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 outfitted with hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities that travels to afterschool programs at nine schools in the Scottsbluff area. The trailer “will give rural youth the opportunity to learn how to go through design processes and really dive into the activities,” Jana Schwartz, Nebraska Extension 4-H youth development assistant, told KNEB. “We want them to learn how to use their creativity to solve problems, just like engineers and scientists.”  

The Rock Offers New After-School Program with Delta College, Midland Daily News (Michigan)

The Rock Center for Youth Development is opening an afterschool program on the Delta College campus in Midland, Michigan, providing students ages 11 to 18 enriching activities and unique experiences while their parents attend classes at the college. “[Delta College] wanted to break down barriers for parents who would like to take classes but don’t have a place for their child to be in the evenings,” Jill Deitsch, The Rock’s out-of-school time director, told Midland Daily News. Students will have the opportunity to explore potential careers via many of the campus’ facilities, including the broadcasting center and trade school departments.

Boys and Girls Club of White County: How and Why This Organization is Providing Necessary Learning Resources for the Youth, The Herald Journal (Indiana)

At the Boys & Girls Club of White County in Indiana, students are participating in sports, exploring career options, learning to garden and much more. The Club has grown dramatically since its opening in 2014, from 40 students at one elementary school to nearly 600 students at multiple sites in White County. “We’re really big on partnerships. So we bring in the parks department, we bring the library, and we really just like to kind of set the standard for what can be possible for after school activities and youth services in the communities that we serve,” Unit Director Dan Fry told the Herald Journal. “In rural communities like ours, kids may not have access to experiences available in larger cities, so we like to bring those things to the kids in this area or in all of our sites.”

We Need Social-Emotional Learning in Elementary After-School Programs, The Valley Breeze (Rhode Island)

In a recent guest column for the Valley Breeze, Sandra Warner, a teacher assistant in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, highlights how social-emotional learning (SEL) activities in afterschool programs can help students understand their emotions, make responsible choices and stay focused during the school day. Warner shares how social-emotional learning could have helped her as a child who experienced abuse. Through SEL, “students gain an understanding of why they need skills to help them stay safe. Becoming aware of their needs promotes a healthier and more fulfilling future,” Warner writes