The SPAN Youth Hub

Featuring... Why Christmas The holiday season looks different depending on where you celebrate. Learn how millions of other nationalities enjoy the festivities. Did you know that New Year's Eve is observed twice in Greenland? Or that Indonesians must-have food for Christmas is a cookie called "Nastar," a buttermilk cookie with pineapple filling, delicious! In Sri Lanka, Merry Christmas in Sinhala (spoken in Sri Lanka) is "Suba Naththalak Wewa." These are a few fantastic facts from around the world. Read more and feel connected with a global community.  Announcements... The SPAN Youth Chat will be on break for a holiday break and will return on Jan 5 th , 2022. We wish you the best of holidays in any form that you celebrate!  Resources... Link to SPAN's website:  www.spanadvocacy.org  Link to SPAN's Youth in the Know Resource Page:  Youth in the Know We're here for you! Call SPAN if you need assistance: 1-800-654-7726

The holidays are a time for lifting and helping communities. Youth and young adults can participate in virtual volunteering to support community members who can use their assistance. And reap the mental health benefits of serving communities. Featuring... Volunteer Match Explore hundreds of virtual volunteer opportunities in cause areas like health and medicine, education, and community building that you can do from a computer, from home, or anywhere. Well-known organizations like United Way, Red Cross, and more are looking for thousands of volunteers, especially in the holiday season.  Announcements... The SPAN Youth Chat will be on break for a holiday break and will return on Jan 5 th , 2022. We wish you the best of holidays in any form that you celebrate!  Resources... Link to SPAN's website:  www.spanadvocacy.org  Link to SPAN's Youth in the Know Resource Page:  Youth in the Know We're here for you! Call SPAN if you need assistance: 1-800-654-7726

Youth empowerment is helping youth and young adults take charge of their lives. For youth and young adults with a disability, that means supporting them in making their own decisions. Here is a service available to youth and young adults looking to work or learn a trade in the state of New Jersey.  Featuring… One-Stop Career Centers The One-Stop Career Center focuses on providing aid, job referrals, and other services to New Jersey employed and unemployed workers. To quote their "Career Support" page on their website:  New Jersey's One-Stop Career Centers provide integrated services to workers, career seekers, and employers to help match candidates with various opportunities. Job seekers who are veterans receive priority referrals to jobs and training and special employment services and assistance. In addition, we provide specialized attention and service to individuals with disabilities...justice-involved individuals, youth, and older workers. We encourage youth and youn

End-of-the-year reflections are ways for youth and young adults to think about the past year. To recognize the first day of the last month in 2021, let's reflect and talk on self-awareness to help wrap up the year.  Featuring… What is self-awareness? To further define self-awareness, let's look at  What is self-awareness?  An article found on the website Understood.org is about helping people find their calling and discover their potential. This article teaches about the importance of learning about yourself, including its benefits. Benefits like:  Recognize their strengths and challenges Recognize other people's needs and feelings Develop a growth mindset and learn from their mistakes As we enter the last month of the year, practicing self-reflection is looking back at all we did this past year: what new foods did we try, new people did we meet, what new things did we begin/ improve upon? In the SPAN Youth Chat, participants shared their reflections like tr