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Weekly Media Roundup: April 13, 2016

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Weekly Media Roundup: April 13, 2016

It Feels Great to Help Young Refugees Succeed (Buffalo News, New York)

Child refugees face a lot of obstacles when they arrive in the United States, including language barriers that can keep them from succeeding in school. Thankfully, an afterschool program in Buffalo is trying to help kids overcome their English difficulties and perform at grade level. ENERGY pairs children with adult mentors three times a week to work on reading and writing comprehension, enjoy a meal and play games. According to volunteer Clark Sykes, the program gives him hope at a time when the country is politically polarized by immigration issues. “I know the reality of children who want to learn so that they can be like everyone else in their grade and make their families proud,” he said in a Buffalo News column.

Columbus High to Start Talk Show (Commercial Dispatch, Mississippi)

A group of Columbus High School students had their television debut this weekend thanks to a new talk show filmed and produced by the students themselves. The kids are producing Falcon Talk as part of an afterschool program that aims to give young people a taste of what a future in television or journalism would be like. Additionally, the program gives students an academic boost and teaches many useful skills for their future careers, like learning how to debate and act like a professional. “I’d love to be able to see them have a legitimate talk show with a live audience,” faculty sponsor Andrew Nation told the Commercial Dispatch. “It’s amazing to watch the kids have fun with it.”

A Young Entrepreneur Shows Low-Income Teens How to Launch a Business (Christian Science Monitor, Massachusetts)

Daquan Oliver didn’t have many opportunities growing up, but that never stopped his entrepreneurial spirit. By his sophomore year of college, he had formed an entrepreneurship-focused mentoring program for low-income teens just like himself. WeThrive trains college students on how to be mentors, then pairs the students with local kids using an 11-week curriculum developed by the program. Through WeThrive, students develop confidence, leadership and teamwork skills as they put together business ideas and pitch them to adult funders. “I want them to be the next generation of social-change leaders,” Oliver told the Christian Science Monitor.

Robotics Team’s Project Helps Woodford County Girl (Associated Press, Illinois)

The Metamora Area Robotics Students and Woodford Area Robotics Students, or MARS WARS, have taken on a special mission: developing customized robotic vehicles for children with disabilities. The afterschool robotics team spends its six-week regular season creating complex robots for FIRST Robotics competitions, then spends the off-season developing cars for kids like four-year-old Emily Heflin, who has a rare genetic disorder that has kept her from being able to walk or talk throughout her life. “I’m just completely blown away with how intelligent and how talented these high school kids are,” Emily’s mom Jodi told the Associated Press. “They are going to change the world someday.” The program helps students see the real-world applications of the technical skills they’re learning while programming robots.

Weekly Media Roundup: March 20, 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU Are Helping an Arizona School District. Here's How, Arizona Republic (Arizona) Matthew McConaughey and Arizona State University (ASU) have teamed up to help a Phoenix-area school district apply for federal afterschool funding included in the Bipartisan Safer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 13, 2024

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic. One Group is Tackling the Problem By Helping Their Parents, Hechinger Report In North Carolina, nearly one third of English language learning students were chronically absent last year, a rate significantly higher than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/13/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 6, 2024

Charlotte Afterschool Program Aims to Break Cycle of Youth Crime and Violence, WBTV (North Carolina) In response to the 33 percent rise in juvenile gun violence in Charlotte, North Carolina, county leaders presented The Way Forward plan to city council members this week. The plan includes...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/06/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 28, 2024

Program Designed to Boost Reading Rates in NW Tallahassee is Reaching More Students, WTXL (Florida) At Springwood Elementary School’s afterschool program in Tallahassee, Florida, students are paired with volunteers from United Way’s ReadingPals program, working together to improve...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 21, 2024

Missoula After-School Program for BIPOC Youth Creating Next Generation of Leaders, KTVQ-TV (Montana) At the Association for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Youth afterschool program in Missoula, Montana, students of color build community, take part in mindfulness activities, and develop...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 14, 2024

Viewpoint: Invest in Out-of-School Programs to Help Solve State’s Educational Challenges, South Bend Tribune (Indiana) Indiana lawmakers are considering continuing the state’s pandemic-era investments in out-of-school time learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 7, 2024

Rangers Star Welcomes Kids to the Ice in After School Program, NBC4 (New York) With help from a donation from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, 50 students in the WHEDco (Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation) afterschool program in the South Bronx are lacing up skates and...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 31, 2024

Advocates of Afterschool Opportunities Rally in Albany for $119M Funding Boost, Spectrum News 1 (New York) On Tuesday, afterschool leaders, students, and lawmakers gathered in Albany, New York to press for an additional $119 million in state funding to ensure universal access to afterschool. At...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 24, 2024

'Articulate Their Pain': Preventing Teen Suicide Through the Power of Music, Spectrum News 1 (North Carolina) DDAAT-App, a mental health nonprofit with an afterschool program in Charlotte, North Carolina, is partnering with The Bridge, a music studio, to give students access to recording...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 17, 2024

Bessie Coleman After School Aviation Program to be Tested in Oklahoma, General Aviation News (Oklahoma) Sixth and 7th graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma are exploring careers in aerospace and aeronautics by building planes, flying drones, and participating in other hands-on projects thanks to a...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/17/24