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Weekly Media Roundup: July 11, 2018

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Weekly Media Roundup: July 11, 2018

Group Focuses on Acclimating Immigrants to Connecticut Through Education, Support Programs (NBC Connecticut)

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was impressed with what he saw when he visited a summer learning program in New Haven run by the nonprofit, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services. The program, which is supported through private funding, provides a safe environment for about 100 preschool to high school-aged immigrant students each day. The goal is to prepare them for entry to American schools. Staff say the program is particularly important because many of the children don’t have experience with formal school environments. Sen. Blumenthal told NBC Connecticut, “These programs should be expanded and provided wherever there are children. I’m here to take this picture back to Washington with me and convince my colleagues we should be nurturing and supporting these kinds of programs.”

This Afterschool Partnership Teaches Students Self-Reliance in 5 States + D.C. (Efficient Gov)

Founded by Camila and Matthew McConaughey, the just keep livin’ Foundation uses a fitness-oriented approach to empower thousands of teenagers and teach them a variety of life skills. Thanks to partnerships with various nonprofits and corporations, j.k. livin’ runs 32 programs serving 2,500+ teens during the hours they are most vulnerable to drug use and involvement in crime: after school. Whether students are learning surf positions in Los Angeles or serving dinner at a homeless shelter in D.C., the program emphasizes exercise, teamwork, gratitude, nutrition and community service. As teacher Missy Shepherd told Efficient Gov, “These kids have all progressed in their own way … Overall the program has been a huge success and brought a lot of growth and happiness to all involved including myself!”

This Indiana summer program is fighting summer learning loss. Here’s how (Chalkbeat)

In Indianapolis, the Horizons summer camp is fighting summer learning loss so successfully that some are touting it as a model that can be replicated statewide. While low-income students often lose two to three months of reading skills each summer, students at Horizons, which serves 150 low-income children entering kindergarten through ninth grade, actually gain an average of two to three months in reading and math. Horizons accomplishes this and aims to inspire a love of learning through a project-based curriculum; for example, this year its eighth graders designed nonprofits and presented their proposals to a panel. The tuition-free program is supported by 25 funders. As Horizon’s at St. Richards Executive Director Shanna Martin told Chalkbeat, the waitlist “is helping us know there really is a lot of need out there as we think and plan for the future and other opportunities to expand and grow.”

Children create, collaborate and inspire at after school jewelry program (The Auburn Plainsman, Alabama)

In Auburn, Alabama, an afterschool program uses jewelry to inspire civic engagement among its students. Perch Jewelry owner Barbara Birdsong operates the Perch Afterschool Program free of charge for any child age 8 or older who wants to participate. Students collaborate to craft unique jewelry pieces using materials provided by the store, but they do not take their creations home. Instead, they sell their pieces at semi-annual events where all proceeds are donated to the BigHouse Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources to foster families. “I think it’s fun for them to be empowered, to learn something,” Birdsong told The Auburn Plainsman. “The whole intent was to teach a skill and also talk about ways that we can give back to the community.

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

Weekly Media Roundup: January 10, 2024

Glendale Middle School Coach Who Inspires All Gifted With Dream Team Surprise, Fox 13 (Utah) This week, Fox 13’s “Dream Team” in Salt Lake City surprised Glendale Middle School physical education teacher, coach and afterschool program director Lucas Tucker at a school assembly...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/10/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 3, 2024

Robbinsville Extended Day Program is Much More than Childcare, Communitynews.org (New Jersey) At the Sharon Elementary School’s Robbinsville Extended Day (RED) program in New Jersey, students take part in yoga, financial literacy courses, robotics, cooking classes, sign language...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/03/24

Weekly Media Roundup: December 20, 2023

Numerous Metro Detroit Before- and After-School Programs to Receive Portion of $50M MiLEAP Grant, WXYZ (Michigan) Thanks to $50 million in grants from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), 67,000 Michigan students will be able to attend...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/20/23

Weekly Media Roundup: December 13, 2023

Federal Grant Helps Restart University of Tulsa Partnership With Kendall-Whittier Elementary, Tulsa World (Oklahoma) Thanks to a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, college students from the University of Tulsa will once again help lead the Youth Scholars afterschool program at...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/13/23

Weekly Media Roundup: December 6, 2023

Wakeman Boys & Girls Club's Financial Literacy Program Aims to Give Bridgeport Teens Life Skills, The Register Citizen (Connecticut) Teens in Bridgeport, Connecticut will learn about credit cards, loans, budgeting, college financial planning and more as part of Wakeman Boys & Girls...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/06/23

Weekly Media Roundup: November 29, 2023

Tackling Absenteeism: Kalamazoo Schools and Community Programs Unite to Keep Students Engaged, WWMT (Michigan) With absenteeism at a historic high of 27 percent in 2022, Kalamazoo Public Schools in Michigan are working with local afterschool programs to develop relationships, improve attendance,...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      11/29/23

Weekly Media Roundup: November 22, 2023

Bend Park District Helps Student Workers with College Tuition, The Bulletin (Oregon) At Bend Park and Recreation District’s Kids Inc. afterschool program, college students from Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and Oregon State University-Cascades are leading STEAM (science,...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      11/22/23