Weekly Media Roundup: October 12, 2022

An After-School Program that Enriches Learning Academically, Socially and Emotionally: Cleveland’s Promise, Cleveland.com (Ohio)

At Almira Elementary School’s afterschool program in Cleveland, Ohio, students are now taking boxing lessons in addition to drawing, digital animation, theater, tutoring and trauma intervention. The afterschool program relies on feedback from students to provide activities that interest and motivate them. “We want to listen and have the kids be the experts in what we offer,” program coordinator Josh Fye told Cleveland.com. “We look at what has worked in the past, what new gaps need to be filled, and let the community be the expert and inform our decisions of what should be in place. We value suggestions from teachers, parents and even the students themselves.”

Girls Inc. Expansion Opens After-School Program to Troy Girls, Spectrum News 1 (New York)

The Girls Inc. afterschool program in Troy, New York combines hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities with art projects such as woodworking and pottery to help students discover their passions. The new program in Troy, which is free to students, is one of thousands of Girls Inc. sites across the country. “[My daughter] can engage in STEM-like programs which women are typically underrepresented in,” parent Marissa Tobin told Spectrum News 1. “Access to free and affordable child care is important, especially in single parent households.”

Youth Invited to Pitch Ideas for Better Wyoming, Sheridan Press (Wyoming)

To encourage creative young minds, the Wyoming Afterschool Alliance (WYAA) is launching the 2022 Wyoming Young Entrepreneur Pitch Challenge. “Youth in Wyoming are natural social innovators,” WYAA Director Michelle Sullivan told the Sheridan Press. “During this challenge we want to celebrate the role that young people can play in contributing to Wyoming’s future and ask them to tell us how they would make Wyoming better.” Students ages 6 to 18 are invited to submit a video outlining their product or service idea to improve their community.

Organizations Offer Support with Youth Programs, News-Press Now (Missouri)

Teens in St. Joseph, Missouri have access to multiple safe, enriching afterschool programs to support their academic success and physical and emotional wellbeing. At the YWCA’s GRIT Center program, students get a hot meal, participate in community service, learn from guest speakers from the community, and more. “Our main focus is to make sure that every teenager who walks through our doors has their unmet needs met and the resources that they need to be successful in school, to make friends and to know how to handle social situations,” GRIT Center Family Resources Director Rachel Kretzer told News-Press Now. The InterServ afterschool program offers STEM activities and a weightlifting team in addition to mentorship and meals. Both programs are supported by the United Way.