MD Fall 2020 After-School Programs Recap

By Rochielle Canare, MD Middle & High School Program Coordinator

Photos & Media courtesy of AALEAD Staff

The Maryland AALEAD team is grateful for a memorable and connected fall semester with youth. As the year closes, we take this time to reflect on our first semester of 100% virtual after-school programs. 

In overview, MD staff supported youth through a variety of programs this fall. Such programs included 8th Grade transition support, College Access guidance, Youth Council, and a Youth Engagement and Leadership Program (YELP!).

Staff assisted 10 eighth grade youth in applying for their top choices of high school programs. Additionally, staff supported 6 MD high school youth in attending a college readiness workshop focused on essay writing, in collaboration with DC AALEAD and a guest college admissions advisor. 

This fall, we welcomed a new cohort of more than 10 high school and middle school youth to serve as our 2020 – 2021 Youth Council. These youth serve as representatives of their school sites, lead community events, and aim to complete a community project by the end of the year. While these roles carry a number of responsibilities, Youth Council members have shared how this group is also important to them as a separate space from school to spend quality time with one another.

High school youth have fun playing a drawing game in YELP!

Finally, our weekly YELP! meetings have covered a number of topics ranging from Asian American food history to the KPOP industry to mock town halls and everything in between.

Youth received food packages for a food YELP! workshop

Overall, I have immense gratitude for the ways we have found to connect. To close out this reflection of MD 2020 fall programs, I leave you these youth quotes about their experiences with after school programs: