August 2020 Newsletter

September 29th – October 30th
  • Develop professional communication and self-advocacy skills.
  • Master effective strategies for managing your time and building your executive functioning skills.
  • Understand your learning style, strengths, and areas of support; learn how to ask for accommodations at school and the workplace.
  • Build and refine your resume; enhance and elevate your LinkedIn profile.
  • Learn the art of writing a strong cover letter.
  • Understand and practice how to ace the interview.
  • Learn financial literacy tips and tricks.
Optional additional 4-week Independent Project or Portfolio: 
October 30th – November 27th
  • Work on an independent project or portfolio with the support of our BroadFutures team.
An innovative delivery of virtual curriculum for alternative learners:
  • Integration of the arts/drama
  • Use of virtual breakout rooms
  • Incorporation of mindfulness/yoga
  • Direct instruction limited to 10-15 minute periods
  • Collaborative projects and presentations
For more information, download the Fall 2020 Strengths Program Flyer here.
Information Session – September 1st | 10:00am EST

Want to learn more about our Fall Strengths Program? Join us for an
information session via Zoom on September 1st, 10:00am EST.

Please click “Register here” to receive the Zoom link for the meeting. Hope to see you there!

If you have any questions, please contact ctrevey@broadfutures-website.azurewebsites.net.


Join us virtually on Thursday, October 22nd 
for BroadFutures Night of Giving!

Registration and sponsorship opportunities coming soon! 
By sponsoring the evening, you can help us to continue our mission of changing lives for young people with learning and related disabilities.
Employer Spotlight – 
The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers


The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB) is a member-based trade association for the world’s top commercial insurance and employee benefits brokerages. With a mission to promote their members’ business growth and drive the industry forward, CIAB prides themselves on being a community of forward-thinkers, leaders, and risk-takers who foster industry-wide relationships around the globe by engaging lawmakers, regulators and stakeholders to promote the interests of its members and the valuable role they play in the mitigation of risk for their clients. 

The Council joined as an employer partner in the winter of 2020, hosting two BroadFutures interns. We are excited to continue our partnership in the future. 

Julia Ruiz, Vice President of Leadership & Management Resources, reflected on CIAB’s experience during our Winter 2020 Program: “Hosting two BroadFutures interns this winter was such a rewarding experience for our office. Even with the sudden switch to working from home, the interns we hosted were motivated to work and continued to provide fresh new perspectives to the work we do. The BroadFutures team provided fantastic support not only to the interns, but to our staff as well.

Thank you, Julia, for those kind words! We are so happy that even in the switch to working remotely, we were able to successfully see the internships through to the end. We look forward to continuing to work together in the future. You can learn more about CIAB here.
Summer Participant Snapshots – Amonte Gwaltney

Meet Amonte Gwaltney for this month’s participant spotlight! An 18-year-old from Washington, DC, Amonte recently graduated from Kipp DC College Prep this spring. Directly following graduation, he joined us for our first-ever virtual summer program. We thoroughly enjoyed having Amonte participate in the Summer Strengths Program. He proved to be a very engaged, motivated, and empathetic participant, contributing greatly to our summer cohort. 

Amonte enjoyed how the program utilized multiple ways to deliver the curriculum. He appreciated the interactive component of the program, from breakout sessions to playing games to partnered discussions, which really helped solidify the curriculum for him.

Since completing the BroadFutures program, Amonte is now enrolled at Prince George’s Community College and hopes to pursue a career in special education. 

Amonte, we wish you the best of luck in your academic pursuits! We know you will thrive in whatever path you choose to explore.
Spread the Word

Know someone who would be interested in what BroadFutures does?
Know someone who might be interested in applying?

Stay Connected!

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and connect with us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on what we are doing here at BroadFutures.
202-521-4312 | info@broadfutures-website.azurewebsites.net | www.broadfutures.org

July 2020 Newsletter

CONGRATULATIONS
to our Summer Strengths Participants!


Earlier this month, we celebrated 15 remarkable participants as they successfully completed our first-ever virtual Summer Strengths Program. The participants, families, and our BroadFutures team gathered together for Final Presentations where we heard smart and confident speeches from the participants, reflecting on the five-week program.  It was an incredibly gratifying experience to see how our participants were able to build a strong and impactful community in a short period of time. We are very proud of their hard work and accomplishments!!

To all of our inspired participants, congratulations on completing the program and we wish you the best of luck in your next steps!!
Summer Participant Snapshots

Meet a couple of our Summer Strengths Participants  that we had the pleasure of working with this summer!
Tariq Gore
Age: 22
Hometown:  Lumberton, New Jersey
Favorite part of the program:  Mock interviews
Plans for the fall:  Starting his senior year at Beacon College, where he is working towards a degree in Graphic Design & Marketing.
Grace Kroese
Age:  18
Hometown:  Derwood, Maryland
Favorite part of the program:  Working with Raymond
Plans for the fall:  Starting school at Montgomery College to pursue an Associate’s degree.
Oscar Held
Age:  23
Hometown:  Ann Arbor, Michigan
Favorite part of the program:  Making friends and new connections
Plans for the fall:  Recently graduated from Landmark College. Oscar plans to enroll in online classes to increase his computer knowledge.
David Taylor
Age:  20
Hometown:  Washington, DC
Favorite part of the program: Drama and yoga
Plans for the fall:  David plans to return to West Virginia Wesleyan for his junior year, pursing a degree in Exercise Science.
Reflections from our Program Director, Ashley Bray


I have been fortunate to serve as the Program Director for the past year. What has been the most inspiring part of this work is seeing the success and transformation of our participants, where thinking differently is not only embraced, but encouraged. Innovation and transformation are at the very core of the work we do and true transformation comes from the ability to meet the moment. For so many young people, navigating the professional and academic worlds can be daunting. Adding in another layer of complexity of doing that exclusively online can be exceedingly challenging.

Enter our Summer Strengths Program. By refocusing our curriculum to specifically address the learning barriers that often arise in the virtual space, we were able to successfully create a community that met individuals where they were. Our curriculum was designed to enhance each person’s unique journey, celebrate our diversity, and encourage us to come together as a community. One of the biggest concerns I had about a virtual program was that our sense of community would be lost. However, the way our summer cohort consistently supported each other was a privilege to witness. Whether it was in mock interviews, during our communications curriculum or when we were being silly playing games – there was a depth of honesty and trust that was shared. This allowed for peer-to-peer feedback and conversations centered around growth and development. I was amazed at how much each participant was able to accomplish because they had the support and strength of each other. The shared experiences and long lasting connections that they were able to create during the program were incredibly moving. For our first cohort in a fully virtual program, they did so much more than just meet the moment. They transformed themselves into leaders whose impact will reverberate far beyond the virtual world.
September 29th – October 30th
  • Develop professional communication and self-advocacy skills.
  • Master effective strategies for managing your time and building your executive functioning skills.
  • Understand your learning style, strengths, and areas of support; learn how to ask for accommodations at school and the workplace.
  • Build and refine your resume; enhance and elevate your LinkedIn profile.
  • Learn the art of writing a strong cover letter.
  • Understand and practice how to ace the interview.
  • Learn financial literacy tips and tricks.
Optional additional 4-week Independent Project  or Portfolio: 
October 30th –  November  27th
  • Work on an independent project or portfolio with the support of our BroadFutures team.
An innovative delivery of virtual curriculum for alternative learners:
  • Integration of the arts/drama
  • Use of virtual breakout rooms
  • Incorporation of mindfulness/yoga
  • Direct instruction limited to 10-15 minute periods
  • Collaborative projects and presentations
For more information, download the Fall 2020 Strengths Program Flyer  here.
Information Session – August 18th

Want to learn more about our Fall Strengths Program? Join us for an information session via Zoom on  August 18th,  10:00am EST.

Please click “Register here” to receive the Zoom link for the meeting. Hope to see you there!

If you have any questions, please contact ctrevey@broadfutures-website.azurewebsites.net.
Celebrating the 30th  Anniversary  of the ADA

 
On July 26th, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. To celebrate this monumental occasion, we shared on social media thoughts from our Summer 2020 participants on why they are grateful for the ADA. This post features AJ from Florida. Check out our social media to see more reflections from our participants’  #ThanksToTheADA moments!


To ensure the success of young people with learning and attention issues, BroadFutures provides Support Services , serving as an additional resource for families on an as needed basis. Our mentoring and coaching program includes executive functioning support , as well as career and educational planning and preparation .

Please review this flyer  for more information and reach out to us if interested. 

If you have any questions, please contact info@broadfutures-website.azurewebsites.net.
BroadFutures featured in the 
Catalogue  for Philanthropy’s guest blog

We are thrilled to share our guest blog post on the Catalogue for Philanthropy’s website. “Continuing to Build Our Community Virtually” reflects on the successes and highlights of our first-ever virtual training program.
Spread the Word

Know someone who would be interested in what BroadFutures does?
Know someone who might be interested in applying?

Stay Connected!

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and connect with us on LinkedIn  to stay up to date on what we are doing here at BroadFutures.
202-521-4312 | info@broadfutures-website.azurewebsites.net  | www.broadfutures.org