Weekly Media Roundup: October 5, 2022

Afterschool Programs Mobilize in Wake of Mass Shootings, Youth Today

As communities grapple with horrific mass shootings such as those in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, afterschool programs are focusing on mentorship and social and emotional learning activities to help children heal. For example, in El Paso, Texas, where a racially motivated shooter killed 23 people in 2019, the Creative Kids afterschool program provides students a safe place to process their emotions through art. A nine-year-old student named Marisa told Youth Today that through the program, “I learned how to trust people. I learned how to express my feelings through art and colors.” Advocates say more training and resources are needed to equip afterschool programs to support grieving students and families when their communities are impacted by violence.

Local Organization Creates After-School Program to Keep Teens Off the Street, WVNS-TV (West Virginia)

Recognizing the unmet demand for a safe, supportive space for middle and high school students in the afternoons, the Church of the Nazarene in Bluefield, West Virginia is opening the L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education, Assistance and Development) Program. “Our main thing is really getting these kids help with their homework. I know that’s just a big need in our community. So we’re going to help them with their homework, let them come in here and run off all their energy and we’re going to feed them as well,” Kyle Harris, executive director of L.E.A.D., told WVNS-TV. The free afterschool program will also focus on life skills and community involvement.

Louisville Muralist’s Latest Work a Collaboration with Elementary Students, WFPL (Kentucky)

Working closely with students from the Engelhard Elementary afterschool program, Louisville artist Jaylin Stewart created a large outdoor mural for the entrance of Family and Children’s Place in Louisville, Kentucky. The students helped design and paint the colorful mural celebrating children. “This mural represents the caring, child-friendly and warm environment that Family and Children’s Place creates,” Pam Darnall, president and CEO of the nonprofit, told WFPL. Family and Children’s Place offers several afterschool programs in Louisville, including the Engelhard Elementary afterschool program, as well as support services to victims of child abuse.

Will Latchkey Kids Make a Comeback? Frustrated Working Parents Lack Other After-School Care Options, Fortune

An Afterschool Alliance survey released in August finds that as the new school year begins, 24.7 million children in the United States are without the afterschool programs their parents want for them. The historic unmet demand is driven by a several factors, including nationwide staffing shortages and inadequate funding. That’s created impossible situations for working parents like Kathy Lando in Brooklyn. “When I got to our current school, I realized they don’t really have an infrastructure set up for after school, and parents had to go and fend for themselves to figure it out,” Lando told Fortune. “You’re not guaranteed a spot. [I] just kind of [had] an assumption that there will be provisions for after school because we live in a world—especially in New York City—where most families are two-income families.”