March Recap!
Program Updates
Read reflections from our program staff about what their programs did in March.
After School Club
"It’s hard to believe, but with March come and gone the end of the year is quickly approaching. Around this time, I always begin reflecting on the things we’ve done, and the students that will be graduating as I try to prepare myself as the students move toward the next stage of their lives. As the year begins to wind down, we try to bring that same sense of reflection into our programming.
This month, After School Club’s focus will begin transitioning from career exploration and understanding post-secondary opportunities to reflecting on the year and ourselves. I’m looking forward to diving into conversations focused on personal narrative and counter-storytelling with the students!"
-Mike Sirera (he/him). Program Manager
Girls Art and Maker Group
"We welcomed the Spring season with a great gathering of students in our March meeting at the Center for Creativity. We had a smaller group which allowed us to have more in depth conversation and hands-on learning. In the morning, Zuly led us in a session around storytelling, including tips on telling our story, asking others questions and using short-form videos as a storytelling tool!
Zuly leads a session on storytelling, sharing platforms for editing short-form videos
After a delicious lunch we welcomed Fernán and Dakota as visitors and Dakota got the chance to share about an upcoming Post-Secondary event coming up in April.
The creative section of the day centered on how people use fabric and textiles to tell stories. Students then got the chance to learn hand sewing and applique skills to create their own mini story using felt fabrics. As we wrap up the year we will continue talking about stories, including a session on Counter-Storytelling Librarianship. As always, many thanks to the staff, volunteers and students that make this possible!"
Students applied their new sewing and applique skills to create mini stories.
-Erica Hughes (she/her). Program Manager
Youth Steering Committee
"It’s been a busy month for YSC! We’ve spent it getting to know each other better and having shared experiences including attending an Iftar dinner hosted by the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at the University of Pittsburgh during Ramadan. We also attended the Woodland Hills Student Summit where some of our very own ARYSE students presented on topics like trauma-informed care and democracy!
Finally, we have been learning together in an effort to be more informed about the issues that directly impact the communities we’re a part of, and about histories and tools of change-making. During a virtual session, we had a conversation with Jamie, who is a lawyer at Lively Law Firm. She answered many pressing questions from a legal perspective about current administrative actions that specifically affect immigrant and refugee communities.
At our monthly meeting, we talked together about ARYSE’s Counter-Storytelling Initiative and the role of counter-storytelling as a tool for disrupting and challenging stories that are created to justify and perpetuate systems of oppression."
-Meg Booth (she/her), Youth Advocacy and Education Specialist
Post-Secondary Support
"March has been an eventful month as we’ve continued home visits, office hours at local high schools, and virtual support to assist students in exploring their post-secondary goals. I had a lot of fun visiting After School Club to talk with students about different ways we can imagine what we’d like to do in our future studies or career.
Students learn about trades at Rosedale Technical College.
Our campus and college visits kicked off with tours at Rosedale Technical College and Pittsburgh Job Corps Center, where students learned about opportunities in skilled trades careers and sponsorships for CCAC educational programs. I’m looking forward to continuing these visits with students and to hosting future events on financial empowerment and counter-storytelling!"
-Dakota Rottino-Garilli (she/her), Program Manager
PRYSE Academy
"Spring is officially here, and with it comes the bustling excitement of planning and preparation for PRYSE Academy. We are so grateful to everyone who has expressed interest in being a part of the program this summer and look forward to welcoming both new and familiar faces to the space.
There are a number of exciting new changes that are coming to PRYSE, and most of them are actually coming in response to the feedback of our students. As a student-centered organization, we strive to incorporate youth feedback in our programming. And while bringing on new ideas requires a lot of careful planning and consideration; we are thrilled to see the reaction of our students once they see their ideas in action! A little more than 3 months remains until we welcome everyone back for our 13th year of PRYSE Academy, and we cannot wait!"
-Cody Weisel (he/him), Program Manager
South by Southwest Education Conference
Earlier this month, Erica and Fernán were among the Remake Learning Moonshot Grant recipients that attended the South by Southwest Education Conference in Austin, Texas.
Since 2011, the South by Southwest Education conference has been a space to bring together educators and those in education spaces to talk about challenges, possibilities, and working towards change for all learners.
Erica and Fernán learned a lot at the conference from the many sessions they attended and came back inspired to implement new things in our work and how we approach counter-storytelling librarianship. One of the sessions Erica attended was ‘You Belong in Libraries’ where librarian and influencer Mychal Threets spoke about the importance of stories and libraries as a space for community and support.
In addition to the rich learning opportunities, Erica and Fernán explored the rich cultures in Austin, Texas. They were busy each day learning, trying new food, and connecting with peers.
We are so grateful to have been one of the 2024 Remake Learning Moonshot Grant recipients and to have been a part of the South by Southwest Education Conference. We look forward to sharing more of our counter-storytelling work with you, and our students, soon!