Outreach Through After-School Programs: The Real Stories
Introduction
The purpose of this project is to understand the correlation between after-school programs’ success and how they support immigrant families (more specifically immigrant youth) to connect with their communities. It is also to help foster better community relations between congregations and immigrant families.
We aim to advise congregations on effective after school practices that can have a positive impact on immigrant families' relationship to their community and children’s academic achievement.
The end goal of this project is to create a story map that combines testimony from first- and second-generation immigrants about after-school programs with a literature review about the benefits of these programs, as well as suggestions for a few programs that could potentially be implemented by these congregations. These suggestions would draw from the stories of the people we talked to, as well as the literature researched.
Terminology
First-generation U.S. immigrant: a person born outside of the U.S. who emigrated to the U.S.
Second-generation U.S. immigrant: a person born in the U.S. and whose parents were born outside the U.S. or at least 1 parent was born outside the U.S.
After-school programming: programs that serve youth of varying ages with activities like sports, arts, academics, mentoring, and positive youth development
Stories
Testimonials
The stories we gathered come from a variety of places across the country. The different places these people are from allow us to gain a broader understanding of people's lived experiences with after-school programming.
Julian - Franklin Park, IL
Julian is a St. Olaf student from a suburb of Chicago. In our conversation with him, he talked about how after-school programs were based on playing with other kids and the passion of the mentors he had in these programs. He also touches on how affordable these programs were for the kids involved. This interview is 37 minutes.
Bassaa - Blaine, MN
Bassaa is a St. Olaf student from a Minneapolis suburb. The main takeaways from our interview were the institutional environments she grew up in were predominantly white, while the people she grew up around directly were of East African descent. She also discusses the importance her parents saw in after-school programs. This interview is 6 minutes.
Gabe - Cozad, NE
Gabe is a St. Olaf student from a small town in central Nebraska. Gabe talked more specifically about after-school programs related to his church and his experiences through that. He also talked about how his feelings of belonging in his town have shifted. The interview is 21 minutes.
Joanna - Houston, TX
Joanna is a St. Olaf student originally from Houston, Texas. Joanna went into depth about the reasons as to why her parents like and disliked after school programs. She also speaks on the origins of her identity, and where she calls home. This interview is 33 minutes.
Praise - Durham, NC
Praise is a St. Olaf student whose home state is in North Carolina. He had touched specifically on the nature of the South and how his parents were dependent on after-school programs. This interview is 10 minutes.
Setting Up Your Program
It can often be difficult for parents in a new place to find community–which is why it is so important as a congregation to provide as many opportunities for connection as possible.
Across the board, after-school programs have been proven to improve children's educational and social outcomes. Research has shown the positive impacts of after-school programs on the lives of both children and their caregivers.
Read below to see our advice about setting up your program
Things to keep in mind
The following is advice we have curated from interviews with alumni of afterschool programs:
One of the largest reasons immigrant parents do not participate in programs is simply a lack of awareness
Parents might have difficulty learning about afterschool programs, especially if there is a language barrier. Thus, make sure to publicize your programs in a way that is simple yet visible
Parent Engagement ≠ Parent Interest
Just because parents are not participating in programs with their children does not mean they are uninterested. These afterschool programs are invaluable childcare for many immigrant parents who work multiple jobs to support their kids
Your program can help them stay involved in their child's life by: -Giving them updates about their children -offering child-guardian activities that fall outside typical program hours
Affordability is key
To attract immigrant families to your program, it is important to keep it affordable. Create longer-term payment plans that allow parents to pay in smaller amounts where lowering prices is not possible
Program Examples
Structured Playgroups
Playgroups are organized gatherings for preschool-age children and their parents or caregivers to engage in social and play-based activities. Usually they are informal and organized by parents–however, there has also been a movement to form ‘supported playgroups’, which are officially organized by an institution in the community. In this case, the congregation.
Studies have shown that playgroups can be some of the most beneficial methods for providing social connection opportunities to both parents and children, as well as connecting parents with a range of health, social and educational services. This is a low-cost program that provides immigrant families with more opportunities to connect with their new communities and learn from fellow parents what the culture of raising children looks like in their new community.
To learn more about how to set up a program like this in your congregation, click the button below