In this episode of the Journeys in Youth Development podcast, Georgia Hall, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), talks with Amy Franks and Devan Blackwell about their essays in the book, The Heartbeat of the Youth Development Field: Professional Journeys of Growth, Connection, and Transformation. Both of their essays explore the ways in which youth development experiences can transform lives, and how youth development professionals can promote engagement in activities that foster motivation and self-reflection.Amy Franks, associate director of learning partnerships at Book Harvest in Durham, NC, reads from her essay “A Mirror for Black Boys,” about the afterschool book club for Black boys that she created. She talks about a moment of transformation when the boys began to see themselves in the pages of the books they were reading and to feel like their stories were worth telling. Devan Blackwell, a longtime worker in the OST field and doctoral candidate at Hampton University in Hampton, VA, reads from his essay “Creating Windows Through Words,” about his use of creative writing and journaling to help youth see windows—possibilities for themselves—where previously only brick walls existed. He talks about a student who took to heart the idea of “a dream deferred” from the Langston Hughes poem “Harlem,” and connected it to a college catalog he carried in his backpack. About the National Institute on Out-of-School-Time:For 40 years, NIOST has been a leader in defining, shaping, and promoting out-of-school time (OST) as a distinct professional field with evidence-based quality standards. We bridge the worlds of research and practice to provide OST directors, staff, planners, school administrators, community leaders, and others with research, training, evaluation, and consultation to enhance and improve the quality of programs for all children and youth. https://niost.orgNIOST is a program of Wellesley Centers for Women, a research and action institute at Wellesley College that is focused on women and gender and driven by social change. https://www.wcwonline.org Amy Franks:With the big dream that one day all afterschool & summer enrichment programs will operate in their own dedicated spaces, Amy Franks has a passion for ensuring families have access to a safe environment that provides diverse, enriching experiences for children and youth, regardless of circumstance. In her twenty five years of experience in the out-of-school time arena, she has worked in afterschool programs in every capacity, beginning as a group leader at an elementary school in college through becoming the head of the School-Community Relations Department in Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, North Carolina, providing leadership and direction to all OST programs for the entire school district. Amy, a former classroom teacher who holds a B.A. in English Education, believing her passion to be advocating the awareness of and addressing the social and emotional needs of children and youth, made the decision to leave the classroom and has never looked back. She has worked primarily in school-based programs but has served in community-based and non-profit organizations as well, providing direct services, supervising others who provide direct services, volunteering in programs, and serving on committees that address needs related to the provision of high-quality afterschool programs. Amy is currently the associate director of school and family engagement at Book Harvest, a Durham-based North Carolina non-profit where her work keeps her connected to school systems across the state through the coordination of programs that provide free access to and ownership of books to students while on summer break, providing professional development to afterschool program providers, and the facilitation of an afterschool-based book club. Additionally, Amy is in her fifth year as an advisory board member of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs. She is a state and national presenter at out-of-school-time conferences and was both a NASM (National After School Matters) fellow and an EPFP (Education Policy Fellowship Program) fellow. Known to students as "Miss Amy," she enjoys boot camp style workouts, has a fascination for roller derby, and is the proud human companion of a Lynx point Siamese cat named Fancy. Devan Blackwell:Devan Blackwell is a National Afterschool Matters Fellow. Throughout his career, regardless of the role, he has always been an enthusiast for the potential of all learners to self-actualize and thrive, both in the classroom and in life. As an educator, Devan has taught in urban settings; created aspirational out-of-school time and summer learning experiences for inner city youth through exposure to the arts and the encouragement of citizenship within their communities; and, worked for a state-level education agency where he provided guidance on the ...
