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Weekly Media Roundup: May 31, 2023

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Weekly Media Roundup: May 31, 2023

Denver Nonprofit Uses Chess to Keep Kids Out of Trouble, Westword (Colorado)

Phillip Douglas created the Make a Chess Move (MACM) out-of-school time program in Denver when his mentee was killed in a shooting in 2012. The program’s mission is to keep students safe, develop their leadership skills, and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline through mentorship, support and positive activities including chess, civics, culinary arts and more. MACM offers afterschool and summer programs as well as employment opportunities for youth. "Every conversation that we have in regard to life, we relate it to chess," program coordinator Ge Wright told Westword. "And every chess lesson that we have, we relate it to the moves you make in life."

Keeping Kids Safe Through Summer Programs During Summer Vacation, KEVN (South Dakota)

Summer programs offer not only academic support to combat learning loss but also provide engaging activities to keep students safe. “In South Dakota, we know that over 75% of families have all parents working. So we know that there’s a big need for care in the summer especially,” Billy Mawhiney, the executive director of the South Dakota Afterschool Network and an Afterschool Alliance Afterschool Ambassador, told KEVN. “In the industry of afterschool and summer programs, 99% of parents approve of programs in South Dakota. If we can find ways to fund more programs or expand programs, we could really see a big impact on our education.”

She Found a Home at the Lighthouse. Now She Has a Full Ride to Notre Dame., Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska)

Jenifer Guadalupe Solano Becerra joined the afterschool and summer program at the Lighthouse in Lincoln, Nebraska the summer after she finished fifth grade. There, she connected with mentors, got support with academics, and took part in community service activities. When COVID hit, she did remote learning through the program. “I started coming here and ever since, I've never left,” she told the Lincoln Journal Star. “They make you feel like home and they make you feel welcome in a way that you don't get anywhere else.” Solano Becerra, who is undocumented, says the Lighthouse’s support helped her stay positive and continue to pursue her goals as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was rolled back. She was recently accepted to the University of Notre Dame with a full-ride scholarship.

Kentwood Afterschool Program Helps Refugee Students Flourish After Coming to a New Country, MLive (Michigan)

Since 2006, the Refugee Education Center in Kentwood, Michigan has provided support to more than 4,500 refugees through its afterschool program and family service programs. Students attending the Project Faulu afterschool program receive academic support, participate in enriching STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activities and receive invaluable social-emotional support through peer support groups and mentorships. “Some of the work we do here can’t be measured, and so we also look to make sure our students feel attached to their volunteers, that they really have a connection to them,” Meg Derrer, the executive director of the Refugee Education Center, told MLive. “We’re always looking to make sure students are moving in the direction of growing academically and in their social and emotional wellbeing, and feeling more and more comfortable in the school setting.”

Weekly Media Roundup: March 20, 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU Are Helping an Arizona School District. Here's How, Arizona Republic (Arizona) Matthew McConaughey and Arizona State University (ASU) have teamed up to help a Phoenix-area school district apply for federal afterschool funding included in the Bipartisan Safer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 13, 2024

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic. One Group is Tackling the Problem By Helping Their Parents, Hechinger Report In North Carolina, nearly one third of English language learning students were chronically absent last year, a rate significantly higher than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/13/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 6, 2024

Charlotte Afterschool Program Aims to Break Cycle of Youth Crime and Violence, WBTV (North Carolina) In response to the 33 percent rise in juvenile gun violence in Charlotte, North Carolina, county leaders presented The Way Forward plan to city council members this week. The plan includes...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/06/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 28, 2024

Program Designed to Boost Reading Rates in NW Tallahassee is Reaching More Students, WTXL (Florida) At Springwood Elementary School’s afterschool program in Tallahassee, Florida, students are paired with volunteers from United Way’s ReadingPals program, working together to improve...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 21, 2024

Missoula After-School Program for BIPOC Youth Creating Next Generation of Leaders, KTVQ-TV (Montana) At the Association for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Youth afterschool program in Missoula, Montana, students of color build community, take part in mindfulness activities, and develop...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 14, 2024

Viewpoint: Invest in Out-of-School Programs to Help Solve State’s Educational Challenges, South Bend Tribune (Indiana) Indiana lawmakers are considering continuing the state’s pandemic-era investments in out-of-school time learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 7, 2024

Rangers Star Welcomes Kids to the Ice in After School Program, NBC4 (New York) With help from a donation from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, 50 students in the WHEDco (Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation) afterschool program in the South Bronx are lacing up skates and...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/07/24

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