Thursday- Office of the Attorney General Answering your Meta Settlement Questions and more in your October News!

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Subject: Thursday- Office of the Attorney General Answering your Meta Settlement Questions and more in your October News!

Don't Miss Out: Join VPOST and the Office of the Attorney General to Learn About Meta Settlement Dollars, 10/22 at 2:00 PM

This just in! Nicky Zamostny, Chief of Staff, and Joelle Gotwals, Senior Assistant Attorney General from the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, will join the VPOST for a special virtual meeting tomorrow, Thursday, October 22nd, at 2:00 PM. They will share information about the Meta settlement. This is a terrific chance to learn more about the potential to invest in young people's well-being and strengthen real-world connections. There will be time for brief Q and A, as well as more info about how to stay involved. If you would like to attend this virtual session, please fill out the interest form.

Request an Invite

Registration Deadline Extended!

Good news! You have more time! We’ve extended registration for the VPOST 17th Annual Conference.

Join out-of-school time educators and champions from across Virginia on November 2nd in Williamsburg for The Village We Build: Strengthening Youth and Communities. It’s a day of practical, high-quality workshops, new connections, and a reminder that the adults who show up for kids need a village too.

You don’t have to go at it alone. Bring your team, save your seat, and join the village.

As the state affiliate of the National Afterschool Association (NAA), all attendees will receive an annual NAA membership. Plus, you'll be entered into the door prize raffle, where we're giving away a pass to attend the NAA 2027 convention in Denver, Colorado!

All attendees will be entered into a raffle to get door prizes from the following companies:

Meet the Exhibitors

All of this and more is waiting for you, Williamsburg! Join the Village!

Fund IRL (In Real Life) is a national coalition working to ensure payouts from social media lawsuits fund programs that promote youth well-being, and VPOST has been named Virginia’s coordinating agency by Children’s Funding Project.

On August 26, 2026, a multi-state settlement with Meta guaranteed Virginia $353 million, with more possible, resolving claims from 47 states and jurisdictions that Meta’s platforms exposed young people to serious mental health and safety risks. VPOST applauds Attorney General Jay Jones for recognizing the value of investing in “unplugged” programs that help children reconnect with the real world, a vision that aligns with Fund IRL’s call to fund afterschool and summer programs, sports, arts, mentoring, outdoor activities, and mental-health supports. But those funds are not guaranteed to go to afterschool programs, so your voice matters.

The coalition will have two meetings this month. At our first meeting, we'll be hearing from the Attorney General's office about what the process will look like in Virginia. At our second meeting, our friends at the Afterschool Alliance will share models and strategies other states have used when directing the use of funds for youth mental health and youth development.

Follow Fund IRL on LinkedIn and join the VPOST Fund IRL Coalition for Virginia to help make this moment matter for decades to come.

Lights On Afterschool is Thursday, October 22nd!

Join more than 8,000 communities and 1 million Americans in celebrating afterschool programs for this year's Lights On Afterschool! This nationwide event, organized by the Afterschool Alliance, calls attention to the importance of afterschool programs and the resources required to keep the lights on and the doors open.

VPOST is proud to be a Lights On Afterschool partner. We are thrilled to announce that Governor Spanberger has officially proclaimed October 22, 2026, as Lights On Afterschool Day in Virginia.

How are you celebrating? Send us your event highlights and pictures. We may feature you in a future communication wrapping up festivities from across the Commonwealth. Email christine@v-post.org or tag us in socials @vpost4VAkids.

To learn more about Lights On Afterschool, register an event, access event planning tools, or find out what’s going on in your area, visit afterschoolalliance.org

The Quality Boost offers quick, practical tips or resources aligned with one of Virginia's Quality Standards for Out-of-School Time Programs. Think of it as a bite-sized way to offer aligned, high-quality practices.

It's Lights on Afterschool Week! Shining a light on afterschool programs takes leadership and celebrates the staff at the heart of it all. Our Standard on Leadership and Staff Development, The Why, explains, "We know that quality staff practices lead to positive youth outcomes and a thriving workforce.".

Here are some resources to support your practice:

To learn more about Leadership and Staff Development or any of our other Quality Standards, find more information here.

Two Grants from Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth

Youth Substance Use Prevention Grant

Funding: Up to $150K per award

Application Closes: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Applicants may apply to deliver one of seven approved prevention programs for youth in PreK through 12th grade. Each program is designed for long-term engagement over multiple sessions and may be delivered in classrooms, small groups, or other appropriate instructional settings.

Up to $6 million is available statewide, with individual awards of up to $50,000 per year for three years, or $150,000 total.

Eligibility: Nonprofit, for-profit, governmental, and charitable organizations operating in Virginia are eligible to apply.

Pathways to Play Grant

Funding: Up to $100,000 for Play Space Activation; up to $50,000 for Active Programming

Application Closes: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Applicants may apply for one of two grant categories:

Play Space Activation Grants — up to $100,000 for one-time projects that improve, upgrade, or repurpose existing spaces so youth have safer, more usable, and more accessible places to be physically active.

Active Programming Grants — up to $50,000 to launch or expand regular, structured physical activity programming for youth. These grants may be renewed at VFHY’s sole discretion for up to four additional funding periods.

Learn more at the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth's website.

Digital Wellness in OST: Helping Youth Thrive IRL & Online

October 29th 3:00–3:45 p.m.

Join CAHE-OST during media literacy week for a practical introduction to digital wellness in OST. During this webinar you'll explore the core elements of digital wellness and how OST programs can help young people make healthy digital choices. Registration can be found here.

Mizzen Education

Mizzen Education is a free platform made by OST for OST. Get free lesson plans, searchable by age group, subject, duration, and more!

Help shape Mizzen's staff development resources. What trainings and resources would help you and your team most? Mizzen Education wants to hear from you! Take the Educator Survey, open October 1–31. Just four questions, three minutes. Everyone who completes it receives Small Choices, Big Impact: A Facilitator's Guide to Grouping and is entered to win a $30 Amazon gift card. Take the survey

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Subject: Thursday- Office of the Attorney General Answering your Meta Settlement Questions and more in your October News!