positive youth development training that providers need, through CalSAC’s Trainer Network.