By Gisèle Lamontagne
I’ve often wondered why after-school programs are needed. After all, kids spend all day in school: do they really want to stay in school more a few more hours? And, some of them are old enough to go home alone… so what’s that value?
This question replayed in my mind as I led wellness workshops in the Club 310 and Transitions programs at the Lowertown Community Resource Centre (LCRC). I decided to ask the older children, those old enough to go home after school, what they thought. I wanted to see if their ideas matched what I had noticed over the months working with them. And they did!
The youths all mentioned that if they went home they’d settle in front of video games, a good way to develop an addiction to them. This is something we see enough of among youth and adults. But even more importantly, all the youths I asked talked about how they met with their friends and developed social skills in their after-school programs.
I read many documents and found that there is evidence-based research to support these observations: after-school programs enhance social and behavioural skills and help participants do better in school, even if the program is not just a homework club. The after-school programs offered by the LCRC provide a mixture of physical activities, social interactions, discussion time and a homework club. This is an excellent mix for young people who have tried to focus all day in school and still want to acquire new skills and knowledge.
The Club 310 and Transitions programs offer welcoming spaces, skilled and caring staff, tasty and healthy snacks, and fun moments with other youth from the neighborhood. For more information, call the LCRC at (613) 789-3930 and ask for Stephen
Gisèle Lamontagne is a child and youth Counsellor at the LCRC