Jubilee Family Development Center’s Post

I’m calling on local businesses in Hertfordshire to support young people in the county with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to increase their skills by providing workplace opportunities. Our first online forum event is just one of the workplace support initiatives that Services for Young People offer to support young people with SEND to find employment, enabling them to live healthy and fulfilling lives by taking part in their local community. Although Hertfordshire has a lower than the national average rate of young people with SEND, aged 16-17, who are not in employment, education or training, there is still an untapped talent pool going unnoticed. Data from Herts Insight highlights that only 7% of residents with a learning disability are in employment, despite Mencap’s Learning disability survey indicating that 86% of the SEND population would like to work. One special school in Stansted Abbotts, Amwell View, has been providing its pupils with severe learning disabilities with opportunities to experience the workplace and prepare for adulthood. Earlier this year, Hertfordshire County Council funding (as part of the council’s special school place planning strategy) enabled the school to expand its provision with the development of a Community Classroom. Amwell View’s Community Classroom provides a space for its pupils to prepare for adulthood and the workplace. Pupils are supported to shop for and cook their own lunches three times a week and work in the school’s charity shop. The school also works with local businesses to provide work experience opportunities for the pupils, who have been delivering leaflets for estate agents, caring for animals on a small holding and experiencing commercial cleaning. I visited the school on Monday 16 October and it was fantastic to hear how these young people are being supported to develop the skills they need for adulthood, learning to cook, experiencing the world of work and being part of their local community. We want every child in Hertfordshire to be able to achieve their full potential. For our young people with SEND this means providing them with the support and opportunities to make a successful transition into adulthood and live healthy and fulfilling lives by being part of Hertfordshire’s workforce. If you are a local employer looking to enjoy the many benefits that come from having a diverse workforce, get in touch with our Services for Young People, or join our SEND Employment Forum to find out more about the training, supported employment opportunities and tools available to help you become an inclusive employer. Hertfordshire County Council Amwell View School and Specialist Sports College

As admissions season is underway for many schools, parents will often say that what they are looking for in a school is strong academics. However, what they ultimately are looking for are the other things—who you are, the space you occupy in the academic world, your history, traditions, and culture, how the curriculum is delivered—that cement your brand identity. Your gravy. All the other things that you are, the things that make you, you. Thank you Kim Pawlak and the Nonprofit Communications Report for highlighting Gregory Abel and my work. #independendentschools #enrollmentmanagement #admissions #brandidentity #whatmakesyouyou

In a world where you can be anything, be kind. Teaching our children in such a way that nobody will make them feel less important of themselves is a valuable goal parents and teachers should pursue. Research has shown that children who have a healthy sense of self-worth are more likely to be confident, resilient, and happy. Intentionally helping our children grow into happy and successful adults and making a difference in school, career and life is our responsibility. To achieve all these, we need to: 📌 Intentionally communicate and listen to our children with love and respect. Can we show them that we care about their thoughts, feelings, and opinions and that we value them as individuals, parents and teachers? Criticizing, shaming, or blaming them for their mistakes, and instead of helping them learn from them would affect their social and emotional well-being. 📌 Empower them to develop a positive and realistic self-image, and teach them to avoid negative and harsh self-criticism. Teach them to use affirmations, such as "I am capable", "I am worthy", and "I am enough", to boost their confidence and self-esteem. 📌 Help them cope with stress, fear, failure, and imperfection, and let's teach them that these are normal and inevitable parts of life. Help them find solutions and strategies to overcome their difficulties, and remind them of their strengths and abilities. 📌 Provide our children with clear and consistent rules and consequences for their behaviour, and explain the reasons behind them. Children, what's to know why? 📌 Allow them to explore their creativity, talents, and passions, and support them in their goals and dreams. Help them find activities and hobbies that they enjoy and excel at, and celebrate their uniqueness and diversity. Every child matters and it's our role as parents and teachers to raise children who will be confident enough to achieve their dreams. Feel free to share your experiences. Credits to the owner of the video #yemibenj #britishcouncil #unesco #ladies #parentingtips #children #teaching #learning #teachers #educators #schools #socialandemotionalleaening #people #selfawareness #selfcare #bvlc #community #letsconnect #everyone #smile #teachingandlearning #books #ladies #women #family #babies #education #mondaymotivation #inspire #family #friends

Exciting updates on the Obama Presidential Center!

Had a great lunch yesterday with the fam. It was a celebration of all the memories made this summer and the start of a new school year. This summer while the kids have been home, I have reflected a lot on how quick childhood goes and the legacy we leave with our kids. As we begin a a new school year, #simplicity is the word we are focusing on in our house. #Q4 is basically already here. How can you live more #simply? #voluntarybenefits #enrollmentsolutions

I trust if I keep posting the facts, eventually enough of the right people will understand why REED Charitable Foundation exists, how the literacy crisis is enormous and growing and how it truly impacts us all. I also trust that those same people will also see the tremendous, collective opportunity we have to positively change literacy outcomes for ALL - children and adults. It starts with training and supporting the educators, tutors and educational professionals that are entrusted to ensure everyone can read. That is a fundamental part of our programming REED Charitable Foundation. And we make it accessible. What could be better or more life-changing?!?! Join us! (Excerpts from the attached article) “Two-thirds of American 4th graders who can’t read at grade level […] will soon be adults who can’t read.  The 95% of 8th-graders in Detroit who can’t read proficiently? Same.  And then what? Forty-eight million adult Americans read below the third grade level. Forbes Magazine reported in 2020 that the plague of low literacy skills could be costing the US $2.2 trillion annually in health care, social services, and lost wages. Worse, low literacy is handed down to children; the biggest indicator of a child’s literacy fate lies in the mother’s reading level If the numbers of children currently reading below grade level are correct, we are heading into an even worse adult literacy crisis than we have now. The rallying cry for effective instruction methods for children is loud and clear. But it is time to sound the bell for the refugees of the broken reading education system as well: all those children who didn’t learn and are now adults, still not reading.”

It's not just the children who benefit from Chapter One UK's online reading volunteers programme. Amanda Blevins at Fidelity International explains how the experience has improved her skills, "Professionally, it has enhanced my communication skills and empathy towards others. It has helped me lead with more confidence. No matter how stressed I am during my working day, Jullya manages to distract me in a good way, and I will often find solutions to things I was struggling with after our reading session." Read the full interview below. #volunteering #employeevolunteering #socialimpact #socialvalue #employeeengagement #employeewellbeing #csr #esg #corporatepartnerships #literacy #itallstartswithliteracy

Something to consider

As many of you know I'm fortunate to chair the board of directors for BeWell in School, a Nashville nonprofit that teaches students movement and mindfulness techniques as tools for self-regulation. Over the last four years working with BeWell, I've seen firsthand how impactful our work is not only for students in schools, but also for their hardworking teachers and families. Our founder and executive director, Riki Rattner, who is always looking to grow our impact, approached the board over a year ago with a vision to provide BeWell's incredible, proprietary work to more students using technology. Thus, BeWell Digital, an online library providing students with 24/7 virtual access to BeWell's content, was born. The upside of this vision would be countless students accessing our work. The challenge would be funding a nearly $200,000 capital expense. Leading a capital fundraising campaign for a nonprofit has been an incredible learning experience and an opportunity to share our mission with many interesting and interested people. After over twelve months of meetings, Zooms, and calls, I am thrilled to share that we are 85% of the way to our goal. To date, we have gotten here thanks to the partnerships and trust of The Phoenix Club of Nashville, Barge Design Solutions, Mildred's Dream Foundation, Nicol Investment Company, our own board of directors, and Anchor Investments, LLC. Micah Lacher at Anchor specifically wanted to structure their support as a matching gift, knowing that their network could help us raise the remainder of the dollars needed. So I'm excited to report that Anchor has pledged to invest up to $10,000 alongside other matching gifts to help us raise the remaining $30,000. I'm asking you to share this with your networks, much like Anchor and their team are doing, to assist us in reaching this monumental goal. If, by our potential partners' good graces, we exceed this goal, any overage will be invested back into this project to either 1) create additional content in future years, or 2) pay for ongoing hosting costs associated with maintaining an online library. If you want to learn more about BeWell in School, check out our website: bewellinschool.org If you want to see BeWell in action, check out this video: https://lnkd.in/gFQpPDMz If you want to learn more about BeWell Digital, check out this one-pager: https://lnkd.in/gjfjXb9c Finally, if you want to learn how you can support us in this or in future initiatives, please message me here directly to set a time to discuss.

An organization worth supporting…