ASM yoga instructor Candis Oakley provides meditation tips that we can use to practice at home.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis and the restrictions put in place as a result, After School Matters re-envisioned our programs to provide safe, equitable, and innovative learning opportunities remotely. For 30 years, we have advocated for Chicago teens and continued to build on that commitment by providing a remote, and accessible program model until it is safe to resume in-person programs.
While programs look different right now, they still offer teens the chance to explore their interests and discover their passions, while developing critical thinking skills in collaboration, problem-solving, social awareness, and more.
As we collectively begin to rebuild after this crisis, After School Matters remains committed to supporting Chicago teens by continuing our essential programs, providing participation stipends, along with added resources.
“After School Matters is on the frontlines of supporting Chicago teens and their communities. The myriad challenges facing our city are falling hardest on our youth and communities of color, and as the largest after school and summer program provider for Chicago teens, After School Matters teens are seeing and feeling this impact first-hand. Now more than ever, Chicago teens need paid opportunities to create and express themselves while gaining critical skills which will prepare them for college, careers and beyond.”
– Mary Ellen Caron, CEO
Access to Health and Medical Resources
CollegeWise.com: Looking to apply to college soon? Collegewise understands this stressful process and provides resources(counselors and tutors) to make it easy. They can assist in finding your perfect college match (and have some fun in the meantime).
National Association for College Admissions Counseling: Interested in knowing how universities are handling the college admissions process. Check out this website!
What to do if you have COVID-19 symptoms (English, Spanish, Polish)
Project Description: Renown local DJ/Producer Fess Grandiose breaks down several options to get started making beats and quick lessons on how to use the software. He includes several inexpensive options and great live demonstrations to motivate you and your teens!
Project Resources:https://www.youtube.com/fessgrandiosebeatmaking
Examples: Watch the 16-minute video with teens in your music production class. Ask your teens which production software interests them the most and why. Then ask your teens to make 1 beat to share with the class incorporating something they learned or were influenced by. Each teen presents their beat explaining what influenced them and how they made it.
Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNSVTkw1dhk– shared by instructors of Painting and Drawing @ Lutz Center and Experimental Comics and Hand -drawn Animation @ Lutz Center.
Project description: Fresh Fruit Cake. I have a picture of the ingredients I used below. Do not limit yourself by thinking that you need to have all of these. Use your imagination with what you have at home. You can make a smaller version by using an apple instead of a pineapple. You can layer peanut butter as frosting. Use raisins as sprinkles. The reason this was made to look like a birthday cake is because my sister had her birthday last week. I wanted a cake to light candles on as we sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY on our zoom party. Maybe you have a friend or relative you can make smile by using your creativity fueled by love.
Project resources:
1. Your imagination.
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45YUO0sLQYI
3. https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/06/how-to-clean-fruits-and-vegetables.html
4. Plan how you are going to layer your fruit and cut them appropriately.
I cored and sliced my strawberries in ½ then chose strawberries of the same thickness to make a layer in between pineapple rings. I layered the blackberries as full berries because they are not as round it was possible to make that layer stable. I put the blueberries on top because they are to rolly-polly for anywhere else(technically speaking). I had to use the tip of a sharp knife to make holes to place the candles. Do that before layering the blueberries.
Project Description: Teaching tolerance has a list of social justice-oriented lesson plans for educators as well as resources that they can share with their students https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-through-coronavirus-what-educators-need-right-now
Teaching Tolerance: Teaching Through Coronavirus: What Educators Need Right Now. We asked educators what they need, and we listened. We hope this message—and these resources—offer some help.
Check out this online creative writing seminar series with author Katie Bayerl: https://katiebayerl.com/teaching/
Project Description: Collective Writing Group as resourced through Adrienne Maree Brown and others. This activity was implemented by the Teen Arts Council at The Arts Incubator/Arts + Public Life. Instructor, Jose Cocolores.
Guidelines:
1. Each day the instructor will offer a prompt from myself or someone in the community. Respond to the prompt if it generates creativity in you. There’s no length or form goal. You may find one prompt needs a few days of writing. Or leads you to another inner prompt. Cool – it’s a spark, you’re the fire.
2. The goal of this is to harness our imaginations to help us survive (guidelines provided by Adrienne Maree Brown on her site)
Project Resources: http://adriennemareebrown.net, https://www.anabelroro.com/blog/how-to-mend-the-brokenness-1
Examples:
1 – What if we see COVID-19 as a sentient, even sacred, force…one that emerged to address an urgent crisis. A) What is the crisis? Write a conversation between the virus and the crisis. B) COVID-19 as deity; (show us the) prayers, rituals, libations, practices.
2 – Many of us are realizing we had premonitions of this moment. Now you are given the opportunity to travel back in time (maybe to that premonition moment) and make one change that prevents the crisis of COVID-19 in your city. Tell the story of your intervention.
3 – Tell a story from an alternate timeline that runs parallel to this one, sparked at the beginning of this pandemic. (One path is: we took it seriously from the beginning) humans left Tell a story of (the beginning of) our quarantine and long term isolation from the perspective of plants and/or the non-human world – the day the humans left. (write as the trees, birds, monkeys used to begging food from tourists, or as pets whose family is quarantined elsewhere, or as the clouds)
5 – What incredible technology emerges in this break from capitalism? (Create a technology, maybe one you need right now, and let us experience someone using it.)
6 – (Tell a success story [even if it’s only a fantasy so far] about) managing relationships and boundaries with our pandemic-mates.
7 – How would this moment be different if we had disability justice as a national practice?) What does a world that values the contributions of differently-abled as much as able-bodied look (and feel and function) like?
8 – We wake up and all the banks have closed overnight, leaving us with no access to our resources. (What are we told? What do we do? How do we change?) @crumbsandcobwebs (What economy do we create in absence of a ‘functional’ racial capitalism?)
9 – What does mediation, accountability, and conflict resolution look like during social distancing? Especially if the tension is at home? How we kept and keep each other safe without surveillance, policing, criminalization, cages, or classifications. (Write a harm and recovery or transformation story)
Equipment: Cones or something to mark boundaries
Time: 5-10 minutes
Group Size: 2+ players
Before you start:
How to Play:
Variation: Play the game while balancing a beanbag or small object on your head.
Set-Up: Use cones to create boundaries in an appropriate size play area.
Less movement = tighter muscles = body aches. Be sure to try out these stretches at home!
You can start by doing only 5-10 mins of these and work your way up to your goal time. OR you can choose to do a full workout (30-60 mins) once or twice a week and do some stretching or meditating during your workout time on the other days. DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! Be honest with how much effort you are willing to put into your self-care. Putting realistic goals in place is a recipe for success.
National Geographic online has lots of resources, but these podcasts look particularly interesting: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/overheard/
Game Design Instructor Erik Brown has recorded video tutorials and posted to the website he made for his Game Design Teens!
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