After-School Community Academy Programs to Start October 2

by Geri Murphy

The lack of adequate supervised after-school activities for our children and youth has long been a concern in this community. Fortunately, a local Healthy Start collaborative with State of California money has been successful in securing over a million dollars in grants, including a City of Oakland Measure K grant, to address those concerns. As a result, our children and youth will be able to participate in a wide and rich variety of after-school programs this year. Thanks to the grants, the new entity, Bret Harte Area Community Academies and Youth Centers, will establish a comprehensive network of after-school programs and activities for children and youth in the Bret Harte Middle School attendance area. These programs will have four strands Arts, Athletics, Sciences, and Leadership and will be offered through after-school Community Academies, which will be established at Bret Harte Middle School, Fruitvale Elementary School, Laurel Elementary School, and eventually at Sequoia Elementary School. Over 35 community-based agencies offer programs through the Academy strands. Counseling, tutoring, and a variety of support groups will also be available to students and their families. While the Bret Harte Academy will be the only academy offering all four program strands during the first year of operation, all of the program strands will eventually extend to the other after-school community academies. Activities will be offered Monday through Friday and on occasional weekends. Please contact the local schools for further details and Academy schedules. Each strand will offer a variety of programs. Two Youth Centers will be at Bret Harte Middle School and Shiloh Christian Fellowship Church on School Street. The School Street Center will provide services to children in grades K through 5, while the Bret Harte Youth Center will primarily serve youth in grades 6 through 8. High-school-aged mentors will be at both Centers. The After-School Academies will also be co-sponsoring parent-support meetings and the Family University. Last year, over 100 parents attended the Bret Harte Family University. Qualified families who had attended all eight of the Saturday workshops could participate in a special People PC Internet program and receive a free computer. These programs are planned to continue this year. Finally, to ensure the safe passage home of youngsters from the after-school academies and youth centers, the community's Silent Sentinels will monitor streets. The local NCPCs and the Oakland Police Department will organize this group of approximately 100 neighborhood residents and students. NCPCs and the OPD are currently soliciting volunteers for the Silent Sentinels. Please contact your local NCPC for additional information. Come and get involved.