Weekly Media Roundup: May 2, 2018

How an After-School Program Helps Girls of Color See Themselves as Beautiful (Lansing State Journal, Michigan)

After moving to Detroit, Sheri Crawley, a mother of two girls of color, noticed a glaring lack of role models for her daughters. She decided to take matters into her own hands by founding an afterschool program named Pretty Brown Girls to help empower and inspire girls of color in her daughters’ school. The program encourages girls of color to eat healthier, be more confident, and follow their dreams. It has now spread to hundreds of schools nationwide. Monique Monger, a mother of one of the girls in the program, told the Lansing State Journal, “[My daughter’s] self-esteem has skyrocketed through the roof… I’m overjoyed and blessed for her to feel like she can do anything.”

Treasure Mountain Junior High’s After-School Program Fosters Connections with Students, Teachers (Park Record, Utah)

In the Mustang After School Academy (MASA) at Treasure Mountain Junior High, students design their own curriculum; the teachers are just there to supervise. MASA boasts 11 different clubs, the subjects of which were all chosen by students themselves. From a Rubik’s Cube Club to a potential #MeToo-movement-inspired club, the students get to explore their collective interests while making new friends, bonding with their teachers and building a personal investment in their learning experience. “All the research shows that if kids have a connection to their school, academically and emotionally they'll do better,” supervisor of the RV Club supervisor and technology coach Sam Thompson told the Park Record.

Parents Find Childcare Options During The #Red4Ed Walkout (The Republic, Arizona)

As teacher walkouts in Tempe, Arizona left many students with nowhere to go during the day, afterschool programs worked to pick up the slack. Afterschool program Kids Zone has operated all day at four area schools to keep kids occupied and educated during the strike. “We’re making use of every minute here. They’re getting a good day here compared to just playing video games at home,” Afterschool Ambassador and Kids Zone community services supervisor Jeremy King told the Arizona Republic.

A Bronx Salad is Tossed in Battle to Reverse Health Outcomes (Norwood News, New York)

To combat the Bronx’s status as a food desert, social services organization Bronx Works has partnered with other nonprofits and local chefs to design an afterschool program to teach children to eat healthier with the options available to them. The organization developed the “Bronx Salad,” a healthy and tasty dish made up of readily available ingredients, and now teaches children to make their own salads during the afterschool program to learn to enjoy more nutritious foods. “When I tried it, it tasted like it came straight from the trees and they just put water on it and it tasted very healthy,” Johlany Tehada, a local first grade student who participates in the program, told Norwood News.