Weekly Media Roundup: January 7, 2026

Youth Programs Continue Their Work as They Fight for Funding, Austin Weekly News (Illinois)

Across Chicago, afterschool and summer programs including BUILD (Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development) and Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) help students stay safe, connect with peers and mentors, learn healthy coping skills, discover new interests and reach their full potential. But these Chicago youth programs have lost significant federal funding this year due to cuts and threats to TRIO, Office of Justice Programs, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and other grants. The instability and uncertainty have forced program leaders to scramble to keep the lights on for students and families. “Hopefully people see that the work we’re doing is saving kids’ lives, right?” therapist Zackhary Felton told Austin Weekly News. “Instead of being out in the streets, they’re here playing basketball. They’re learning coping skills, they’re eating, having fun with other kids — instead of being out there. So I hope the higher-ups and politicians see that we’re helping kids and saving lives.” 

The Junior League of Philadelphia’s Kids in The Kitchen Program, Philadelphia Sunday Sun (Pennsylvania)

Thanks to the Junior League of Philadelphia, more than 1,200 students at eight afterschool programs in Philadelphia learn how to prepare nutritious meals through engaging weekly themed lessons led by Junior League volunteers. The program is part of an international effort by the Junior League, started in Canada 25 years ago. “It was started to emphasize healthy eating in response to rising rates of childhood obesity,” Junior League of Philadelphia’s Chrissie Scott-Waldron told the Philadelphia Sunday Sun. “We’re in our 11th year of programming and we were excited to adopt it because in our league we focus on reducing food insecurity and promoting healthy food choices for Philly.”

A New Jersey Nonprofit Is Teaching Teens About Filmmaking, While Offering Practical Support As Well, WHYY (New Jersey)

In 2017, Joseph Halsey founded the James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts in his father’s honor. The nonprofit offers a free afterschool program in Trenton, New Jersey, helping students create short films while also providing critical support, including meals, clothing and trauma counseling. “We offer 360 services to our kids,” Halsey told WHYY. “You can’t work with young people nowadays without that. There are food insecurities and not just in Trenton, but everywhere. There’s clothes insecurity.” The foundation also offers summer programs.

We Voted to Invest in Escambia's Children. See How It's Paying Off, Pensacola News Journal (Florida)

In 2020, voters in Escambia County, Florida voted to create the Escambia Children’s Trust, investing nearly $30 million in local nonprofits to support afterschool and summer programs, mental health services, and early childhood systems. Five years later, the new funding has had far-reaching, positive impacts, from helping children learn to read to helping parents maintain their work hours after the school day ends.  “In the third year of our grant, I can confidently say it worked,” Kristin Fairchild, founder and executive director of the afterschool program Chain Reaction, told the Pensacola News Journal. “When we were campaigning to start the trust, the goal was to fill critical gaps in services. Nonprofits across our community were watching kids fall through the cracks—needing tutoring, food or guidance—and there just wasn’t services available to help.”