Emotions impact everything that happens in our lives. Some emotions are big, and some are small. Becoming aware of how emotions impact our learning, decisions, relationships, and general well-being is important to our overall functioning.
View the “Infusing Emotional Intelligence into Out-of-School Time” video and resources.
We build our emotional intelligence by practicing the RULER Skills – recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating. By building these skills, we can better handle the range of emotions we encounter, help others better handle their emotions, and improve our relationships, well-being, and overall performance.
View the “Enhancing Social and Emotional Skills with RULER” video and resources.
Relationships are at the heart of the work we do in OST programs. Sharing our stories and learning about each other helps us build trusting relationships with fellow staff and with youth.
View the “Building Strong Relationships with RULER” video and resources.
A Community Commitment is a tool to help create and sustain positive climates in OST programs. The Community Commitment creation process helps us learn more about our peers and youth. It also helps us work together to make our site a safe and enjoyable workplace. Periodically revisiting our Community Commitment reminds us of the culture we want to cultivate in our program.
View the “Creating a Positive Program Climate through RULER” video and resources.
The Mood Meter is a tool we can use to reflect on and communicate how we are feeling. We also can use the Mood Meter to practice the RULER skills. When we check in with and share our authentic emotions, we can model emotional intelligence and form closer connections with our colleagues and with youth in our program.
View the “Developing the Skills of Emotional Intelligence using the Mood Meter” video and resources.
Because our emotions affect so many areas of our lives, how well we regulate them can impact our ability to achieve our goals. Emotion regulation strategies fall into two main categories: (1) action strategies, which are things we can do, like deep breathing and self-care and (2) thought strategies, which are things we can think, like positive self-talk or positive reframing.
View the “Regulating Emotions with RULER” video and resources.
We can better understand and support youth by acting as emotion scientists: listening deeply with curiosity and empathy and without judgment, and paying careful attention to their perspectives, expressions, and actions. This includes managing our own emotions before we help youth with theirs and offering continued support to help them evaluate and shift their behavior.
View the “Supporting Youth Behavior with Emotional Intelligence” video and resources.
RULER in OST videos and resources are available at no cost. Any organized program that works with youth outside of school time (e.g., afterschool programs, camps, clubs, sports, parks, recreation programs, etc.) will be able to take advantage of RULER in OST.
