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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.

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Discover How the Leaps After School Program is Transforming Lives at Harrison Elementary, News Channel 9 (Tennessee) At Harrison Elementary’s Leaps After School Program in Chattanooga, Tennessee, students are publishing a newspaper focusing on Black historical figures to be displayed...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/26/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 19, 2025

Durham Teens Fight for After-School Program Funding Amid Youth Gun Violence: 'My Safe Space,' ABC 11 (North Carolina) In Durham, North Carolina, teenagers rallied together to urge Durham City Council members to increase funding for afterschool programs, sharing how critical these...

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Weekly Media Roundup: February 12, 2025

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BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/12/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 5, 2025

Claysburg-Kimmel Touts New Programs for Students, Altoona Mirror (Pennsylvania) Students at the Bulldog After-School Club in Claysburg, Pennsylvania are participating in new educational activities with a Beam mobile projector that transforms the center into an interactive visual playground. The...

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Weekly Media Roundup: January 29, 2025

Afterschool Program Introduces West Columbia Students to Technology, The Facts (Texas) Students at West Columbia Elementary in Texas are taking part in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities in the new Robocatters afterschool program, which already has a long...

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Weekly Media Roundup: January 22, 2025

Another Year, Another Long Waitlist for BUSD After-School Program, Berkeleyside (California) Due to ongoing staffing shortages, more than 200 students are currently waitlisted for afterschool programs at Berkeley Unified School District. Parents in the district’s PTA Collaborative on...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/22/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 15, 2025

New 4-H Program Will Bring STEAM to Area Students, KNEB (Nebraska) Students in rural Expanding Learning Opportunity programs in Nebraska are exploring aerospace, electronics, engineering, robotics and more thanks to a partnership with 4-H. The Think Make Create Lab is a six-by-12 mobile trailer...

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Weekly Media Roundup: January 8, 2025

Parks and Recreation Secures Grant to Bring Physical Activity Education to Youth in Afterschool Program, WBIW (Indiana) More than 50 students in the Banneker Afterschool program in Bloomington, Indiana are taking part in fun physical activities this year led by Indiana University School of...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/08/25

Weekly Media Roundup: December 18, 2024

Mason City YMCA Teaching Social and Emotional Skills to Kids, News-Press Now (Iowa) Students in the Mason City YMCA afterschool program in Iowa practice communication, emotional regulation, empathy and more in twice-weekly social and emotional learning sessions, learning, for instance, to take...

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Weekly Media Roundup: December 11, 2024

Usher Helps Cut Ribbon On New Content Studio at Metro Boys and Girls, WSB-TV (Georgia) This week, superstar Usher visited the Whitehead Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, Georgia, to unveil a new content studio he donated featuring soundboards, mics, computers and other audio equipment. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/11/24