In Detroit, Michigan, the Math Corps academic and mentoring program is looking to expand to Detroit public schools, several new states and potentially two West African countries. In its 26-year-history, Math Corps has reached approximately 3,000 low-income students with free summer and year-round programming. Many students return to the program as mentors and teachers. Tests indicate that Math Corps’ research-based, hands-on activities help students catch up to -- and even push beyond -- grade level math skills. The program also instills life skills and provides a safe and caring community. “Everything starts with believing in your kids. It’s so simple and so easily dismissed,” co-founder Steven Kahn told Crain’s Detroit Business.
Wings for LIFE begins after-school programs later this month
In Roswell, New Mexico, Wings for LIFE is using evidence-based techniques to build students’ socio-emotional competencies. The nonprofit offers free 33-week afterschool programs for elementary- and middle-school students in the Roswell Independent School District. Its programs use strategies like visual analogies, journal activities and music to foster empathy, self-management and relationship skills. “It is rewarding to see the confidence students exhibit after a few weeks,” Building Assets Coordinator Marty Garcia told the Roswell Daily Record. “We reinforce on a weekly basis they matter, that they are important and what they have to share makes a difference.”
In Los Angeles County, California, 16 Youth Assistance League sites (YALs) work to keep low-income youth safe and foster positive interactions with law enforcement. Run by the County Sheriff’s Department, YALs serve an average of 1,642 youth each summer day. Afterschool and summer activities including scuba diving, boxing and ropes courses offer participants new experiences free of charge. “Our goal first and foremost is the safety of the youth and character development in making sure that everything that we’re doing is something meaningful to help this individual be the best that they can be,” Lt. Ryan Vienna told the Daily Breeze.
Updating the GIRLS code, The Register-Herald (West Virginia)
In Oak Hill, West Virginia, a college student has created a summer camp to expose middle-school girls to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Girls Interested in Robotics Lego and Scratch (GIRLS) combines face-to-face, online and parent-involved programming to introduce participants to robotics and coding. GIRLS Founder Jordan Bowen, a computer science major at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, has applied for funding to continue the camp as an afterschool program. “I think if I had a camp like this, I would have discovered my interest in this field much earlier and I could have spent more time planning for it,” Bowen told the Register-Herald.