Weekly Media Roundup: October 20, 2021

Girls Inc. Launches STEM-Based Program At New College, SRQ Magazine (Florida)

In addition to summer and afterschool programs, Girls Inc. of Sarasota, Florida is expanding its STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) opportunities for girls through a multi-year program with New College. The Eureka! program is designed to encourage eighth graders to pursue STEM careers and includes courses at New College over the summers and paid internships once the girls enter high school. “Building community partnerships is crucial to New College’s success and we were so glad to introduce these girls to a college science environment—we hope some of them join our campus community in a few years,” New College Foundation Executive Director MaryAnne Young told SRQ Magazine.

Covanta Powers Haverhill YMCA’s STEAM Club With Support for Engineering Program, WHAV (Massachusetts)

Thanks to financial support from Covanta, a local waste-to-energy company, students at Haverhill YMCA in Massachusetts are participating in engineering programs after school. “Participants design their own remote controlled hydraulic arms, learn to harness energy to power race cars and experiment with structural design. Plus, students can keep their inventions and proudly share their projects with family and friends,” YMCA Regional Executive Director Tracy Fuller told WHAV.

New After-School Program Serves Foster, Immigrant, and Unhoused Youth in the East Bay, The Oaklandside (California)

At Project re:Fresh, a new, free afterschool program in Oakland, California, students get help with homework, connect with mentors, take engaging field trips to local sites such as a rock-climbing gym, and work on creative projects. Teacher Junia Kim created the program to serve students facing instability, including those with unstable housing, students who immigrated to the United States as unaccompanied minors, and those in the foster care system. “I began my interest in all of this as a teacher, having youth come in and disappear for a few months and then come back. I thought, ‘What would it look like if we created a program for them?’” Kim told the Oaklandside.

River Music Experience Brings Power of Music into After-School Programs with “InTune”, Our Quad Cities (Minnesota)

A new initiative in Davenport, Minnesota is expanding access to music education and helping students learn new skills and express themselves. The River Music Experience’s “InTune” program sends teaching artists to afterschool programs to connect with students and lead programming based on their interests. InTune is currently partnered with two afterschool programs and plans to expand. “It’s having something for kids to do after school, give them something to do, pique their interest in something they may be interested in,” singer and InTune teaching artist Dwayne Hodges told Our Quad Cities. “We’re doing aspects of alleviating stress, being able to defuse anger, doing something they love to do.”