May 2025 | GELYDA

GELYDA Update Letter - May 2025

Dear Members, Colleagues and Friends of GELYDA,

The exciting work of GELYDA continues to grow and today we want to provide some timely updates and announcements. Please review and react according to your plans and priorities. We always love to hear from you as well and will try to accommodate your requests, contact us at gelyda.association@outlook.com.

GELYDA STEM Education Webinar: We are pleased to announce that GELYDA Advisory Board members, education experts from across the globe, will be leading an engaging webinar tomorrow (May 14th from 8:00 – 9:00 AM ET) entitled Extended Learning Through STEM Education. Please register for the event by clicking on the link below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/W_Y-PPNnR5aoiEGrlWUSew

Extensions Newsletter: We are thrilled to announce the launch of GELYDA’s new biannual magazine Extensions. Please be on the lookout for our first edition focused on workforce in extended education. Extensions is an international digest dedicated to delving into the realm of extracurricular activities, afterschool programs and extended education. It aims to be a resource for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers who are passionate about extending the experiences, development and learning of children and adolescents.

Iceland Conference Registration: There is still time to register for The Science and Practice of Extended Learning, Youth Development, and Wellbeing working conference in Reykjavik Iceland from June 11–13, 2025. Please visit the conference website to learn more about the event and to explore information for travel and accommodations. Click here to hear further details on the conference from Kolbrún Pálsdóttir, Chair of GELYDA conference committee. Please join us in beautiful Iceland and take advantage of this wonderful location to explore scenic area attractions and sightseeing.

Blog Contributions: GELYDA continues to bring a range of expert voices to the table through our monthly blog series, offering a global perspective on cutting-edge research, policies, and practices in the field. Please visit the website to read our most recent contribution Developmental Resilience: A Global Case for Mental Health through Extended Education by Gil Noam (April 2025), as well as all of our previous submissions. Please also be on the lookout for our May posting by Kolbrún Pálsdóttir as she speaks about extended education work happening in Iceland. Reminder - We are always looking to lift up global perspectives so if you would like to contribute a blog in the coming months please contact us and learn more on the site about guidelines.

I hope this email finds you well in your part of the world. Please become active in our Association. Together we can build Extended Learning and Youth Development across the world by sharing learnings and knowledge and creating an international movement to better the lives of children, adolescents and the adults that surround them!

Warm regards,

Gil G. Noam, GELYDA Chair

and members of the Steering Committee of GELYDA

SangHoon Bae, Professor at the Department of Education and Provost in the Sungkyunkwan University

Dale Blyth, Professor Emeritus and former Howland Endowed Chair in Youth Development Leadership

Kylie Brannelly, Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Children’s Activities Network (QCAN) and Chairperson of the National Outside School Hours Services Alliance (NOSHSA)

Marlene Gras, Founder and Director of TierraED, Mexico City

Fuyuko Kanefuji, Professor at the Department of Human Sciences and Director of the Institute of Living Sciences, Bunkyo University

Linda Khanyi, Manager and Content Advisor at the Parliament of South Africa (National Council of Provinces)

Kolbrún Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir, Dean of the School of Education at the University of Iceland, Reykjavik

Ludwig Stecher, Professor at the University of Giessen