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Riverbend mom pens survival guide for kids

Telegraph - 2/10/2021

Feb. 10—EDWARDSVILLE — If you ever thought you were alone in a pandemic world — with home schooling, working from home and virtual holidays stuck at home all while parenting — look for a new book, "Making It: What Today's Kids Need for Tomorrow's World," publishing in March.

Edwardsville resident and former educator Stephanie Malia Krauss tackles COVID-19, the economic crisis, racial uprisings and other complex challenges young people face today. The book is available for pre-order now, and comes out March 3.

Krauss left education eight years ago because she was worried that earning a diploma was not the same thing as being ready for college, work and life, she explained. She also did social work.

"Ever since, I have been on a mission to figure out what kids need to survive and thrive, now and in the future," she said.

A senior advisor to Jobs for the Future and a staff consultant for the Youth Transition Funders Group, Krauss described herself as relentlessly focused on what kids need to be ready for the world. She also regularly contributes to Youth Today.

"The book pays special attention to what it means for our kids and their futures," Krauss said. "I'm a mom and former educator who has been on the national scene for about eight years. If I did my job, this book should be an easy read and helpful for anyone in the community who works or lives with young people."

The world feels volatile and uncertain with major disruptions, from global pandemics to economic crises, forcing people to live, learn and work in new ways.

"Today's kids are growing up in the midst of rapid change," Krauss said. "By the time they reach adulthood, things could look pretty different."

The book goes beyond the question of what young people need to succeed in school, asking what they need to be ready for life.

"As a high school dropout, I needed people and opportunities within and beyond school to prepare me for adulthood," Krauss said. "My mission is to understand what kids need to survive and thrive, now and in the future. I partner with leaders from various systems and sectors to prepare young people for tomorrow's world or prepare the world for them."

"Making It" explores four currencies today's kids need to make it in tomorrow's world:

—Competencies

—Connections

—Credentials

—Cash.

It also gives tips for teaching adults to be a currency-builder in young people's lives.

This book focuses on how to prioritize these four key outcomes whenever and wherever learning happens. She shares research and experience to help understand and apply a human-centered and future-focused lens directly to the classroom, school, program or at home.

This book will benefit teachers, counselors, youth workers, parents, school board members and education leaders, said Krauss, a mother of two.

For more about "Making It" visit www.stephaniemaliakrauss.com and follow at Twitter @stephanie_malia.

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(c)2021 The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.)

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