My afterschool experience: Before and during the pandemic

By Malika Ali, an 11th grader in New Jersey.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. I wake up around 6:30 AM to the sound of my blaring alarm clock and hear birds chirping faintly in the background. I somehow manage to get out of bed and start getting ready for school. I wake up my siblings, brush my teeth, change my clothes, and help my mother with breakfast. I leave the house around 7:30 AM and walk to my bus stop. My school is about an hour away so I brace myself for the long bus ride and fall asleep for a while. I get home from school around 4:30 PM and pick up my little brother from his elementary school. We walk home and I make dinner for my siblings and I. After that, I keep my eye on them and try to get all my assignments done on time. I finish my homework and put my brother to sleep around 9:30. I end my day by taking a shower, reading a book, and scrolling through my phone until I fall asleep. This was my daily routine for the majority of my freshman and sophomore year of high school.

Everything changed after March 12, 2020. Due to the pandemic, school shuts down, my parents stop going to work, and I don’t have to look after my siblings as much anymore. Days pass. Even after doing my daily chores and getting ahead on assignments, I have so much free time. I try talking to my classmates about it and include how restless I feel. To my surprise, this has been a shared feeling among most of them for a long time. I begin to realize the problem isn’t our heavy workload from being in honors classes. It’s actually because my school doesn’t have many clubs, organizations, or even sports teams. The ones that do exist aren’t active or managed very well.

I start doing my research on afterschool programs and clubs. In fact, this is actually how I came across the Afterschool Alliance in the first place. I made a list of solid clubs and organizations that would thrive in my school’s diverse environment. I found teachers to monitor the clubs and tons of kids who want to join them. It was eventually time for the hardest part: getting approval from my guidance counselors and administrators. I began by showing them my research and outline that I had spent hours perfecting. Even after telling them all I need is approval, they were very stubborn and refused. But after persistence and more convincing, they agreed that we don’t have enough clubs and organizations at our school and it needs to change.

Even though I’m already a rising junior, I’m committed to creating more opportunities for those younger than me. I contacted UNICEF about starting a service club chapter and am almost done with the approval process. I also plan on fundraising for an afterschool ACT prep class to help improve my school’s poor test scores. I’ve even encouraged some of my classmates to brainstorm and plan organizations to start. One of my friends wants to start a Multicultural Club while another wants to start a School Spirit Club. After spending so much time researching and advocating for afterschool programs, I’ve made it my mission to spread this cause throughout my community. I want to start a free tutoring program for kids struggling in elementary school, especially those who can’t afford a tutor. My plan is to pair these kids with high achieving middle school students. While the younger student would receive a mentor and academic support, the older student would get volunteer hours and sharpen their critical thinking and teaching skills. The two might also become great friends! I already figured out most of the technicalities and created parental consent documents. I’m just waiting on approval from the school district.

Overall, the pandemic has taught me so much about the important role afterschool clubs and organizations play when it comes to youth empowerment. I’ve realized that deep down, every student is capable of succeeding but many of them just lack opportunities. This is why it’s so important to empower youth as early as possible. Hopefully, I can execute all of my plans during this upcoming school year and continue to advocate for youth and afterschool initiatives.