Weekly Media Roundup: October 24, 2018

YouthPlaces Empowers Pittsburgh’s Underserved Teens with Entrepreneurial Spirit, NEXT Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)

In Pennsylvania, YouthPlaces is celebrating its 21st year of offering free afterschool programs  focused on mentorship, digital literacy, college preparation, and career exploration to teens from low-income families. YouthPlaces operates 17 afterschool sites that reach more than 4,000 teenagers annually. The program’s 2018 college fair will include representatives from nearly 30 institutions as well as workshops for parents. “Colleges and universities aren’t targeting underserved youth for recruitment,” YouthPlaces President Cynthia James told NEXT Pittsburgh. “So we decided that instead of waiting for them, we will be an effective partner in doing this outreach.”

Hope Happens through Golf for Hundreds of San Bernardino Students, The Sun (California)

The Sixtyone Golf Academy (61Golf) partners with 12 schools to provide free golf instruction to elementary and middle school students in California. Part of the Creative Afterschool Program for Success, the program aims to make golf more accessible while instilling values such as patience and etiquette. “I have had a few 61Golf graduates who are very successful,” Golf Coach Rick Wilshire told the Sun. “These students, while in the program, ended up as leaders on campus, becoming presidents of their academies and carrying their leadership skills on to four colleges. They are still involved in 61Golf and helping the community.”

After-School Program Helps Native American Students Excel, Bismarck Tribune (North Dakota)

In North Dakota, the New Directions program provides 40 to 50 Native American high school students each year with a safe community, academic support, meals and mentor relationships with Native American college students. It serves five high schools, and last year 78 percent of its students increased their academic achievement. “We’re really looking to positively impact these young people, and it started because of the graduation rates,” Program Manager Mark Heiner told the Bismarck Tribune. “But our reality is this: We're giving young people the opportunity to have a place they feel comfortable in, where they belong.”

Lockley Early Learning Center Nurtures Young Scientists, New Castle News (Pennsylvania)

More than 100 students in the afterschool and summer learning program at Lockley Early Learning Center in New Castle, Pennsylvania learn to compost, decide which seedlings to plant, tend gardens and harvest vegetables. That is because the campus is home to 14 raised gardens and a greenhouse, which are used for nutrition and science education. In addition to gardening, the afterschool program includes dinner, homework help, computer activities, robotics and art projects. “I love to see the kids outside. And they're already getting a taste for exploring careers,” Program Director Maria Sommerfeld told New Castle News.