Ebony Burnett, senior association youth development director at YMCA of Greensboro, is one of 10 out of school time (OST) professionals–and the only YMCA representative–participating in the 2023 Achievery Learning Cohort, a project of the National Afterschool Association (NAA) with support from AT&T. 

Burnett and her peers will develop tools for youth development and afterschool professionals and vet digital resources like the Achievery. “There’s a big focus on digital platforms and how they support youth development programs. School systems, our Y and others in the afterschool are all part of this work,” Burnett said.  

The cohort kicked off last month at an NAA conference and will continue with monthly meetings through November. Participants will learn from each other and share strategies for finding, adapting and implementing free online resources, and they will identify a question to explore through the creation of a product, which might be a curriculum plan, a rubric or tip sheet, for example. Cohort members will test their product during the summer and make revisions, and then share products and reflections this fall.  
(April 2023)