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Weekly Media Roundup: October 5, 2022

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Weekly Media Roundup: October 5, 2022

Afterschool Programs Mobilize in Wake of Mass Shootings, Youth Today

As communities grapple with horrific mass shootings such as those in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, afterschool programs are focusing on mentorship and social and emotional learning activities to help children heal. For example, in El Paso, Texas, where a racially motivated shooter killed 23 people in 2019, the Creative Kids afterschool program provides students a safe place to process their emotions through art. A nine-year-old student named Marisa told Youth Today that through the program, “I learned how to trust people. I learned how to express my feelings through art and colors.” Advocates say more training and resources are needed to equip afterschool programs to support grieving students and families when their communities are impacted by violence.

Local Organization Creates After-School Program to Keep Teens Off the Street, WVNS-TV (West Virginia)

Recognizing the unmet demand for a safe, supportive space for middle and high school students in the afternoons, the Church of the Nazarene in Bluefield, West Virginia is opening the L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education, Assistance and Development) Program. “Our main thing is really getting these kids help with their homework. I know that’s just a big need in our community. So we’re going to help them with their homework, let them come in here and run off all their energy and we’re going to feed them as well,” Kyle Harris, executive director of L.E.A.D., told WVNS-TV. The free afterschool program will also focus on life skills and community involvement.

Louisville Muralist’s Latest Work a Collaboration with Elementary Students, WFPL (Kentucky)

Working closely with students from the Engelhard Elementary afterschool program, Louisville artist Jaylin Stewart created a large outdoor mural for the entrance of Family and Children’s Place in Louisville, Kentucky. The students helped design and paint the colorful mural celebrating children. “This mural represents the caring, child-friendly and warm environment that Family and Children’s Place creates,” Pam Darnall, president and CEO of the nonprofit, told WFPL. Family and Children’s Place offers several afterschool programs in Louisville, including the Engelhard Elementary afterschool program, as well as support services to victims of child abuse.

Will Latchkey Kids Make a Comeback? Frustrated Working Parents Lack Other After-School Care Options, Fortune

An Afterschool Alliance survey released in August finds that as the new school year begins, 24.7 million children in the United States are without the afterschool programs their parents want for them. The historic unmet demand is driven by a several factors, including nationwide staffing shortages and inadequate funding. That’s created impossible situations for working parents like Kathy Lando in Brooklyn. “When I got to our current school, I realized they don’t really have an infrastructure set up for after school, and parents had to go and fend for themselves to figure it out,” Lando told Fortune. “You’re not guaranteed a spot. [I] just kind of [had] an assumption that there will be provisions for after school because we live in a world—especially in New York City—where most families are two-income families.”

Weekly Media Roundup: February 26, 2025

Discover How the Leaps After School Program is Transforming Lives at Harrison Elementary, News Channel 9 (Tennessee) At Harrison Elementary’s Leaps After School Program in Chattanooga, Tennessee, students are publishing a newspaper focusing on Black historical figures to be displayed...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/26/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 19, 2025

Durham Teens Fight for After-School Program Funding Amid Youth Gun Violence: 'My Safe Space,' ABC 11 (North Carolina) In Durham, North Carolina, teenagers rallied together to urge Durham City Council members to increase funding for afterschool programs, sharing how critical these...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/19/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 12, 2025

'He Invests His Own Money': After School Program Started by Pasco School Employee Still Going Strong, WFTS-TV (Florida) In the 1980s, Eugene Scott founded an afterschool program called This Is How We Do It to provide food, music, dance, mentorship and more to students in his Pasco County...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/12/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 5, 2025

Claysburg-Kimmel Touts New Programs for Students, Altoona Mirror (Pennsylvania) Students at the Bulldog After-School Club in Claysburg, Pennsylvania are participating in new educational activities with a Beam mobile projector that transforms the center into an interactive visual playground. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/05/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 29, 2025

Afterschool Program Introduces West Columbia Students to Technology, The Facts (Texas) Students at West Columbia Elementary in Texas are taking part in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities in the new Robocatters afterschool program, which already has a long...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/29/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 22, 2025

Another Year, Another Long Waitlist for BUSD After-School Program, Berkeleyside (California) Due to ongoing staffing shortages, more than 200 students are currently waitlisted for afterschool programs at Berkeley Unified School District. Parents in the district’s PTA Collaborative on...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/22/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 15, 2025

New 4-H Program Will Bring STEAM to Area Students, KNEB (Nebraska) Students in rural Expanding Learning Opportunity programs in Nebraska are exploring aerospace, electronics, engineering, robotics and more thanks to a partnership with 4-H. The Think Make Create Lab is a six-by-12 mobile trailer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/15/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 8, 2025

Parks and Recreation Secures Grant to Bring Physical Activity Education to Youth in Afterschool Program, WBIW (Indiana) More than 50 students in the Banneker Afterschool program in Bloomington, Indiana are taking part in fun physical activities this year led by Indiana University School of...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/08/25

Weekly Media Roundup: December 18, 2024

Mason City YMCA Teaching Social and Emotional Skills to Kids, News-Press Now (Iowa) Students in the Mason City YMCA afterschool program in Iowa practice communication, emotional regulation, empathy and more in twice-weekly social and emotional learning sessions, learning, for instance, to take...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/18/24

Weekly Media Roundup: December 11, 2024

Usher Helps Cut Ribbon On New Content Studio at Metro Boys and Girls, WSB-TV (Georgia) This week, superstar Usher visited the Whitehead Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, Georgia, to unveil a new content studio he donated featuring soundboards, mics, computers and other audio equipment. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/11/24