2024 Bridge Conference

Data is not objective. It is influenced by Perspective, Motivation and Data Source. The perspective and motivation of data collection has been based within predominantly white institutions. Participants will explore how biases, including racial bias, influence collection and use of data in continuous quality improvement practices and systems.

Audience: Individuals who assess programs including program/site managers and directors, funders, external assessors.

In this wonderful workshop, we will address philosophies surrounding restorative practices. Participants will then walk through challenges as well as easy-to-discuss topics in a step-by-step process while they learn to facilitate circle activities by doing them. We will introduce a framework for asking inquiry-based questions for facilitation. By adopting these concepts educators will be ultimately helping students to build positive shifts in: Attitudes toward academics and school culture. Improved class attendance. Handling of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying. Creative solving of discipline problems.

Move, groove, sing, and dance while you learn the 100% engagement educational model of Camp Read-a-Rama (www.Read-a-Rama.org), a non-profit and out-of-school literacy immersion program for children ages 4 to 11. With 12+ years of experience with using children’s books as the springboard for all activities, Camp Read-a-Rama takes an interdisciplinary approach to creating programming, integrating STEM, movement, arts, field trips, outdoor activities, aquatics, and more into fun day camps. Learn to infuse literacy-rich activities into your existing program, or get your first taste of training for offering your own Camp Read-a-Rama (after school or summer camp).

The We All Learn Here project was developed over several summers as a way to build a strong community of learners. Youth participated in a weekly conversation about who they are, what is important to them, and what it means to be a learner. At the end, students created a community art piece. Families are invited for the last day to learn about the project and see the murals.
During this session participants will learn the complete project as a group before enhancing it together. Small groups may scaffold the project for work with teens, extend the learning into longer investigations, translate the project into different home languages. The options will be driven by the group. At the end of the session, each participant will be emailed a copy of the newly updated curriculum. Laptops will be needed for the small group work.

Join One Village & Journeymen directors in "Transform Together," a dynamic workshop exploring the profound impact of play on our humanity. Discover cutting-edge strategies that fuse play with practical applications to foster healing, enhance connections, and celebrate life. This session delves into innovative, play-based methodologies that empower individuals and communities to overcome grief, embrace joy, and drive transformative change in educational and professional settings.

Caring for yourself is essential to supporting the well-being of young people. In this interactive workshop, Space Between, a Seattle-based organization facilitating human and school transformation through mindfulness, and their research partner, foundry10, will share their latest research as well as strategies for cultivating and sustaining personal mindful practice. Participants will learn about why practitioner SEL and healing is essential to caring for youth, experience guided mindful practices, and engage in small group discussions focused on identifying and overcoming barriers to your practice.

Grief has become an ever-increasing concern for our youth. In this workshop, participants will learn creative and connection-building activities that are designed with the intention of increasing the professional’s knowledge of supporting children who are impacted by grief. This workshop will be fun, while increasing the professional’s comfort in talking to children about grief and in engaging the child in greater understanding of their physical and emotional response to their grief. This workshop will include hands-on activities with the option for participants to share their experience with each other to enhance the learning. Participants will also learn the intention behind the choice of activities, which will allow them to adapt the tools to fit their audience. This workshop is designed to be most beneficial to direct service staff. However, managers and leaders will also learn skills in this workshop that will increase their understanding of supporting grieving children.

Participants will explore how integrating language arts and art expression into STEM empowers diverse student populations. They will gain practical strategies to enhance student achievement and holistic development in educational settings. By the end of the session, attendees will feel inspired and equipped with actionable insights to implement inclusive practices that foster student success. This approach is incredibly transformative for newcomers, including refugees and immigrants, as it enriches their learning experience by making traditionally challenging subjects more engaging and accessible.

In the PBS's Learn & Grow Together workshop, participants will explore a series of interactive, hands-on activities designed for families with young children. This session will focus on implementing social-emotional learning, character development, and executive function skills through creative play and exploration. Emphasizing family engagement, attendees will learn how to use and adapt flexible, modular resources to involve families deeply and support their children's development in various community settings. By the end, participants will be equipped with practical tools and strategies to foster meaningful, multi-generational learning experiences that promote racial equity and inclusivity.

The ongoing impacts of COVID, civil rights uprisings, and climate crisis have brought attention to the trauma young people and our communities face. How can we harness brain science and best practices to support those who have been exposed trauma? How can we shift from reactive responses towards proactive communities of belonging and connection? This session introduces and expands on foundational concepts like the ACEs study, attachment, and Adlerian psychology to provide both theory and practice. We also explore how power and equity shape our relationships. Encouragement vs praise, asking vs telling, and co-created routines are some of the trauma-informed skills adults will gain to maintain the dignity of all young people.