Lights on After School, Youth Town Hall / Event #1

 

Light on After School, Youth Town Hall

This was the first virtual town hall meeting for the after-school alliance program which was hosted by Jody Grant, who is the executive director of the After-School Alliance Program. This virtual town hall meeting was put on to recognize the after-school programs across the nation for their tremendous efforts as well as to shine a light on the obstacles many of these programs are facing. Mrs. Grant stated some staggering information in her opening monologue that that eight out of ten after school programs are worrying if they will remain open due to the covid-19 pandemic. Many of the programs across the nation have become dynamic and reinvented themselves to serve the children and families. As we all know the virtual learning has become the leader of academics since March of 2020. Diligent faculty and staff have been a force to be reckoned with, for being creative and turning and overwhelming situation bearable for the past nine months. Lesson plans for many children who do not have access to electronic devices will truly hinder their academics and can cause despair in a student. Now on the other hand there are a few youth organizations who managed to serve those students who are not equipped with electronic devices nor the internet. One such program, The Hope Street Margolis Family Center located in Los Angles, Ca. instituted such a program to serve the students during this difficult time.http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/finding-hope-for-kids-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/article_147d5424-1d28-11eb-a651-ebe3ec3f2e79.html. It is paramount for Youth Programs to reinvent themselves for their relevancy therefore they can continue to serve the community at a high volume.

There is nothing more powerful than our youths voice, which was pronounced by the four young people who were featured in this town hall. Up first there was Debbie who made the statement that youth organizations are successful with partnerships. This is an extremely powerful statement because if there is a successful partnership the more opportunities are afforded to our youth and the community. Now with partnership comes more financial resources and youth organizations will grow stronger in their foundations. Therefore, they will have more to offer the community for which they serve. Although this seems to be a business model, there is the opportunity for our youth to grow in respect to creating a partnership and understanding the crux of networking and developing resources. Keeping with the order of the testimony by the youth. Andre spoke next and he addressed his ode to the boy’s club he attends. He stated that his neighborhood boys’ club helps him with his homework, and he has become more of a vocal person and leader in his own right. I can understand exactly what he is talking about because I was a product of the boy’s club as a youth and I went through similar experiences. Next there was Angie who utilized her youth space as a place where she can vent about her life’s journey with her mentor. Her family received financial assistance from the organization which helped with a financial burden. She also states she has a good grasp on her emotional state by attending the organization. Next there was Quin who expressed his youth organization allowed him to meet state representatives and express to them why after school programs are particularly important for a student’s growth. He also stated that he was afforded the opportunity to work with other youth which helped him develop leadership skills. Through his experience he has grow confidence to pursue a career in entertainment. Collectively they spoke about the state of the world being in such a disarray, and they all agreed that the world must unify as one. Therefore, all the “isms” & “ills” (racism, sexism, etc.) will be addressed and hopefully stomped out. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring but it is particularly important that these after-school programs are in place for our youth to utilize and reap the benefit of the resources they provide. As detailed in the article Chillaxing, the youth frequented the venue “New Urban Arts’ and found solace in attending the programs there. So these youth organizations or community centers will always be a place of solitude, socialization and safety for our youth to frequent.