Weekly Media Roundup: September 16, 2015

Maplewood Class Hopes to Crack Code to Computer Careers (Tennessean, Tennessee)

Maplewood High School students in Nashville are learning valuable tech skills four days a week through Panther Programmers, an afterschool coding class. The students learn basic coding skills and website development. Program organizers hope the class will empower teenagers who may not otherwise pursue computer science. “Coding is one of those great opportunities for them to go on an unorthodox route to a both rewarding and lucrative career,” English teacher and program organizer Casey Ward told the Tennessean.

Helicopter Design Challenge Fuels STEAM Learning for Middle School Students (83 Degrees, Florida)

The Artz4Life Academy afterschool program in Clearwater is teaching middle school students to build the “helicopter of tomorrow” as part of the Sikorsky Helicopter 2050 Challenge. At each session, staff members encourage young people to think innovatively to design a unique, eco-friendly helicopter. “This challenge will be a great opportunity for them to learn about inventing and the critical thinking process,” Artz4Life founder Jai Hinson told 83 Degrees. Engineering experts and scholars occasionally visit the program to help inspire the students as they work through the challenge, which awards a $1,000 scholarship to the winner.

Religious, Civic and Government Groups Work Together to Stem Violence in the City (The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio)

Religious groups in Columbus are using afterschool and summer programs as a tool to combat crime. Two examples of programs affiliated with programs from the Faith Leaders Action Group, an offshoot of the mayor’s Interfaith Religious Advisory Council are: the Central Ohio Youth for Christ’s City Life Center which provides an afterschool program for 300 teens focused on relationship-building and conflict resolution and the United Methodist Church’s Community Development for All People which helps children earn their high school diplomas and get jobs. City leaders claim that the involvement of churches in the community can have a direct impact on preventing crime, restoring pride in neighborhoods and getting residents involved in the community. Rev. Frederick LaMarr told the Columbus Dispatch that he measures success when he hears stories from mothers who tell him their sons graduated or found jobs, “My passion really is trying to change the paradigm of this community… I’m not about police. I’m not about gangs. I’m about doing what’s right to try to change.”

Coalition Survey Results Show Positive Trends (The Durango Herald, Colorado)

The Healthy Kids Colorado survey found that teen alcohol use in La Plata County has recently decreased. Celebrating Healthy Communities Coalition, a local substance-abuse prevention group, credits its work increasing the number of positive role models for young people for the drop. The group trained those who work with young people, including staff and volunteers from afterschool programs and family support centers, to be positive role models for teens. “We put a high emphasis on positive peer influence, creative activities and reading for pleasure,” afterschool program Kid’s Camp staffer Chayse Romero told the Durango Herald.  Rather than focusing on negative messaging, role models encouraged character traits, such as restraint, a sense of purpose and motivation to do well in schools, to decrease the chance of young people engaging in risky behaviors.