By Hannah Lee, Director of Community Engagement
I had the privilege to sit down with Canopy’s very own Volunteer Coordinator, Danielle Bennett, who currently oversees Canopy’s After-School Program for our teenagers! Canopy’s After-School program aims to provide each student with academic support, help bridge cultural gaps, and create a space with supportive relationships where students can share experiences and enjoy time socializing and just being kids.
Hannah: Tell me a little about the layout of the program! How do you structure the afternoon?
Danielle: The program starts after school every Tuesday. When they arrive, we always have a snack and everyone breaks off to talk with their mentors. We schedule the time at the beginning to relax and debrief, and build relationships between students and mentors.
Hannah: What is the ratio for mentors to students?
Danielle: Every mentor has 2 students. This is a small enough ratio to really allow each mentor to form a deep bond with their kids!
After they have time to visit with their mentors, we all sit in circle and talk about our days. We do “pit & peak” where we talk about the best part of our day and a part of our day that was not so great.
Hannah: That sounds like such a great time to debrief about the day and have a support system to process with! What do you do after that?
Danielle: Well, each week we have a different theme. This past week, our theme was on goals. What is your big dream? We had big dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, and police officers. Then we talked about how to reach that goal, which is to start small. For example, if you want to be a nurse, it is important to have good grades in math. So if you struggle in math, a small step is to talk to a teacher about improving in math, getting a tutor, or finding other resources. We talked about the fact that everyday tasks are important to reach your goal! To help with these plans, we filled out a Goal Sheet with 3 action items to help us reach our goals. So now, every week our mentors will sit down and check in on these goal actions with their students!
Hannah: That sounds great! How about community projects?
Danielle: Yes! We are planning a service learning project this semester together! We are still deciding what project we will do, but a lot of the kids have suggested a project working with the homeless population in our community.
Hannah: Why do you think the after-school program is important for these teenagers?
Danielle: I think it is so important for many reasons. This program gives the children a space to be around friends who have similar stories and speak their first languages. It allows them time to debrief and feel supported by peers and mentors, and allows them to feel connected with resources and relationships. For instance, some of the kids in the program have been in our community longer than others. The kids with more experience here often take the newer kids under their wing and help them adjust to their new community and school. Overall, I think it provides a secure place to build friendships, talk, process, and learn.
Hannah: Can more people get involved?
Danielle: Yes! We absolutely need more mentors! Right now, we have a 2 to 1 ratio for mentors to students, but we would love to have one-on-one mentors. The more mentors we have, the more students can be enrolled and the program can expand!
If you want to be a mentor with our After-School Program, please connect with Danielle at danielle.bennett@canopynwa.org!
Have a passion for children and youth? We are hiring a Youth Services Coordinator! See the job description here!
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