Last week I had a meeting with a young professional that I am mentoring. One of the questions he asked me had me thinking further long after our conversation was over.
He asked me how do I stay ahead of the game? How do I stay relevant?
After considering his question, I answered: “I read a lot; and I try to know what’s going on in terms of policy, local and national trends in funding, local and national conferences, trainings, opportunities for networking, etc.” Because my clients range from Executive staff to front line workers, from local, arts-based organizations to larger city-systems and national organizations, I need to be informed on a wide range of topics. When I am reading from any of these sites, I am mining for clues for information that will help me do my work better as well as for information that a colleague may want to know about or help them do their work better.
As I thought more about this, I realized that each day my inbox has about 8-15 resources (EVERY DAY) that I check to learn about new policy updates, grant opportunities, job openings, trainings being offered and other things. I also said to him, that I try to read from a wide range of sources including pop-culture online magazines, local and national newspapers, industry specific newsletters and I try to connect with individuals both inside my network and this field, and also outside of it. I also follow several individuals and organizations on Twitter, which also helps direct me to specific resources.
So as an exercise (I had a 6.5 hours train ride during the snow storm this weekend), I decided to write down all of the listserves and newsletters that I subscribe to that help me to stay abreast of trends and to be informed. I was surprised to see how long the list is of daily, weekly and monthly newsletters, blogs and reports I am signed up to receive (I don't think this even accurately captures off of them!).
I’m curious to know what you read to stay informed? Are any of these also links you rely on? Are you a generalist (like me)? Or are your readings based on a specific expertise? Let me know what at else you think should be on my list.
(In no particular order with a brief description- you can find links to sign up for their newsletters on each respective site. Most are free, though some do have membership fees)
The After School Corporation- ExpandEd (http://expandedschools.org/)
NYC based, national reach, policy
The Partnership for Afterschool Education (http://pasesetter.org/)
NYC based, policy, training
National Afterschool Association (http://naaweb.org/)
National, peer association, resources, core competencies, blog, conference
Summer Learning Association (http://www.summerlearning.org/)
National organization, specializing in summer, learning loss
The Bamboo Project (http://michelemartin.typepad.com/)
Career resiliency, workforce development
Out of School Time Resource Center (http://ostrc.org/)
Philly based newsletter with jobs, training, and MORE! A MUST for anyone in Philly.
PHENND (http://phennd.org/)
Philly based newsletter with jobs, training, and MORE! A MUST for anyone in Philly.
America’s Promise (www.americaspromise.org/)
National, focus on college access, equity
Youth Today (youthtoday.org/)
National, OST, Youth development, grants, blog, articles
Guide Star (www.guidestar.org/)
National reports about nonprofits
Regional Foundation Center Free Library (http://libwww.freelibrary.org/rfc/)
Local, grants
WhatMatters United Way (http://www.unitedway.org/the-latest/in-the-news)
Local, jobs, grants, policy updates
Edutopia (www.edutopia.org)
National, Blogs, videos, activities ideas by educators for educators
The Search Institute (www.search-institute.org)
National, youth development, asset-based framework, training, resources
Grantmakers in the Arts (http://www.giarts.org/)
National, arts, policy
New York Times Online (http://www.nytimes.com/)
National newspaper, various sections
Salon (www.salon.com)
National online blog
Color Lines (www.colorlines.com/)
National online blog, focus on race, gender & equity
David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality (www.cypq.org/)
National, youth development, assessment, policy, SEL
National policy, OST, Ready by 21 Blog
Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org/newyork/)
NY based, national jobs
Idealist (www.idealist.org)
National jobs, internships for posting and finding!
Afterschool Alliance- Afterschool Snack (http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/afterschoolsnack/ASnack.cfm)
National, OST, Policy blog
Small But Mighty Arts (https://smallbutmightyartsgrant.wordpress.com/)
Philly organization, Local, arts opportunities, grants
Local policy, youth, education
Teacher Action Group (TAG) (http://tagphilly.org/)
Education focus, local workshops, radical teaching
Huffington Post (http://huffingtonpost.com/)
National newspaper
Philly.com (http://philly.com/)
Local Philly newspaper
I also get newsletters from local organizations like YouthBuild, MightyWriters, Norris Square Neighborhood Project. And I follow a host of individuals on Twitter who also have newsletters, policy reports, blogs and other resources I read. Stay tuned for that list in the future!