Weekly Media Roundup: August 10, 2022

Squash Center Plans $6 Million Expansion to Further Mission, Portland Press Herald (Maine)

At Portland Community Squash in Maine, about 200 students play squash, connect with tutors and mentors, take wellness classes, explore college and career options, and more. The center is also open to adults and offers fitness equipment and community events. Executive Director, Founder and Afterschool Ambassador Barrett Takesian created the program to support youth development while seeking to change the image of squash as a sport for the wealthy. Most students at Portland Community Squash are low-income and more than a quarter are immigrants and refugees. The center is currently fundraising to add additional courts, and a café to continue to build a supportive, multigenerational community. “What makes this place different is that it’s a whole family thing,” Event Director Meirgani Alaari, whose children attend the program, told the Portland Press Herald. “A place where everyone can find a way to get involved.” 

Palm Beach County Nonprofits Fighting Hunger During and After School, WPBF (Florida)

In their ongoing effort to combat childhood hunger, Palm Beach County Food Bank in Florida is partnering with United Way of Palm Beach County to provide meals to students through their Afterschool Meals Program and Weekend Backpack Program. “Kids are more susceptible to learn when they have full bellies, so we want to make sure we are giving them proper nutrition, the opportunity to thrive,” United Way of Palm Beach County’s Traver McLaughlin told WPBF. “That means they are able to have that third meal in their day as part of these afterschool programs.” The United Way and Palm Beach County Food Bank recently received a $4.5 million donation from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott and an additional $4.5 million matching grant from Palm Beach County to help fund these critical programs.

Exuberance at Gifford Summer Camp: 'We Totally Built the Robot and Made it Work,' TC Palm (Florida)

This summer, 70 students in the Gifford Youth Achievement Center (GYAC) summer learning program in Indian River County, Florida worked together to design and build robots, learning about computer coding in the process. “When I realized they didn’t have a robotics program here, I wanted to help,” Faizan Zaidi, a high school senior who volunteered at the program, told TC Palm. “I’ve been doing robotics competitively since the fifth grade and it’s something I really love doing.” The robotics program was such a success that GYAC plans to incorporate it into its afterschool program this fall. The summer learning program also offered lessons in healthy living, a field trip to the zoo, virtual classes in American history, and sports such as skating and tennis. 

Boston Sailing Program Helps Students Build Important Social Skills, CBS Boston (Massachusetts)

At the Piers Park Sailing Center programs in Boston, Massachusetts, students are learning more than just sailing techniques. The summer programs, supported by Boston After School and Beyond, also focus on social and emotional learning to help students improve their self-confidence and relationship skills. “They’ve been able to help kids re-engage and, to re-socialize with one another, to do something interesting to them and to really have a sense of optimism of what the future holds,” Boston After School and Beyond Executive Director Chris Smith told CBS Boston.