Summer learning to earn 'digital badges'
by thenotebook on Jul 16 2013 Posted in Latest news
This story is part of a multi-city partnership reporting on issues surrounding expanded learning time.
by Rachel Reed for Catalyst Chicago
A group of high school students crowds around white posters with colorful headings describing various types of wellness, including “Intellectual” and “Spiritual.” The group’s goal: Come up with definitions for six categories of wellness and use Twitter to discuss the ideas.“Make sure to use those hash tags when you tweet,” council leader Josh Prudowsky says to the group, “so we can all start a conversation on what is wellness.”
The students are members of the Teen Health Council at Mikva Challenge, a non-profit that teaches teens how to get involved in the political process through civic action. The council will meet weekly over the summer and use what they learn about wellness to write policy recommendations for how to improve healthy living among youth in Chicago.
Mikva Challenge is one of 140 organizations taking part in the city’s Summer of Learning initiative. While most summer school programs offered in Chicago Public Schools are remedial--intended mostly for students in danger of being held back or high school students behind in credits--the Summer of Learning initiative is meant to fill the gap with
