Destination: After School

Shannon Irish and Katie Gill, CalSERVES AmeriCorps Content Leaders,
with their prizes from the After School Conference

“Twenty years from now, the kids you currently serve won’t remember much of what you said to them, but they’ll all recall how you made them feel.” These were just some of the opening remarks and inspirational lessons given to the attendees of the March 2nd, Region 1 After School Conference in Fortuna, CA by keynote speaker Charlie Appelstein.

 The conference was composed of several workshops ranging from Healthy Behaviors to Engineering Robotics. The keynote speaker, Charlie Appelstein, gave a very powerful talk on Strength-Based Behavior Management. He also held a workshop, which further elaborated on his keynote address and book “No Such Thing As a Bad Kid!”

Charlie’s speech provided attendees with endless ways to positively enrich student’s lives. At one point he stated: “A positive attitude sends the message: I want to be here. I care about you. I believe in you. And I know you will succeed. Which all leads to hope, happiness, and success! Hope is humanity’s fuel.” His stories and strategies were filled with tears, laughter, and knowledge. If you’re staying in the field of education, we highly suggest going to his website to learn more about his techniques and theories: www.charliea.com.

Some other interesting workshops that were given at the conference included: Rescuing Recess Game, 4-H Robotics, Photo Voice, Learning Activities to Felicitate Hard Middle School Topics, Feel the Force with Charlie Alperstein, Creating Art on the Cheap, and Fun Games on the Fly. Additionally, our very own Kristen Mowers had the privilege to lead a workshop about Nutrition Education.

At the end of the conference, our program was put into a drawing to win educational prizes. We were lucky and won one of the raffle prizes that consisted of 6 board games, books, science activities, and gym equipment.

 Between meeting new people, enjoying the booming town of Fortuna, and learning lots of useful information, we all greatly enjoyed the conference.

by Katie Gill, CalSERVES AmeriCorps Content Leader