Thursday, July 25, 2013

Inner-City Achievement: The Importatance of Afterschool Programs


Written by: Sara Smith (Americorps VISTA)

Does your community add value to your life? When you step outside every day, can you say that you love the community you live in?  Have you EVER considered how your community affects your life?

The experiences we have shape and mold the way that we choose to interact with other people; it affects our perspective, it alters the way we think, and often times we don’t take time out to notice how we are truly affected by our environment. It affects our minds, the way we feel about ourselves, and most importantly it affects what we feel we have the ability and accessibility to do. We get comfortable in what we know and what “works” for us and we adapt an attitude of, “this is just the way things are.” At times, we tend to feel that we are not in control of some of the things that happen around us.

We as adults have lived long enough to understand that we do have options, although sometimes limited, as to what we experience and how we choose to let those things affect our lives but children do not have the same ability, so it then becomes a responsibility of their parent/guardian to make them aware of what life has to offer.  But what happens when there is not a parent/guardian with the ability to guide and direct available to the child?

This is a challenge that many inner-city children face. Often times, parents of inner-city children have critical life-issues that they have to deal with and it may affect the quality of life they can provide for their children; some parents are not even physically present in the daily lives of their children.  So when a child comes home from school, what do they have to guide and direct them?

School only accounts for half of a child’s day; the same amount of time they have to learn in a controlled environment is equal to the time they have in an environment where they have the option to do other things, positive and negative. Inner-city children tend to be more exposed to violence, drugs, and crime because of the lack of positive adult involvement. Many of those children are left to “fend for themselves” in the communities that they live in.

Most times, the communities these inner-city children live in do not offer structured programs and options for the child to participate in during their time outside of school. Often times, these children are crowded out by busy streets and “low-income” options. The environment that a child grows up in will impact the level of success they will achieve, their self-esteem, and their motivations. I can personally agree to these things because I am a product of an inner-city environment, and my parental involvement was slim to none. What “saved me” was after school programs and people directing me to positive community interaction.

It is was so easy for me to discover alternatives to going to school, while attending high school and middle school; other things seemed more important like how I was going to make enough money to compensate for what my parent could not, to feel “normal,” or to not seem disconnected from other children in my school who seemed privileged enough to obtain luxury things. I chose to work two jobs when I reached the age of 16 so I could provide things for myself that my parents could not and previous to that I used my ability to do hair to provide me with excess funding. I had the financial support of my mother and I was blessed enough to have a grandparent available to do what she could to raise me, but my mother spent most of her time at work and I rarely saw her and my grandmother was not able to “entertain my interests” enough to keep me, an active child, occupied. I felt robbed of my childhood.

During my high school years, I decided to get involved in a sport (volleyball) and so from there my time was taken up by school, work, and sports. The sport was offered through a local Indy Parks location, and there I met friends and more importantly a mentor. I’m not sure she understood how much of an impact she made in my life. She was available to discuss my personal issues and she also provided a program that helped me to build character. At times when I felt I had no one, my coach was a person who filled the physical spot of my parent; she cared, she poured knowledge into me, she genuinely gave a effort towards providing a quality experience for me, this gave me hope. I felt like I was capable of achieving whatever she told me I could because of our personal attachment; she was more than just a coach.

My point here is that without that experience, my mind would have been flooded with some not so healthy options. I have had friends that traveled different paths, some in which are not alive today, and I understand how the impact of a child’s environment can affect their ability to mentally function. I developed low-self esteem because I did not feel that anyone who was “supposed” to be there to love and support me was available. I was a child, I knew nothing of bills, obligations, and what the life of an adult included. I was granted a scholarship but even that was not enough to make me feel valued because I didn’t feel that I had the ability to even make it out of high school, I didn’t have the confidence to pursue a higher education because no one in my family had the ability to graduate from college, let alone attend one.

Unknowing of my peers situations, I felt alone, incapable, and undervalued but now as I am older I understand that it was a challenge that most of my friends and other children in my school faced. Yes, every child has an “equal opportunity” but it’s up to that child to equip themselves with what they need to accomplish that, and not all children know what that is and lack guidance on how to get there. Fortunately, I did accomplish the hard task of making it to college, and the even more challenging one of completing my college career. But there are still interpersonal issues I face while functioning in society because of my experiences as a child.

After-school and community programs saved my life, and many lives of inner-city children. They are a valuable part of giving the children an option to be more than their situation, to excel, to become someone.  It is tragic to see many after-school programs being cut due to lack of funding, if we truly care about investing in our children’s lives and making an impact, ensuring that they have a healthy environment to learn and grow in is key; learning does not only take place in the classroom.

People who run after-school programs may not be aware of their impact, and I am here to say that I am a survivor of my situation because of YOU!!!!

I would like to see after-school programs become that turning point in children’s lives that have no other options. So I would like to provide you with some sources to some access funding. Let’s go out and make the needed difference in the lives of the children in our communities; our future.
After-school funding websites:

Monday, July 8, 2013

What to do? What to do?

Written by: Ceceily Brickley (Americorps VISTA)
     Well it's summer (at least as far as the calendar is concerned)and as a newbie to Indianapolis, I know I am looking forward to exploring the city. During the summer when our youth are out of school and free to roam it's important to engage them in not only opportunities that will continue to enrich them educationally, but also provide them with opportunities to have some FUN! Often times we are so bogged down with "real life" matters from work, family, and finances we neglect the simple pleasantries in life. Looking back on my youth, I realize I lacked so much in cultural capital not because opportunities did not exist but because they seemed so much further out of my reach than they actually were! It is important we engage our youth in both educationally and culturally enriching experiences over the summer. In reading up on free things to do in Indy I came across two great websites I wanted to share;  http://visitindy.com/indianapolis-events-free-events and http://www.travelingmom.com/12-free-things-to-do-in-indianapolis/.

     It is our responsibility to ensure our youth have opportunities to experience new things and grow over the summer as well as during the school year. It's not always a matter of money or availability but more so being made aware of said opportunities and taking the initiative in being a part of them.

MCCOY welcomes new AmeriCorps VISTAs!


Ceceily Brickley: A recent graduate from Indiana University this past May with majors in Sociology, African American and Diaspora Studies and a minor in Labor Studies. Ceceily is described by those closest to her as the most “girly” “tom-boy” you will ever meet. She loves to be outside and play sports, as well as to shop and accessorize! Ceceily reads and writes a lot and also enjoys her monthly movie theater visits. She has a very extroverted personality and loves meeting new people. Ceceily's family has never failed to remind her that she talks too much, however, she is always looking to make those around her feel  as comfortable and welcomed as possible. She is so excited to be working with MCCOY. Coming from a background similar to many of those MCCOY aims to help, she feels honored in being able to contribute her experience.  Ceceily will be helping MCCOY complete its Blue Print for Youth, helping to coordinate MCCOY's Student Success Initiative and Youth Advocacy Council. She can be reached at 317-921-1236 or cbrickley@mccoyouth.org.
  
Daniel Harting: Currently a high school English teacher at Indiana Math and Science Academy West through Teach for America, Daniel has spent the last few years building a diverse background of knowledges and experiences. He has worked for a law firm and edited both a creative arts magazine and an historical magazine. These experiences have prepared him well for work in education advocacy and policy. In addition to teaching, he has received a grant to develop a league for high school performance poetry in Indianapolis and has been published in the Journal of Technology Management in China.
This summer, Daniel will be working with MCCOY as a Leadership for Educational Equality Fellow. His work will explore the relationship between out-of-school time providers and the schools in which they work—especially in relation to data sharing. Feel free to contact him at dharting@mccoyouth.org
 
Christina Lear:
Christina joined MCCOY this summer as a Leadership for Educational Equity Fellow.  During the school year, Christina teaches 10th grade English and journalism at Herron High School and is a Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellow. At MCCOY, she is researching funding and best practices for summer learning programs with the hopes of making summer learning a key strategy in the Indianapolis education landscape.

  
Sara Smith: As a first-generation college student, Sara journeyed through the academic challenges of Purdue University as an Organizational Leadership and Supervision major, and received a Bachelors of Science degree. Through-out her time at the university, Sara was an active volunteer with various organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Club and Angel Food Ministries. She also participated as a coordinator for a local Indianapolis magazine where she organized media materials, employees, and volunteers.Some interesting facts about this motivated VISTA are that she was recently married and is in the midst of completing her first urban novel. She enjoys being a help to her community and people around her and strives every day to make this world a better place, one great gesture at a time. Sara will be working with MCCOY to expand its Youth Activity Council and Co-Location of Services site among other projects. She can be reached at 317-921-1263 or scox@mccoyouth.org.