Weekly Media Roundup: April 13, 2022

STEAM Development Center Set to Open in Tamaqua, PA HomePage (Pennsylvania)

Students at SHINE After School Program in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania are learning about electrical circuits, conducting science experiments on virtual hearts and more. The afterschool program focuses on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activities and provides teaching opportunities to Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) students. “I learn all day in the morning, lesson plan when I go home and then go to SHINE and do everything I learn with my kids that same day, so I’m learning beside them, they’re learning beside me. It’s just such a fun experience,” LCCC student and SHINE After School Program teacher Maddie McGlinchey told PA HomePage.

New Spring Break Camp, After School Program to Support Black Youth in Kenosha Community, Kenosha News (Wisconsin)

The University of Wisconsin-Extension in Kenosha County, the Kenosha Public Library, and North Carolina A&T State University, a historically Black college, are collaborating to provide comprehensive programs for Black students in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Nia: Pathways and Purpose for the Future is hosting a spring break camp as well as an afterschool and summer programs at which students will learn gardening, explore colleges, meet business leaders, take part in virtual reality activities and more. “While in Nia, youth have the opportunity to work with local mentors and learn about college, professional training, and work options in a fun, hands-on way before making a decision about their futures. Nia is designed to help connect youth with the resources available to pursue their goals and dreams,” the Kenosha News reports.

Metro Launches New Initiative to Strengthen Out-of-School Programs, WTVF (Tennessee)

Starting this summer, families in Nashville, Tennessee will be able to search a centralized database for local afterschool programs and activities. The online program is supported by FUSE and the Nashville mayor’s office. “A lot of providers felt as though they were working in silos, and some providers even said, you know, we have a wait list, but the organization down the street doesn’t, but we can’t necessarily say anything or speak to the work that that organization does,” FUSE Fellow La'Kishia Harris told WTVF.

Kids Dashing for Daily Arts Enrichment, Chronicle-Tribune (Indiana)

The Community School of the Arts After School Arts & Enrichment program in Marion, Indiana provides a robust arts education to first through fourth graders, including theater, dance and multimedia visual arts. Students also get homework help and snacks, connect with mentors, and hear from community leaders, including a monthly lesson on agriculture from 4-H. “Every single student I have, yes, I’m teaching them arts and doing homework, but I also see them as a whole person… We’re trying to teach them to be confident in not just their artistic abilities but also in themselves, and that art is just another creative way to express yourself,” Gloria Billingsley, faculty for the program, told the Chronicle-Tribune