#YouthVoiceWeek 2026 is almost here! From April 13-17, we’re joining Collective for Youth for Youth Empowerment in STEM and Afterschool Alliance to celebrate how young people are speaking out, leading change, and shaping their communities through their afterschool and summer programs!![]()
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Here’s how you can join:![]()
✔️ Pass the microphone to young people and share their thoughts for adults to hear from what issues matter to them to how their program has supported their leadership!![]()
✔️ Highlight a youth-led project or initiative in your program ![]()
✔️ Explore tools at CYESS.org to engage young people in the conversation
Today, the Virginia General Assembly hosted the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of VA at the Capitol in Richmond to explain its history, and the process of how bills become law.![]()
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VPOST’s Christine Jones Monaccio leads her local troop and brought her daughter Maeve (pictured) along for this opportunity. Maeve and her fellow Girl Scouts enjoyed a day of learning and even got to meet the Governor! ![]()
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It is a priority of VPOST’s to continue engaging young people across Virginia and getting them involved in understanding state policy. ![]()
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Thank you to the Virginia General Assembly, Governor of Virginia, and Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of VA for this experience!
We had such a great time in Roanoke hosting two workshops, at the 21st CCLC Spring Coordinator’s academy, focused on using the Quality Check Tool. ![]()
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It was a pleasure to help programs explore how this tool can support reflection, continuous improvement, and program quality in meaningful and practical ways.![]()
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One of the best parts was hearing participants share that the tool feels easy to use and simple to apply within their own programs, which is exactly what we hope for as we support quality efforts across the field.![]()
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Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed thoughtful feedback and conversation. We’re excited to continue supporting programs in this work!
VPOST was so proud to partner with Alternatives, Inc. and Afterschool Alliance for the Afterschool for All Challenge. ![]()
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We are proud to support youth ambassador chapters across the Commonwealth and were honored to lead this delegation of young people. It was inspiring to watch the World Changers share their stories, guided by the leadership of Michelle Simpson and Christine Jones Monaccio. ![]()
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To learn more about how to craft YOUR story, check out the VPOST Advocacy Guides: v-post.org/advocacy/
WOW Virginia! We are still buzzing from a week of Dreaming, Daring, and Doing at the 2026 National AfterSchool Association (NAA) Convention in Washington, DC! With the conference close to home, Virginia showed up with a strong delegation of out-of-school time leaders committed to supporting youth and families.![]()
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One highlight was hearing Paula Fynboh of Aspire Afterschool Learning share her TED-style showcase story about how her program continued to thrive even after losing federal funding, a powerful example of resilience and innovation in the afterschool field. VPOST was also proud to present a session focused on advocacy and using your voice to protect the programs that make a difference for young people every day.![]()
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We also were so proud of Amber Craig of the Virginia Skyline Council of Girl Scouts for being named a NAA Next Gen! ![]()
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We’re grateful for the opportunity to learn, connect, and bring new ideas back to Virginia’s out-of-school time community! #naa26
