This year marked the 30th gathering of MASN’s Missouri School Age Conference (MOSAC)! Attendees celebrated building MOSAC to what it is today, 30 years of cultivating connections in professional development sessions, at networking socials, and with MASN’s resource partners.
Brad Lademann, MOSAC coordinator, reflects on community-building benefits found in the continuity of MOSAC, “Some of the people we connect with from other areas in the state become co-workers and even true friends, even though we work for different organizations.” Brad goes on to state, “The added benefit of a conference with 30 years of longevity is that real connections are formed across physical distances.”
Lodge of the Four Season in Lake Ozark played host to 500-plus attendees, the largest MOSAC gathering to date! Programs from all corners of Missouri, presenters from 14 additional states, and record-breaking exhibitors and sponsors brought a variety of experiences, excitement, and a sense of togetherness.
Carlos Santini, CEO of Mizzen Education, MOSAC’s premier sponsor, said it best, “When we first met members of the Missouri AfterSchool Network, we were immediately struck by their warmth and sense of community. Community and relationships are at the heart of this special MOSAC gathering.”
Attendees could not celebrate a true MOSAC gathering without celebrating the hardworking afterschool leaders who make up the heart of the professional community. At the Celebration of Afterschool, honorees commemorated years of service in the field, new afterschool programs, and education achievements. Our Youth Development Credential, also known as YDC, graduates were also honored as they walked the stage in graduation caps in recognition of their dedication to advance afterschool programming.
“This year we made sure honorees knew how much we love and appreciate them,” said Natalie Hampton, director of this year’s Celebration. “We kept it fast paced and added audience participation, excellent MCs, walk-on music, jubilant graduation hats, and more. We closed with the ‘Side-5 Gauntlet’ where the audience created a tunnel to give ‘high-5s’ to honorees as they ran through. It was touching watching honorees tear up as they looked through the opening of the ‘gauntlet’ at the people cheering them on.”
Honoring the impact of our afterschool professionals was just one aspect of the MOSAC gathering. Missouri youth were also supported as they demonstrated the influence afterschool programming has on their ability to become young business owners. Noah Temple, social entrepreneur and creator of Junior Java, whose proceeds go to under resourced students worldwide, found success and encouragement in his Youth Marketplace experience.
“From the sales I made during the marketplace, I was able to make a donation to my charitable partner World Vision,” Noah said with a big smile. He then went into detail the impact his Youth Marketplace sales had on others, “Through World Vision’s government grants, my donation was multiplied to $900 worth of school supplies!”
Like Noah, our keynote speakers touched on the impact of afterschool in their personal lives.
Lana Hailemariam, co-founder of The Flourish Lab and CEO of StandUp, echoed the need for afterschool professionals in the lives of youth, embracing the family-like environment MOSAC attendees showed “It was an honor to be able to connect with so many amazing humans at once.” Lana brought the importance of afterschool full-circle in describing the overwhelming impact a grade-school instructor had on the person she is today.
The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) duo of Heidi Ham, the chief operation officer, and Angelica Portillo, the director of advocacy and workforce initiative, added to Lana’s excitement and encouraged attendees and programs to find opportunities in advancement for their programs to further support youth.
Angelica congratulated MASN on pushing the message of advancement continuation in afterschool. She said, “If I were new to the field and this was my first conference, I would wish to stay in Out of School Time forever,”
The exciting spark of motivation Angelica is referring to includes the wide variety of breakout sessions offered at MOSAC. From spending three days engulfed in ideas for implementing play-based activities, to accessing leadership roles as governmental advocates for our Missouri youth, MASN provided the resources and opportunities MOSAC attendees have come to know and love.
As we here at MASN celebrate the many highpoints MOSAC created, Terri Foulkes, MASN executive director, pays tribute to the 30-year-milestone of recognizing afterschool in Missouri, “It’s amazing how MOSAC has grown over the 30 years. We have notes about the early conferences and some of the original planning committee members are being recognized now for their distinguished service and retiring from the field. MOSAC has stood the test of time as the professional development institute for afterschool providers in Missouri.”
At MASN, we are honored to bring MOSAC to the afterschool programs of Missouri. We understand how each contribution an afterschool professional makes can impact the next generation.
