Weekly Media Roundup: June 15, 2022

Spanish American Center Gets United Way Grants for After-School Programs, Leominster Champion (Massachusetts)

Continuing its ongoing support of afterschool programs, the United Way of North Central Massachusetts recently awarded $398,800 in grants to 18 local Massachusetts agencies for afterschool and summer learning initiatives. The Spanish American Center (SAC) in Leominster is grateful for the additional funding for its Cross-Roads Afterschool program. “Every day that we witness the importance of Cross-Roads, SAC continues to be a beacon of hope and blessing for our children and youth,” SAC Executive Director Neddy Latimer told the Leominster Champion. “We are very proud of our positive outcomes and have seen life changing results, increasing confidence and self-esteem and bringing children hope.”

Columbus Chapter of After-School All-Stars Celebrates First Year of Mentorship Program, Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)

Last fall, the After-School All-Stars chapter in Columbus, Ohio expanded its afterschool program to include a unique mentoring program. Thirty-two students were paired with firefighters, police officers and patrol officers. Throughout the school year, the first responders met both virtually and in person with their mentees, offering support and guidance. “Mentorship at its core is not only about changing the trajectory of youth, but also it’s about connection,” Kirstin Buckner, After-School All-Stars mentorship program manager, told the Columbus Dispatch. “There was this little boy who walked up to me and said, ‘Wait a minute, you have all these fire trucks and all these police cruisers out here just to say hi? No one’s getting in trouble?’”

Harlem After-School Program Teaches the Sport of Squash and Life Lessons, PIX 11 (New York)

At StreetSquash, a free afterschool program in Harlem, middle and high school students play squash, access mental health counseling, work one-on-one with academic tutors, and explore colleges and careers. Program leaders say the sport teaches essential skills that help students succeed in all areas of their lives, such as persistence and discipline. “It’s time to just have fun, let go of all the negative. You hit the ball and just release everything,” 16-year-old Khissaiyia Spencer, a champion squash player who will travel to London for training as part of the program, told PIX 11.

San Diego Foundation Awards $12.3M to 90 Nonprofits for ‘Level Up SD’ Summer Learning, Times of San Diego (California)

Last year, the San Diego Unified Board of Education partnered with the San Diego Foundation to create the Level UP SD summer enrichment program to help students reengage amidst the pandemic, learn new skills, and explore their interests. The San Diego Foundation recently awarded $12.3 million to continue the program this summer. Offered alongside the district’s morning summer school program, Level Up includes performing arts, robotics, field trips to museums and parks, and more. “San Diego Unified students will once again have free access to meaningful summer enrichment opportunities because every child deserves a summer of learning and joy,” Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, president of the San Diego Unified Board of Education, told the Times of San Diego.