#GivingTuesday takes place on November 28th this year! If you are not familiar with #GivingTuesday, it is a global giving movement that is dedicated to investing in our communities through generosity, raising awareness, and collaboration. On Tuesday, Tampa Bay’s community of donors just like you will come to together to kick off year-end giving to invest in the lives of the children we serve every day.
This year, the theme of #GivingTuesday is #MyGivingStory. Nonprofit organizations all over the world are asking donors to tell us why they give. Throughout the week, Frameworks will be sharing our supporters’ passionate stories about why they support our mission. These narratives can be found on our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, so make sure to follow us on your favorite social media platform.
Our staff also wanted to share our stories with you about why we are so passionate about the work we do here and why we continue to give our time and money to teach youth to manage their emotions, develop healthy relationships, and make good decisions for academic, career, and personal success.
Empowering Teachers | Shea Quraishi, Social and Emotional Learning Director
“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is long-term work that requires sustained support for our teachers, students, school leaders, and communities. Think about how long it takes us as adults to change our habits in favor of healthier ones–the same is true for kids.
“It takes practice to learn how to manage our emotions and relationships. Teachers must guide that practice through specific, skill-based lessons and through integrated opportunities to apply these skills throughout the day. To do this work, teachers need modeling, training, and ongoing support – advocates to be there beside them making the work of SEL effective and sustainable. When this happens, students win, and when students win, we all win. That’s why I give to Frameworks.”
Continuing the Journey | Marlize Adair, Administrative Coordinator
“My passion for SEL started in the classroom where I was able to give the young children the tools to manage their emotions. Working at Frameworks is giving me the opportunity to enhance the platform for teachers, parents, and the community to learn more about SEL and the lifelong benefits it produces.”
Gratitude | Laura Ansteatt, SEL Program Specialist
“Last week for The Great American Teach-In, I presented at Turkey Creek Middle School. It reminded me what I already knew (as a former middle school teacher), but many people can’t imagine: middle school kids have such an amazing capacity to be thoughtful, kind, and caring, but they aren’t always given the opportunity or credit when they do.
“Turkey Creek has a unique situation with LifeSkills® Training (LST) lessons and SEL. The school success coach is teaching SEL on the 6th grade wheel. When students rotate to her class, they participate in Community Building Sessions (CBS) and LST lessons. It showed in these students that many understood what SEL is and were really comfortable with breathing, compliments, and talking about gratitude for our group activity.
“I was happy that the majority of gratitude leaves we read were statements of thanks for family and friends, opportunity for education, and just thankfulness for life. I also had the opportunity to speak individually with some of the students. One told me of her thankfulness of new friends after having to relocate after hurricane Irma. Another told me she was thankful for her grandparents who took her in after her mom died.
“I think teachers and other adults sometimes forget that these kids just want to make a connection and feel comfortable sharing how they feel in a safe place. I always tried to make my classroom a safe place when I was teaching, long before I formally heard of SEL. I am so proud to be a part of making this happen in classrooms across our community with Frameworks.”
Changing Outcomes | Holly Moon, Community Engagement Coordinator
“I believe education has the power to change outcomes for kids. I was lucky to have many of my school teachers hand-picked for me. As a result, I received an exceptional education from incredible educators. However, most students are not so fortunate as to have their pick of instructors. The lowest performing students often end up with teachers who are struggling with their craft or in ‘retirement mode.’ By perpetuating this model, students do not receive the education that each of them deserves.
“I give to Frameworks because I want every teacher in my community to have the resources to be highly effective. More importantly, I want to see them learn to relate to their students and speak to them in ways that make them feel cared for and valued. Frameworks does this work every day. By training teachers on social and emotional learning, we are moving closer to every student having extraordinary teachers and equal educational opportunities.”
Giving is a Lifestyle | Alexandréa Worthy, Team Lead, High School
“Giving truly is a gift. When I think about why I give, the answer is simple. Giving connects me to people, places, and experiences that extend beyond my scope and perspective. Giving has allowed me to learn lessons about my values, my intentions, my strengths, and my weaknesses because it has connected me to people that have exposed and strengthened each.
“Many perceive of giving as being one-sided, with a party of givers and a party of receivers. But, when you live a life of giving, you’ll surely come to the realization that giving is the gift that gives and gives. It is a harmonious solidarity that gives to both givers. And at some point, you’ll find yourself pondering the question, ‘Who is truly giving to whom?’”