Weekly Media Roundup: March 28, 2018

Immokalee Teens Earn Scholarship Money Through Mentor/Tutor Program (WJCT, Florida)

The nonprofit Guadalupe Center is working to break the cycle of poverty in the Immokalee farmworker community by offering scholarships to high school students who tutor local elementary schoolers. The teenagers earn $4,000 a year by participating in the afterschool program and build connections with youths in their communities. “I’ve been working with them for the past just over half a year and a lot of them have made breakthroughs in their math and reading skills,” participant Emily DeLeon told WJCT. “It’s always so gratifying for me to see how much they’ve progressed.” The teens are also paired with their own adult mentor to help them get through high school and look towards college and their futures. 

Hundreds of Kids Get Chance to Shine at National Dance Institute Year-End Event (Santa Fe New Mexican, New Mexico)

More than 600 hundred students put on dance performances for parents and community members at the National Dance Institute of New Mexico’s annual showcase last week. The Institute runs afterschool, in-school and summer programs that give dance lessons to youths in rural and urban areas, offering them a way to explore their creative side and adopt a healthy lifestyle. “We use dance and music as a means to an end, and the end is really that character building experience,” artistic director Liz Salganek told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “Building life skills that we think apply in the classroom, in future pursuits, whether it’s learning how to work hard when you decide to go to college or how to apply yourself when you are looking for a job.”

Program Teaches Kids About Gun Violence (Indianapolis Star, Indiana)

An Indianapolis initiative is working to educate youths about the realities of gun violence and how to keep themselves safe. Representatives from the Marion County prosecutor’s office and Eskenazi Health visit schools and afterschool programs to give presentations about the many consequences of guns. “We can’t hide our kids from the real world,” Eskenazi Health trauma surgeon Clark Simons told the Indianapolis Star. “The real world is scary. So the only thing we want them to do is think about themselves and hopefully when the crossroads comes between the right or wrong thing, they’ll make the right choice.”

Skills 2 Succeed Academy Aims to Help Teens Get Ready for Employment (Iowa City Gazette, Iowa)

Starting this week, a dozen Iowa City teenagers will learn to market themselves to future employers through a ten-week afterschool employment skills class. The Skills 2 Succeed Academy, run by Goodwill of the Heartland and the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, will help youths prepare for careers by teaching important skills and taking them on field trips to local businesses and universities. “We are not just helping kids seek jobs today,” Neighborhood Centers youth program director Anthony Branch told the Iowa City Gazette. “We are building dreams for tomorrow. We want kids to identify the skills they need to be employable now, while building a network of support for their future career goals.”