Receiving this award represents my growth and how much I have given as a youth professional, given my experience working with the YMCA and Department of Education. It also helps me see that I am worthy of such praise too.

DENVER (PRWEB)
May 16, 2022

Although the selection was hard, The Flourish Lab recently announced Tania Brown, a supervisor working at the YMCA of Honolulu, as the winner of its inaugural Heart of OST (Out-of-School-Time) Award during its virtual ceremony. The Flourish Lab is a Denver-based newly launched public benefit corporation that offers practical, easy-to-use strategies and tools for youth-serving adults grounded in proven social-emotional practices.

The award honored an OST educator who is continuously making a difference in the lives of young people through afterschool programs. The Flourish Lab received over 40 nominations from OST educators from across the country and recognized them during the virtual event which drew over 50 attendees.

Brown, a Honolulu resident whose prior work includes volunteering for Cap Corps Midwest, a post-graduate service program for young adults in Chicago, Minnesota and Detroit, loves teaching and learning from her young participants. The Flourish Lab staff was impressed with her credentials and resonated with the stories that she shared in her nomination.

“I appreciate being seen,” explained Brown, whose strengths are in STEM, team building, cooking, dance, and social/emotional learning. “It isn’t very often that I am appreciated for my work, especially in a supervisor position. I believe as supervisors we tend to think it is more important to praise others than to receive praise ourselves. Receiving this award represents my growth and how much I have given as a youth professional, given my experience working with the YMCA and Department of Education. It also helps me see that I am worthy of such praise too.”

Amy Brady, The Flourish Lab’s founder, created this award to give the spotlight to these educators describing them as “connectors in their communities.”

“With 50 plus years working with youth and with organizations that work with youth, we see over and over the impact that afterschool educators make in the lives of children,” she said. “They are education’s most unsung heroes. They bring their hearts to all they do. We created this award to bring awareness to this important field and to celebrate the amazing work done outside of the regular school day.”

Lana Hailemariam, partner with The Flourish Lab, knows the importance OST professionals’ roles offer to working families. As a child of a single working mother, she remembers growing up in before and aftercare every day. Afterschool programs provided for her great education and social opportunities and many fond and happy memories.

“When I went to these programs, everyone knew me by name, included me, accepted me, helped me, and also held me accountable. This wasn’t school,” Hailemariam said. “These programs were something different than that and I loved going! The world needs to know about these magical places. Before and after school programs and summer camps are necessities for most hard-working families, as they were for my mom. These OST educators are people who are making the world go round and for many children, OST is the highlight of their day! Why wouldn’t we celebrate these special humans who take care of our most precious hearts and souls, year-round? Truly, we cannot celebrate them enough!”

About The Flourish Lab:

The Flourish Lab offers practical, easy-to-use strategies and tools for youth-serving adults grounded in proven social-emotional practices.

In a series of guided experiences, adults turn the focus on themselves first, in order to show up as their best for the children they serve. This experiential workshop series offers accessible tools and strategies for self-discovery – you’ll be putting them into play right away.

The Flourish Lab incorporates three pivotal areas of focus: Relationships, Planning, and Presence – which we believe when mastered, can generate remarkable results. For more information, visit https://theflourishlab.org/.

Share article on social media or email: