Who’s ready for a fun, educational, after school opportunity with friends? NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley is excited to announce enrollment is open for our FREE 2024 Fall Youth Program for Woonsocket residents in 6th-12th grade!
At NWBRV we recognize the intrinsic need for child development and college preparation for our youth. While working alongside families, educators and community partners, we provide school aged youth a safe environment to develop the fundamental skills they need to pave their own individual paths for success. Our fall program offers families the perfect opportunity to provide children with supplemental academic and social opportunities.
Fall program dates at our C3 Center, located at 120 Northeast Street in Woonsocket, began November 12th, and will run through December 20th. For children in grades 6-12, our programs will run Mondays through Thursdays, as well as the first Fridays of each month from 2-7pm.
This program is completely free on a first come first serve basis.
This program would be great for students who want to learn new skills in art, music, social emotional skills or cooking! It’s also ideal for students looking for help with Math or English.
Brandon Soum, NWBRV
Mondays and Wednesdays promise to be full of non-stop enrichment. Canvas Chronicles, a hands-on art program where students explore public art through projects like mural creation, community reimagining, and court design, will allow children to discover Providence’s ‘The Avenue Concept’ murals. Children will select a favorite to inspire their own mini mural, and embark on a walk to capture local landmarks, which they’ll reimagine in art.
“The program will conclude with students designing their own basketball courts inspired by the My Home Court project,” NWBRV’s Brandon Soum explained. “Service Learning, also occurring on Mondays and Wednesdays is a hands-on program that introduces students to the importance of community service and environmental responsibility. After learning about how cleanup efforts positively impact local neighborhoods, students will participate in a community cleanup, learning proper waste disposal and recycling.”
Tuesdays and Thursdays will cover an entirely different vein of education. Songwriting, Recording & Performance will guide students in writing and arranging original songs, recording them, and performing publicly. The process will include music selection, identifying genres, learning song structure, brainstorming content and building melodies.
“Once songs are crafted, students will move onto the recording process where they will be coached on recording techniques and studio etiquette,” Brandon explained. “Students will be encouraged to learn how to use recording & editing software, and coached on performance techniques to master stage presence and vocal delivery. At the end of each semester, students will have a tangible product to present and take home.”
Home Economics 101, an introductory course designed to equip students with essential life skills for personal management, will also take place Tuesdays and Thursdays. Topics include budgeting, meal planning, basic cooking techniques, and home maintenance. This course aims to foster independence and responsibility.
“We also offer tutoring Mondays through Thursdays in Math and English,” Brandon added. “Mondays and Tuesdays, English tutoring will also be available, with Wednesdays and Thursdays focusing on Math. Our middle and high school Math and English tutoring programs offer small group sessions with professional tutors twice a week for 1.25 hours.”
By appointment, our fall youth participants may also sign up for our Sure Track to College Program, which equips high school and college aged students with the skills, resources, and guidance needed for success after graduation.
“By the program’s end, students will have completed the SAT, visited colleges or post-secondary programs, submitted applications, applied for scholarships, completed the FAFSA, and made informed decisions about their future education and career paths,” Brandon said. “The program thoroughly prepares students for the next step in their academic and professional journeys.”
To register, please visit us online at https://forms.microsoft.com/r/qXmg0dpWdD. With questions on how to get involved, please contact Brandon Soum at bsoum@nwbrv.org or 401.257.6233.
