Insideout Literary Arts Project

BY IMMERSING STUDENTS IN THE JOY AND POWER OF POETRY AND LITERARY SELF- EXPRESSION, INSIDEOUT INSPIRES THEM TO THINK BROADLY, CREATE BRAVELY AND SHARE THEIR VOICES WITH THE WIDER WORLD. GUIDED BY PROFESSIONAL WRITERS AND CELEBRATED BY PUBLICATIONS AND PERFORMANCES, YOUTH LEARN THAT THEIR STORIES AND IDEAS MATTER AND THAT THEIR PENS CAN LAUNCH THEM OFF THE PAGE INTO EXTRAORDINARY LIVES.

NARRATIVE FOR 990 (FY2021) INSIDEOUT SERVES THE COMMUNITY YEAR-ROUND THROUGH IN-SCHOOL, AFTERSCHOOL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMMING. OVER THE COURSE OF THE 2020/21 ACADEMIC YEAR, WE SERVED 2,330 STUDENTS AT 28 SCHOOLS (11 ELEMENTARY, 7 MIDDLE, AND 10 HIGH SCHOOLS) THROUGH OUR IN- SCHOOL, WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM, FOR A TOTAL OF 1,268 DIRECT-SERVICE SESSIONS. THROUGH OUR CITYWIDE POETS AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM, WE DELIVERED A TOTAL OF 235 SESSIONS AND 354 HOURS OF WEEKLY PROGRAMMING, AND REACHED 214 YOUTH AT 11 AFTERSCHOOL VIRTUAL SITES (3 MIDDLE SCHOOL SITES AND 8 HIGH SCHOOL). THE SINGLE GREATEST CHALLENGE FOR OUR PROGRAMMING LAST YEAR WAS THE SHIFT TO 100% VIRTUAL DELIVERY, WHICH REQUIRED CONSTANT ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION. TO BEST SUPPORT OUR CLASSROOM TEACHER PARTNERS IN OUR WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM, INSIDEOUT CREATED A NEW VIRTUAL GUIDED LEARNING LIBRARY (VGLL). WITH CONTENT DESIGNED FOR ALL THREE GRADE LEVELS (ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL) AND FEATURING DIVERSE LITERARY ARTISTS, THESE LESSONS ARE FIRMLY ROOTED IN YOUTH LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, AND REFLECTIVE OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES. THESE ENGAGING LEARNING EXPERIENCES INCLUDE PAUSE POINTS FOR STUDENT ACTIVITY, VISUAL LESSON SCAFFOLDING, AND SUPPLEMENTAL, SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS. THE VIDEOS ARE HOUSED ON OUR WEBSITE (ON THE INSIDEOUT AT HOME PAGE WE CREATED IN SPRING OF 2020), ENSURIN THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO PARTNER CLASSROOM TEACHERS, AS WELL AS DIRECTLY TO STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. FOR OUR CITYWIDE POETS (CWP) PROGRAM, WE SIGNIFICANTLY SHIFTED THE PROGRAM DESIGN FOR VIRTUAL DELIVERY; TO MAKE OUR CWP PROGRAM MORE ACCESSIBLE TO A WIDER RANGE OF INCOMING STUDENTS, WE TRANSITIONED OUR SCHOOL-SPECIFIC SITES TO PUBLIC ZOOM SITES. BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM YOUTH, WE PLAN TO MAINTAIN AT LEAST ONE ZOOM SITE IN THE COMING ACADEMIC YEAR TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENT SCHEDULES AND MITIGATE TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS, EVEN IF WE FULLY RETURN TO PROVIDING IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING. ADDITIONALLY, WE INTRODUCED A NEW MODEL OF INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN OUR YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD (YAB) AND PERFORMANCE TROUPE THIS YEAR TO INCREASE PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING, ENCOURAGE EXPERTISE-SHARING AND CREATE MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE AMONG YOUTH. THE 2020 PERFORMANCE TROUPE CONCLUDED THEIR ACTIVITIES IN OCTOBER 2020 AND WERE OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE INITIAL MEMBERS OF 2020/2021 YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD (YAB). THIS GROUP THEN REDESIGNED THE YAB APPLICATION AND REQUIREMENTS, AND WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN REFOCUSING THE YABS TWIN GOALS OF PROVIDING DIRECT FEEDBACK TO PROGRAM COORDINATORS AND CURATING YOUTH- IMAGINED EVENTS. THEY SUCCESSFULLY RECRUITED AND ONBOARDED THREE NEW MEMBERS FROM OUR CITYWIDE POETS PROGRAM; THIS NEW YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD HELD MORE MEETINGS THAN ANY PREVIOUS YAB WITH 41 SESSIONS, CULMINATING IN THE FIRST YOUTH-LED PRESENTATION TO THE INSIDEOUT BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN JULY 2021. OPERATIONALLY, ONE CHALLENGE ACTUALLY BECAME A SUCCESS; TO SUPPORT WORKING FROM HOME, OUR TEAM CREATED DIGITAL TOOLS TO FACILITATE APPROVAL FOR REQUISITIONS, PAYMENT OF STUDENT AND WRITER STIPENDS, AND INVOICE TRACKING AND PAYMENT. BUILDING ON THESE SHIFTS, WE MADE A NUMBER OF OTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING: RE-STRUCTURING OUR CHART OF ACCOUNTS TO BETTER REFLECT ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITY, SHIFTING TO QUICKBOOKS ONLINE FROM DESKTOP (STRONGLY ADVISED BY OUR AUDITOR), AND ADOPTING A NEW, MORE INCLUSIVE BUDGETING TOOL. ALL OF THESE ENHANCEMENTS HAVE FACILITATED WORKING FROM HOME AND WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR ORGANIZATION EVEN WHEN WE RETURN TO AN IN-PERSON OFFICE.