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Weekly Media Roundup: July 11, 2018

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Weekly Media Roundup: July 11, 2018

Group Focuses on Acclimating Immigrants to Connecticut Through Education, Support Programs (NBC Connecticut)

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was impressed with what he saw when he visited a summer learning program in New Haven run by the nonprofit, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services. The program, which is supported through private funding, provides a safe environment for about 100 preschool to high school-aged immigrant students each day. The goal is to prepare them for entry to American schools. Staff say the program is particularly important because many of the children don’t have experience with formal school environments. Sen. Blumenthal told NBC Connecticut, “These programs should be expanded and provided wherever there are children. I’m here to take this picture back to Washington with me and convince my colleagues we should be nurturing and supporting these kinds of programs.”

This Afterschool Partnership Teaches Students Self-Reliance in 5 States + D.C. (Efficient Gov)

Founded by Camila and Matthew McConaughey, the just keep livin’ Foundation uses a fitness-oriented approach to empower thousands of teenagers and teach them a variety of life skills. Thanks to partnerships with various nonprofits and corporations, j.k. livin’ runs 32 programs serving 2,500+ teens during the hours they are most vulnerable to drug use and involvement in crime: after school. Whether students are learning surf positions in Los Angeles or serving dinner at a homeless shelter in D.C., the program emphasizes exercise, teamwork, gratitude, nutrition and community service. As teacher Missy Shepherd told Efficient Gov, “These kids have all progressed in their own way … Overall the program has been a huge success and brought a lot of growth and happiness to all involved including myself!”

This Indiana summer program is fighting summer learning loss. Here’s how (Chalkbeat)

In Indianapolis, the Horizons summer camp is fighting summer learning loss so successfully that some are touting it as a model that can be replicated statewide. While low-income students often lose two to three months of reading skills each summer, students at Horizons, which serves 150 low-income children entering kindergarten through ninth grade, actually gain an average of two to three months in reading and math. Horizons accomplishes this and aims to inspire a love of learning through a project-based curriculum; for example, this year its eighth graders designed nonprofits and presented their proposals to a panel. The tuition-free program is supported by 25 funders. As Horizon’s at St. Richards Executive Director Shanna Martin told Chalkbeat, the waitlist “is helping us know there really is a lot of need out there as we think and plan for the future and other opportunities to expand and grow.”

Children create, collaborate and inspire at after school jewelry program (The Auburn Plainsman, Alabama)

In Auburn, Alabama, an afterschool program uses jewelry to inspire civic engagement among its students. Perch Jewelry owner Barbara Birdsong operates the Perch Afterschool Program free of charge for any child age 8 or older who wants to participate. Students collaborate to craft unique jewelry pieces using materials provided by the store, but they do not take their creations home. Instead, they sell their pieces at semi-annual events where all proceeds are donated to the BigHouse Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources to foster families. “I think it’s fun for them to be empowered, to learn something,” Birdsong told The Auburn Plainsman. “The whole intent was to teach a skill and also talk about ways that we can give back to the community.

Weekly Media Roundup: March 20, 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU Are Helping an Arizona School District. Here's How, Arizona Republic (Arizona) Matthew McConaughey and Arizona State University (ASU) have teamed up to help a Phoenix-area school district apply for federal afterschool funding included in the Bipartisan Safer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 13, 2024

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic. One Group is Tackling the Problem By Helping Their Parents, Hechinger Report In North Carolina, nearly one third of English language learning students were chronically absent last year, a rate significantly higher than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/13/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 6, 2024

Charlotte Afterschool Program Aims to Break Cycle of Youth Crime and Violence, WBTV (North Carolina) In response to the 33 percent rise in juvenile gun violence in Charlotte, North Carolina, county leaders presented The Way Forward plan to city council members this week. The plan includes...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/06/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 28, 2024

Program Designed to Boost Reading Rates in NW Tallahassee is Reaching More Students, WTXL (Florida) At Springwood Elementary School’s afterschool program in Tallahassee, Florida, students are paired with volunteers from United Way’s ReadingPals program, working together to improve...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 21, 2024

Missoula After-School Program for BIPOC Youth Creating Next Generation of Leaders, KTVQ-TV (Montana) At the Association for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Youth afterschool program in Missoula, Montana, students of color build community, take part in mindfulness activities, and develop...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 14, 2024

Viewpoint: Invest in Out-of-School Programs to Help Solve State’s Educational Challenges, South Bend Tribune (Indiana) Indiana lawmakers are considering continuing the state’s pandemic-era investments in out-of-school time learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 7, 2024

Rangers Star Welcomes Kids to the Ice in After School Program, NBC4 (New York) With help from a donation from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, 50 students in the WHEDco (Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation) afterschool program in the South Bronx are lacing up skates and...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 31, 2024

Advocates of Afterschool Opportunities Rally in Albany for $119M Funding Boost, Spectrum News 1 (New York) On Tuesday, afterschool leaders, students, and lawmakers gathered in Albany, New York to press for an additional $119 million in state funding to ensure universal access to afterschool. At...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 24, 2024

'Articulate Their Pain': Preventing Teen Suicide Through the Power of Music, Spectrum News 1 (North Carolina) DDAAT-App, a mental health nonprofit with an afterschool program in Charlotte, North Carolina, is partnering with The Bridge, a music studio, to give students access to recording...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 17, 2024

Bessie Coleman After School Aviation Program to be Tested in Oklahoma, General Aviation News (Oklahoma) Sixth and 7th graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma are exploring careers in aerospace and aeronautics by building planes, flying drones, and participating in other hands-on projects thanks to a...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/17/24