School not only educates youth, it also teaches them valuable life skills. Keeping the youth of our community in school and busy after school contributes to them staying enrolled and involved. It’s also important because while they’re at school or attending after school programs, it keeps them away from other negative paths they could follow.
DREAM wants to ensure that every student is able to live to their full potential. We provide after school youth programs that include tutoring and homework assistance, cultural and enrichment activities, field trips, and more. Our goal is to keep them occupied while having fun, so they’re not left unsupervised and experimenting with or selling drugs and joining gangs.
Encouragement to stay in school
It’s easier for youth to stay in school when they have a reason to. Helping them make friends and showing them what teamwork and good communication skills look like increases the odds of not dropping out. Good teachers who care about their students and their success also gives students motivation to stick out the tough times and stay in school. When we frame school as someplace fun where you can experiment, grow, and make friends, rather than only learning and homework, kids will be more inclined to enjoy school.
Helping youth with homework and studying for tests, especially if they’re struggling, benefits them tremendously. When they have a hard assignment they might be unable to complete themselves, they can be completely turned away from the subject. However, when a mentor steps in and helps them complete their hard homework, they can have a feeling of accomplishment in learning something new. They can discover what they’re passionate about and begin working towards it. Sometimes a little bit of guidance is all they need.
Positive influence of after school youth programs
After school programs benefit youth academically and socially. It provides them with a safe environment, a way to excel academically and keeps them away from risky situations. It also supports working parents who cannot be home when their children are out of school. Youth are more likely to succeed in school, have a better attitude about school, and be on time to school when they spend time participating in after school activities. DREAM helps students realize they have potential by assisting them with homework, which leads to better grades.
Parents and teachers can rest easy knowing that their students are in a safe environment after school. Most parents work later in the day than schools run, and their kids can either go home or join an afterschool program. After school youth programs can also keep younger kids away from risky behaviors such as selling or buying drugs, gang violence, and can even reduce teen pregnancy.
It’s important to keep youth interested in learning. Schools and after school youth programs have to work together to promote the health, wellbeing, and success of the students in our community. As the school year rolls around again, we’re always looking for outgoing individuals to bring their unique skill set to the youth mentoring team. If you’re interested in becoming a part of DREAM, contact us today to see how you can be involved with our after school programs.
