Weekly Media Roundup: August 19, 2026

Boxing Out Negativity Opens North Lawndale Gym, Giving West Side Kids a Place to Thrive, Block Club Chicago (Illinois)

Seventeen years ago, Derek Brown founded Boxing Out Negativity to help keep the next generation safe from gang involvement and gun violence. Brown first joined a gang at age 12. This year, the nonprofit he started is launching its first dedicated space, which will double its capacity to provide mentorship, leadership development, and restorative justice programming for youth. In addition to boxing lessons, Boxing Out Negativity’s afterschool and summer programs offer hands-on work experience in cybersecurity, healthcare, construction and the trades. “People join gangs to be part of a family, for employment, for safety,” Brown told Block Club Chicago. “So I want to [provide] any of those things which a community center or afterschool program would have provided” to him as a child.

After-School Programs Fill a Childcare Gap in Mancos, but Transportation Remains a Barrier, KSJD (Colorado)

In Mancos, Colorado, the School Community Youth Collaborative (SCYC) provides free before-school and afterschool programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, including Friday activities for families needing additional support given the state’s four-day school weeks. Students participate in dance, coding, esports, athletics and academic enrichment. Like many rural programs, SCYC faces challenges with transportation, funding gaps and staffing shortages. “We’re definitely up against funding challenges,” SCYC Executive Director Christine Brice told KSJD. “We do have a 21st Century [Community Learning Center] grant, which funds most of it, but we often have to look other places for funding to kind of supplement that grant.”

New Haven to Provide Free and Affordable Afterschool Care for 2,000 Kids, WSHU (Connecticut)

This fall, New Haven, Connecticut is launching a new afterschool initiative that will provide programs at each of the city’s elementary and middle schools. Funded by a $1 million city grant and remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, the afterschool programs will be free for low-income families and $25 per week for other families, providing up to 2,000 students the opportunity to participate in enrichment activities, sports and mentoring after school. “This is a really big deal,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker told WSHU. “This is the first time in any of our recollections that we’ve had comprehensive afterschool programming for all New Haven Public Schools.”

Federal, State Elected Officials Visit Local Boys & Girls Club, The Laguna Beach Independent (California)

This summer, both U.S. Representative Dave Min and California State Senator Tony Strickland paid visits to the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach’s Canyon Branch to tour the facility and meet with students and staff. The lawmakers discussed the important role federal and state funding plays in supporting students after school, and Rep. Min answered questions from students about public service. “Whether it is learning more about our need to renovate our gym, the important role [that] play has in a child’s holistic development, or that programs like ours are the antidote to many of kids’ mental health issues (especially those resulting from the social media rabbit hole), it is up to all of us, together, to give kids the spaces, relationships and experiences they need to flourish,” Pamela Estes, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, told the Laguna Beach Independent. “Both Sen. Strickland and Rep. Min are awesome advocates for the health and well-being of young people. We are extremely grateful for their leadership and representation.”