Think Together, Author at Think Together

Darlene has been with the organization for the last year and a half as our staffing coordinator in our San Bernardino region. She has played an integral part in the success of the region’s staffing efforts, working to make sure our students have inspiring role models and supporters in their lives. Darlene is the embodiment of service above self, and we are excited to share a little more about her with you.

What’s your “why” for working at Think Together?

The future! The students that go through our Think Together programs represent the future of our communities. I believe in the mission of the org. The lasting impact that we have on kids is super important to me. I strive to provide as much support in staffing to provide a quality program to our students.

What are you most excited about for this school year?

The kids being in person full time! I’m excited to hear that students can see their program leaders, site coordinators, and friends face to face. I’m excited to provide support in closing that gap that students had this past year.

We heard that you’ve also been supporting Palm Springs lately, can you tell us a little about that?

I have thoroughly enjoyed supporting our newest Think Together region. When I was asked to provide staffing support in Palm Springs, I was excited to help get our sites staffed and to help ensure we provide the best program experience to our students returning to in-person learning. Together with Program, Human Capital and our Student Support Services team, we have been able to ensure that our program is running smoothly.

What’s your favorite Think Together memory?

Most of my career at Think Together has been in a virtual setting. My fondest memory of Think Together is honestly seeing how tight of a team we all became during a global pandemic. The opportunity to continue working while students were in a virtual environment and coming up with ways to shift processes originally written for an in-person setting was a challenge I enjoyed.

What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve received?

It’s all about perspective. I’ve learned that any situation I am currently in can change by shifting my perspective. Focusing on my perspective and others has taught me to be more resilient, understanding, and perseverant both in a professional and personal setting.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about joining the Think Together team?

Think Together is a program that provides a lasting impact on a student’s life. I would encourage them to consider this fun and rewarding work experience.

Thank you Darlene for your support in getting students back to afterschool!

At Think Together, we want to make sure our students feel connected to their culture and heritage in addition to learning more about other cultures in our diverse world. Throughout the month, we will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in our programs and across the organization.

Some of our middle school students kicked on Hispanic Heritage Month with learning baile folklorico in collaboration with their school’s Spanish club. After learning more about expressing culture through art, they got to perform their dance in front of students, staff and family members. We are so proud to be able to provide students with opportunities and cultivate a safe environment to express themselves and develop connections with their own identities and peers.

Continue reading for resources we’ve collected to do our part in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by learning more and creating a more inclusive environment for all.

What can everyone do to foster a more inclusive world?

Read. Listen. Learn. Discuss. There are so many resources that you can dig through to gain a deeper understanding. If you aren’t sure of something, ask.

In the last few years there has been an increase in SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) curriculum in the classroom. SEAL helps support five main areas of learning; self-awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Children learn to recognize and stand up for their own rights and the rights of others, understand the differences between people, such as cultural differences, and respect other people’s beliefs and values. SEAL also teaches children skills that are important for resilience, including managing feelings like frustration, anger, and fear, recovering from setbacks, and persevering when things are difficult.

This type of learning does not stop in the classroom, and it doesn’t stop when you become an adult. The other thing is, it’s never too late to start practicing SEAL techniques in your home, your work, and in your life.

What is the difference between calling someone Hispanic vs Latinx?

Language is constantly evolving, and the term Hispanic is used to describe many groups of people. That said, here’s is a breakdown of individual preferences to consider:

Hispanic is defined as relating to Spain, or Spanish-speaking countries. The word was first widely popularized through its use in the U.S. Census of 1970. It typically classifies people based on language.
Latinx and Latine are gender-neutral forms of the word Latino or Latina and refers to the geographical location of a person’s country of origin or their ancestors, typically with cultural ties to Latin America.

You can learn more about watching this BBC video.

How does culture make an impact on our identity?

Childhood and adolescence are filled with questions about ourselves, our identities, and determining who we are.

For children whose families immigrated to America, identities can become even harder. Many of them will experience the internal tug of war between wanting to stay connected to their roots and heritage and wanting to become more “American.”

Watch this video to hear directly from young adolescents who bring this discussion to life.

Additional Resources:

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/jun/18/hispanic-latino-latinx-question-belonging/

https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/an-overview-of-latino-and-latin-american-identity/

https://edsitement.neh.gov/teachers-guides/hispanic-heritage-and-history-united-states

In our Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) region, Think Together ran Think Summer in Bellflower and Lynwood School Districts, and with our Ingenium Charter Schools partner. “Summer was rewarding despite the challenges in our world, we were able to give students a little bit of normalcy,” says Lugo Elementary Site Coordinator Brishea Crichlow.

Over a year of hard work got us to a fantastic Think Summer program filled with fun, learning recovery, and social interaction with classmates that many have only seen through computer screens.

“Think Together makes me happy because they are always there for us and help us.” says one of our Think Summer students.

Beyond academics, a large component was focused on social emotional recovery and fun activities like carnivals, movie days, and more.

Students had a lot to say about these last few weeks:

“My favorite part was the water balloon day!”

“Think Together is fun because it feels like a family.”

“Because of Think Together, I get to make new friends and talk to people I haven’t met before.”

At Rosa Parks Elementary in Lynwood, students learned about the universe around them to become superheroes in their community. These heroes in training learned about the galaxy, the moon, and how to sustain our planet as the “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

As Think Summer in SELA wrapped up, each site made a short film showcasing all they did for summer. Through this process, students became cinematographers, producers, directors and actors while learning about film production, writing, acting, research, professionalism, business, budgeting, and photography.

We put together our favorite clips for you as a small peek into Think Summer.

Back in March 2020, educators knew that this was about to be one of the most challenging school years on record. The barriers became larger, resources became more challenging to obtain, and vital support systems had to adjust to the new normal.

For anyone who knows Think Together, you know that we will do everything in our power to ensure students are safe, learning, and have the tools they need to succeed. Over the last 18 months, Think Together pivoted to offer distance learning programs, in-person learning hubs, and even returned to in-person programs at a large portion of our schools by last fall.

None of this would have been possible without our supporters, through creative collaboration with school partners, and our staff that are so passionate about our mission to change the odds for kids.

Pandemic learning loss is going to have a ripple effect for years to come. As Think Together begins supporting our school partners with back-to-school season, we need your support as well.

If you want to support our mission and help give students access to more resources to help curb learning loss, consider donating at thinktogether.org/afterschool

Think Together’s Shalimar Learning Center in Costa Mesa is unique from the rest of our programs. As Think Together’s origin site, Shalimar operates out of the apartments from where it first opened in 1994. Not attached to a school site or district, the Shalimar Learning Center isn’t eligible to receive funding that Think Together receives and the state and federal level, leaving it solely dependent on philanthropic contributions and support from generous partners.

One of the ways our partners make a direct impact at Shalimar is by leading fun volunteer activities for the students. On July 9, in partnership with PIMCO and Child Creativity Lab, 15 elementary students from the Shalimar Community Center had the opportunity to spend time virtually with PIMCO volunteers and complete a challenge: if you could build a robot, what would it look like and what would it do?

This is the fourth year that PIMCO and Child Creativity Lab have partnered to give Shalimar students creative challenges to complete. The students had so much fun with this hands-on learning experience, and from the photos it seems like our PIMCO volunteers had a blast too!

In the activity titled “Upcycled Robot Engineering Virtual Challenge,” students built their DIY robots using upcycled materials provided to them and whatever miscellaneous items they could find around their house.

In addition, students joined breakout groups with PIMCO volunteers and got the chance to practice their critical thinking skills. Before they could build their robots, they needed to figure out what they wanted their robots to do and what problems their robots could solve.

“It was so great seeing students be creative and learn new things at the same time,” says Ruth Malagon, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator for the Shalimar Learning Center.

Many local companies volunteer time, resources, and money to help support students who attend Shalimar Learning Center and Shalimar Teen Center. Not only is this support vital for students, but it is also an opportunity for local partners to make a direct impact on students in their community.

If you are interested in your company volunteering or partnering with the Shalimar Learning Center visit thinktogether.org/shalimar for more info.

In this special edition Together We, we want to highlight the tremendous work our Talent Acquisition Team is doing to bring new staff members and leaders into our organization. This has been no small feat and is always ongoing work but they are doing a phenomenal job! Join us in celebrating this team as they share their proudest moments working to bring in the staff needed to change the odds for kids!

Daniel Sundah

Region: San Bernardino

One of my proudest moments was to see the fruit of our labor come to life at the school site. Cucamonga District started off our Summer Program back in May and hearing how much the kids enjoyed their time in the program and their meals throughout the summer made it all worth it. #AHOD

Stephany Debski

Region: Southeast Los Angeles

My proudest moment has been seeing the flourishing synergy saturate itself throughout the Talent Acquisition team. Each member has dug to the deepest depths of determination to staff our regions for summer and while I had no doubt we would be successful, seeing our success come to fruition brings a humble satisfaction.

Dane Bomberry

Region: Riverside

The proudest moment I’ve had since joining this team at Think Together has been watching how all of us on the Talent Acquisition team came together for summer SLR hiring. It was amazing to have the whole team working towards a common goal and being able to support and help each other when things got challenging or overwhelming. I think the experience from SLR made us all a stronger and more aligned team ready for whatever comes our way!

Laura Rivera

Region: Home Office/Orange County

Navigating the dynamic staffing environment TOGETHER and ensuring all of our programs had adequate staff this summer is my proudest moment. The Human Capital team has been working around the clock to reach hiring goals, and I’m proud of the team’s dedication and commitment to changing the odds for kids!

Joanne Tabora

Region: Bay Area

I am #ThinkProud of being part of a diverse Talent Team that achieved the goal of hiring 100% Program Leaders and Site Leaders for the Bay Area’s first Think Summer Program. I am also proud of keeping our children safe by being part of the process to ensure we have child-oriented educators & leaders who understand developmentally appropriate practices.

Stephanie Ayala

Region: LA Metro

All I ever want to do is provide resources to communities like the one I grew up in. At the end of the day for me, it’s about hiring quality staff to support kids. Not many people realize how much of an impact our staff has on these children. My goal is always to provide those mentors for kids.

Jessica Trujillo

Region: Santa Fe Springs

My proudest moments have been watching our candidates fall in love with Think Together’s mission and vision just like I did 10 years ago. For me it was more than just reaching a goal, it was being able to share my journey with candidates and get them excited about their journey they were about to start.

Jenn Ayala, Senior Human Resources Business Partner for our SELA Region, has led this group through this hiring push. Jenn had this to say about the team, “I am beyond proud of the work the Talent Acquisition Team was able to accomplish with staffing this summer. We were able to make a HUGE impact in changing the odds for kids!! The amount of solidarity and perseverance that the team showed needs to be celebrated. We truly have phenomenal staff working in the Talent Acquisition/Human Capital Team department. Thank you everyone for all your hard work! Now on to fall staffing…”

If you know of a friend, colleague, or family member who would be a good fit to join the Think Together team encourage them to apply at thinktogether.org/careers, and our recruiters will take it from there!

Cucamonga School District in our San Bernardino region was remote for the majority of 2020-21 school year, but our connection to the community is as strong as ever. As California has started to reopen, our San Bernardino staff have been able to do something they waited a long time for… to interact with students in person once more.

“It feels great seeing students again, they’ve grown up so much since the last time we saw them,” said Los Amigos Elementary School Site Coordinator Jennie Sanchez.

Toward the end of May, 117 students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade began their 4-week long Think Summer program at Los Amigos Elementary School filled with fun, friends, and learning recovery. To keep students socially distant, Los Amigos had 25 staff members to support summer learning, breaking most grade levels into two classes. San Bernardino always leads Think Together in kicking off our first summer learning programs, and our team is constantly prepared for surprises.

This year the unexpected came in the form of a need for nutritional services. Three days before the program was set to begin, Think Together was informed that the school district needed Think Together’s support to provide the two meals required each day for students. If Think Together wasn’t able to help with a solution, the summer program could have been in jeopardy.

Think Together sprang into action and, in no small feat, found food vendors willing to work with Think Together to help feed students. The students enjoyed healthy and hearty breakfasts from Corkey’s and balanced and nutritional lunches from Boston Market, Panda Express, Dickie’s BBQ and Papa John’s Pizza.

In addition, Site Coordinators got certified in food handling and safety, becoming Think Together’s first “lunch ladies.” Think Together worked closely with Cucamonga School District’s Food Services Director of their Nutrition Services Department to make sure our staff were compliant with district and state requirements, including adhering to all nutritional, health and safety measures.

“At least 75% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, so ensuring these students got meals over the last few weeks has been crucial,” said Cucamonga School District Superintendent Mike Chaix. “We are so grateful that Think Together was able to go above and beyond to help make this possible.”

Food security is something that many don’t think about when it comes to an afterschool program but providing students with meals is just as vital as providing them with educational programs.

“You can’t focus on an empty tummy,” added Jennie.

Where we normally only support students during after-school hours in the academic year, summer programs run from 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. with a packed schedule. Students had the opportunities to learn core curriculum in STEM, arts and enrichment and physical activity. One fun component this summer has been using Voyagers curriculum to take the students to Ancient Greece.

As our Think Summer programs conclude for San Bernardino, we want to thank all of our partners, staff, and community members for meeting this moment of need and ensuring that students had an amazing four weeks.

“The future is always beginning now.” -Mark Strand

The future is in good hands! We love to celebrate the academic achievements of all of our Think Together graduates, but each year we have the tough decision of whom will receive our Faces of the Future award.

We spoke with three of our Faces of the Future honorees, Jacobo, Habib, and Maria, to hear a little bit more about their experiences in Think Together and what’s next.

Throughout the pandemic, Think Together needed to pivot to meet the needs of our students and school partners. This year especially, we strove to create opportunities for students to connect, learn and lead in ways that they will feel confident and prepared for college and career.

“Think Together has been able to support me every time I join a session. Although it’s on Zoom, I’m able to have human contact and get a sense of normalcy by talking to peers and staff. My motivation did go up and thanks to the support from staff, I was able to pass all my classes,” says Maria.

This school year has been challenging for all, but we have seen that instead of discouragement, these students are motivated to bring about the change they want to see in the world.

“I am motivated to keep working and finding the next obstacle there is for me to tackle. I have worked hard to ensure I find success, and I know that once this is all over and life is back to normal, the world will make more advancements in all aspects than at any other time in history. I am eternally grateful for all who were part of my journey up to this point and hope to make everyone who believed in me proud by always maintaining a positive mindset and persisting through adversity to pursue my dreams,” says Habib.

While we are thrilled to see what is next for Jacobo, Habib and Maria, we are also going to miss them being part of our high school programs. Their leadership and participation in various clubs, tutoring opportunities, and more are part of what makes our programs as successful as they are.

“I love Think Together because it does not feel forced or like school, it feels like a friendship that allows me to be myself and have fun while keeping the professionalism in an educational environment,” Jacobo says. “I know I will continue to reach out while in college because they have helped me so much and they have made it known that they will forever be there for me when I need them.”

Our Faces of the Future recipients have their goals set high and will attend Vanguard University, Oxford College of Emory University and UC San Diego with majors in Criminology, Biomedical Engineering and Political Science.

Faces of the Future award recipients each received a $2,000 scholarship and a new laptop for college. With this extra boost, our students are excited to begin this next chapter in their lives.

We want to thank Pacific Life for sponsoring this year’s Faces of the Future award at our Raise a Hand 2021 virtual event and for helping us celebrate these amazing students.

As graduation season comes to a close, we want you to join us in celebrating all our graduates on our social media!

“When we talk about race, we honor who children and teens are as learners. A conversation with a caring adult allows children to feel safe and ask questions instead of drawing conclusions about race and racism based on implicit and explicit messaging from the world around them and their own limited knowledge. Reading is a powerful way to nurture a child’s sense of curiosity and build a foundation for having bigger conversations about race over time.” – Smithsonian

Juneteenth is an opportunity to pause, recognize, and cement this moment in our national history. June 19, 1865, is the date that Union Soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free, two and half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Our goal today is to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture. It’s a celebration of freedom and achievement and encouraging others to work on continuous self-development and respect for all cultures.

We want to share resources that you can use at home and in the classroom to talk about Black Lives Matter, Juneteenth, and the more difficult topics such as systemic racism, privilege, and antiracist policy. One of the best ways to help your child develop is by supporting their social and emotional development through difficult conversations.

Social-Emotional Learning is a large focus of our programming. It teaches students to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

When having conversations like these, it is okay to feel uncomfortable, but the way to move forward and create meaningful change in the world is by developing a growth mindset and embrace continuous learning.

We hope that you will join us in learning more!

Jazzlyn Rivas joined the Think Together team in August 2019 as Riverside Region’s Substitute Coordinator after graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Psychology. Since then, Jazzlyn has helped her region meet the moment by taking on the additional role of receptionist and assist in regional efforts to support our students. We are excited for you to get to know Jazzlyn a little more.

Jazzlyn, what has been your “why” for working at Think Together?

My why for working at Think Together is because I get to work in the community I grew up in and see it grow as I do. Without the support of the afterschool staff I had growing up, I would have been very lost academically. As part of our Human Capital team, I get to help our program staff give kids the same support I once had.

What has been your favorite Think Together memory so far?

My favorite Think Together memory would have to be going to my first Lights On Afterschool event. I don’t get to go to our sites often but being able to see our programs in action and celebrated by the school, program staff, families was super exciting.

How have you met the moment during the Pandemic to support Think Together’s mission?

During the pandemic, I have met the moment supporting Think Together’s mission by being adaptable and open to change. I’ve embraced every challenge that has come my way by creating opportunities. A big accomplishment for me during this time has been assisting our region in our technology distribution process, ensuring that our program staff has all the technology needed to provide distance learning programs for over 90 schools in our region.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given in the last year?

The best piece of advice I have received in the last year is that to give my all, I must be there for myself. Monthly we dedicate time in our region to wellness where I am reminded that, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” During this pandemic, because many of us have had to work from home, it is often difficult to realize what burnout looks like. But being reminded to invest in myself first has allowed me to set healthy boundaries where I can give 100% to both, my work and myself.

Is there a current quote that inspires you?

A current quote that inspires me is by Paulo Coelho, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” I like to believe that if I work hard to do my best, the little progress I can make adds to a bigger part.

With that idea of becoming better…What advice would you go back in time to give yourself when you started your job?

If I could give myself advice when I first started working at Think Together, it would be to create as many connections in our organization as possible. Especially recently, I’ve been reminded that to create efficient systems, it is important to know how all our departments work. Knowing about both program operations and human capital functions has been a big lift in moving forward and the relationships I have built with others has widened my perspective and helped me find solutions to the challenges I’ve faced.

Is there anything else you want to share?

I am so excited to continue my journey at Think Together. I hope to grow in our Human Capital team and can’t wait to see our region and the organization keep growing as well.

Jazzlyn, thank you for meeting the moment and supporting our mission to change the odds for kids!

Think Together’s hiring efforts have been a massive undertaking as our organization heeds the call to address student learning needs in a post-pandemic educational environment.

Those efforts have garnered the attention of local news outlets looking to support our mission of changing the odds for kids through youth services and expanded learning throughout the state.

Watch the videos below of Randy Barth, Founder and CEO, and Rupa Patel, Strategic Projects Specialist for our Human Capital team, sharing the importance of filling these roles ahead of summer and beyond.

We’re looking to fill nearly 300 roles throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties with both part-time and full-time positions available. In addition, we’re currently hiring almost 50 part and full time roles in our Bay Area schools over the next 2-3 months as we staff for summer and fall.

We are in a tremendous growth period thanks to strengthened support from our state officials and legislative representatives looking to address student learning recovery. But we can’t do it alone and we need passionate, enthusiastic team members to carry out our mission of changing the odds for kids who need it most.

If you know someone who might be a great fit for a program leader role at Think Together, please have them apply at thinktogether.org/careers.

Let’s fill these vacancies and change the odds for kids!

Together We… Get Students back to Afterschool