Weekly Media Roundup: April 18, 2018

After-School Programs Empower Kids, but Need Exceeds Funding (Yakima Herald, Washington)

Students in Washington State’s various out-of-school time programs have the chance to explore possible careers, develop positive relationships with adults and mentors and avoid getting into trouble in the afterschool hours. However, a significant portion of students in the state don’t have access to these programs. That’s why Afterschool Alliance Youth Ambassador Marisol Romero is coming to Washington, D.C. this week for the Afterschool for All Challenge – she hopes to impart on her legislators the value of federally-funded afterschool programs. “I feel like it’s improved me, helped me become a better person,” she told the Yakima Herald about her afterschool program. “Through the years of coming, I’ve come out of my shell.”

St. Paul’s Underfunded After-School Programs Raise Equity Questions (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota)

Afterschool programs have huge benefits for youths in St. Paul, but those benefits are not equally available to children across racial lines, according to the Star Tribune. A Minnesota Student Survey found that 70 percent of high-income white youths participated in afterschool activities three times a week, compared to 61 percent of youths of color at the same income level. “In St. Paul, there are many racial disparities that affect our community, including disparities around education,” said Erik Skold, director of public-private partnership Sprockets. “And gaps in afterschool access only exacerbate those disparities.”

Fishers Teen Raises Thousands to Help Feed Hungry Students (Indianapolis Star, Indiana)

The Patachou Foundation’s Kitchens with a Mission program prepares thousands of meals for students in afterschool and summer programs each week. The program’s 15 ambassadors also hold healthy cooking and nutrition classes for youths in some of Indianapolis’ food deserts. While most of the ambassadors are adults, 14-year-old Madelyn Filer has taken the lead in fundraising for the project, raising more than $7,000 for the meal program at IPS 54. “I never really thought kids could go to bed hungry,” Filer told the Indianapolis Star. “This foundation really opened my eyes to what some kids are going through. I love that (it) works hard to create connections with the students while also teaching them about healthy eating habits.”

Newport News Students to Show Off Musical Skills at Kennedy Center (Newport News Daily Press, Virginia)

A dozen students from a Newport News afterschool music program traveled all the way to Washington, D.C. on Monday for a special performance at the Kennedy Center. The students, who are part of the Soundscapes program at Carver Elementary School, joined youths from across the country to perform at the 2018 Kennedy Center Arts Summit. “The aim is to serve children that may otherwise not have the opportunity to play music,” program manager Joe Hamm told the Newport News Daily Press. “The goals are social, they’re not musical, although we have the highest musical standard that we can possibly have.” Soundscapes provides music lessons to students who may not have access to instruments or instruction at home.