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Tag: youth leaders

Rise N’ Shine Finale

Aug. 31 2018 | Tags: , , , , , ,

On August 16th, AFG’s Rise N’ Shine summer camp came to an end. Rise N’ Shine is a free six-week summer camp that gives girls living in southwest Detroit a safe space to learn new things, improve their reading skills, and make friends. For three days each week, the campers spend the day participating in fun, educational workshops and field trips. This summer, workshops included: gardening, dancing, science, and more.

The 74 campers celebrated their memorable summer with a fun end of summer finale. The finale allows the camper’s families to see what they’ve learned and created throughout the summer. The excitement was kicked off with a performance from the 7-9 year old group. Throughout the summer, they completed a dance and movement workshop with ArtLab J and had a blast learning the choreography for the dance. Their hard work and practice paid off once they were able to perform their masterpiece for friends and family. Judging by the applause, the audience thoroughly enjoyed their performance!

That wasn’t the only original performance of the day, the 9-11 year group and the 12-14 year old group also performed dances with the help of ArtLab J and Heritage Works, respectively. The latter group wore traditional outfits and danced along to the drum beat to deliver a fun and energetic performance that was definitely a crowd favorite. The final performance of the day was from the 9-11 year old group and 12-14 year old group. The groups worked with Matrix Theatre to create an empowering performance using voice and movement.

Finally, certificates and yearbooks were distributed. In the end, there were a lot of smiles and hugs as the girls signed each other’s yearbooks and waved goodbye for now. Before leaving, Anahi reflected on her summer at AFG, “My favorite part of Rise N’ Shine is meeting friends.” Vanessa agrees, and adds, “Don’t forget about the fieldtrips! My favorite one was the water park!”

Alternatives For Girls would like to thank all of the volunteers and donors who supported Rise N’ Shine this summer. Thank you for making it a summer the girls will never forget!

AFG Hires 20 Young Women Through Grow Detroit’s Young Talent Program

Jul. 27 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , ,

This summer, Alternatives For Girls (AFG) has hired 20 young women to work as Rise N’ Shine Youth Leaders as well as Peer Educators through Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT) program! GDYT is a city-wide summer job and training program that employs young adults between the ages of 14 and 24 for six weeks each summer. This summer, GDYT has matched over 8,000 young adults from Detroit with jobs all over the city!

The young women employed at AFG participate in weekly trainings, both with AFG and with the GDYT program, on topics such as conflict resolution, financial literacy and more. These topics help prepare them for issues they may face on the job, while also helping to improve and increase valuable employability skills, such as time management. “I’m pretty organized, but learning about time management has helped me with getting up and getting to work on time. I’ve learned I have to think about whether there will be traffic and if I should leave early that day,” shares Casey, 16, one of the young women working as a Peer Educator in AFG’s Outreach Department this summer.

Mikaela, also 16, is one of the young women from the GDYT program who is a Rise N’ Shine Youth Leader. Youth Leaders assist AFG staff in running the Prevention Department’s annual Rise N’ Shine summer camp. The camp, for girls between the ages of 4-14 living in Southwest Detroit, is designed to allow the participants to learn new skills, improve their literacy, and make new friends, all in a fun and safe environment.

This is Mikaela’s third summer as a Youth Leader, “I like to work with kids, so when I first heard about the job it sounded fun,” she says. A typical day for the Youth Leaders starts at 8am with breakfast. Working with AFG staff, the Youth Leaders help prepare and serve breakfast, check each camper in as they arrive, and then get the girls ready for their first workshop of the day.  Some of the workshops this year include dancing, STEAM, and gardening.  After guiding the participants to their workshops, the Youth Leaders provide support to each workshop facilitator by taking participants to the bathroom, running errands, and making sure each girl is fully participating and having fun. “One of the new skills that I’ve learned working with the girls this summer is that you have to be very patient. If they are upset, if you listen to them, it helps calm them down,” Mikaela says.

Last year when Casey was in the GDYT program, she was also a Rise N’ Shine Youth Leader. But this summer, she is working as a Peer Educator, “I really like it!” Casey shares. As a Peer Educator, Casey helps conduct Street Outreach with AFG staff and facilitates workshops to other young women on topics that affect them. For example, this month, they created and facilitated a workshop on child safety for the mothers in AFG’s shelter. During Street Outreach, Casey and the other Peer Educators visit local parks and recreation centers to reach out to girls and women who might need help or someone to talk to. “We tell them about what AFG does and share hotlines or resources if they need it,” Casey says.

Of course, as with any job, the young women have faced challenges as well. “One of the hardest parts of my job has been working with new people and learning how to work well with them,” Mikaela says. But despite these learning experiences, each young woman has made many memories, “We helped with a workshop for younger girls about bullying, and I noticed a couple of the girls were having a hard time understanding. I went over and helped them understand how you can prevent bullying and step in to help someone. It was great,” Casey smiles.

Alternatives For Girls would like to thank Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program for providing funding for this summer’s Rise N’ Shine Youth Leaders and Peer Educators!

Goodbye for Now: Rise N’ Shine finale marks end of 6 weeks of fun, learning, and so much more

Aug. 31 2017 | Tags: , , , , ,

On August 18th, AFG’s Rise N’ Shine summer camp came to an end. Rise N’ Shine is a free six-week summer camp that gives girls living in southwest Detroit a safe space to learn new things, improve their reading skills, and make friends. For three days each week, the campers spend the day participating in fun, educational workshops, and field trips. This summer, workshops included: gardening, dancing, science, and more.

A Place to Learn

When we asked Melanie, a first time camper, what her favorite thing about Rise N’ Shine was, she had a hard time narrowing it down. “Everything! The people, the food, the activities. Everything was great!” For Mia, a second-time camper, the workshops were the high point of the summer, “I loved the nutrition workshop. We did a lot of cooking and learned about a lot of foods. We even made our own butter!” Other favorite workshops included gardening and STEM with Madonna University. “We learned a lot about science, like how caterpillars turn into butterflies,” Melanie exclaimed.

There was a lot of learning going on outside of the workshops, as well. “I learned that it’s good to be with strangers because you can get to know them and become good friends. That’s what I did this summer, and I learned a lot about different cultures!” shared Melanie. Mia agreed, “I learned about teamwork and how to make friends.”

Time to Celebrate

The 60 campers celebrated their memorable summer with a fun end of summer finale. The finale allows the camper’s families to see what they’ve learned and created throughout the summer. The excitement kicked off with a performance from the 7-9-year-old group. Throughout the summer, they completed a workshop with Matrix Theatre Company and wrote their own original play! Their hard work and practice paid off once they were able to perform their masterpiece for friends and family. Judging by the laughter and applause, the audience thoroughly enjoyed their creativity and performance!

That wasn’t the only original play of the day, the 9-10 year group and the 10-11-year-old group also performed plays that they wrote with Matrix Theatre Company. The latter group performed a play titled “Pollution”, an inspiring tale of magical mermaids who helped save the earth from pollution. In addition to the plays, the Revamp workshop modeled the clothing they designed from recycled materials and fabrics and the Dance workshop performed an original dance number.

Goodbye for Now

Finally, certificates and yearbooks were distributed. In the end, there were a lot of smiles and hugs as the girls signed each other’s yearbooks and waved goodbye for now. Before leaving, Mia looked around the room and reflected on her summer at AFG, “I will always remember my friends. I’m going to miss coming here every day!” Serissa, a third-time camper, agreed and added, “Rise N’ Shine is a good place to be!”

Rise N’ Shine End of Summer Finale: 50 girls show their friends and family what they’ve learned at AFG this summer

Sep. 1 2016 | Tags: , , , , ,

In August, the Alternatives For Girls Rise N’ Shine summer camp came to an end. The 50 campers celebrated their memorable summer with a fun end of summer finale. Rise N’ Shine is a free six-week summer camp that gives girls living in southwest Detroit a safe space to learn new things, improve their reading skills, and make friends. For three days each week, the campers spend the day participating in fun, educational workshops. This summer, workshops included: gardening, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), swimming, cooking, and more.

Reading and Gardening and Swimming, Oh My!

When asked what she enjoyed most at Rise N’ Shine this summer, 5-year-old Kimora’s answer was pretty broad as she giggled, “EVERYTHING!” Some of the campers were a bit more specific about the fun they had. When we asked 7-year-old Kai about her favorite Rise N’ Shine activity her eyes lit up as she smiled and replied, “Swimming class at the YMCA! I got to jump into the pool.” Many campers also liked S.T.E.A.M. class. When asked what she liked best about it, one camper answered, “I like that we could use our imaginations to create things.” Yareli, 8, was happy to share her favorite things about Rise N’ Shine, “I loved the field trips and meeting new friends!”

Youth Leaders help girls Rise N’ Shine

The campers all agreed that their youth leaders were an important part of the camp and helped to make it fun. Zahraa, a 15-year-old youth leader, enjoyed her summer with the girls from Rise N’ Shine. When recalling some of her favorite moments, she said, “I enjoyed spending time with the girls. I really liked it when we went to Carhartt to sell bath bombs [as part of an entrepreneur workshop hosted by the Carhartt Emerging Leadership Team]. The girls were really happy because they made a lot of money in sales.” Zahraa was one of 12 youth leaders from the Grow Detroit Young Talent Program. Juanita, 18, was another youth leader. She said that being around the girls this summer made her realize that working with children is her passion, “This is what I want to do,” she smiled.

Celebrating a summer well spent

The Rise N’ Shine Finale wraps up the fun of summer and allows the campers’ families to see what they have been busy with while at AFG. The finale kicked off with a performance from the 9 – 11 year old group. Throughout the summer, they completed a workshop with Matrix Community Theater and the girls wrote and produced an 8-page play! Their hard work and practice paid off once they were able to perform their masterpiece for friends and family. Judging by the laughter and applause, the audience thoroughly enjoyed their creativity and performance!

Next, the girls in the 7 – 8 year old group took the stage to read the stories that they wrote this summer while in their Literacy Exploration Workshop. The reading and writing activities were popular with the campers. Kai noted writing as a favorite activity, “I liked writing in my gardening journal. We wrote about gardening stuff like flowers.”

The audience then enjoyed poetry with a theme, “Inner Strength” from the 12 – 14 year old group, also a product of their Literacy Exploration Workshop. Each of the girls took to the mic to read poetry to the audience, some choosing to recite in both English and Spanish.

Then the 7 – 9 year old group entertained the audience with a lip sync battle! Two teams, the pink team and the black team, danced and lip synced along with their youth leaders. The winners were determined by applause and, though it was a close call, the pink team came out on top!

Goodbye for now…

After some special acknowledgements and awards, the youth leaders got together to put on a lively dance performance to Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)”. The campers loved it! Finally, certificates and yearbooks were distributed. In the end, there were a lot of smiles and hugs as the girls signed each other’s yearbooks and waved goodbye for now. All of the campers seemed to agree on what they will miss most now that Rise N’ Shine is over for another year; their new friends! 8-year-old Yareli thought for a moment, then motioned toward the two little girls sitting with her and said, “I’m going to miss my best friend and my other best friend.”

When asked what she would miss the most when Rise N’ Shine ended, 5-year-old Kimora’s answer was the same as when we asked her what she enjoyed most. She once again giggled, “EVERYTHING!”

Youth Leaders Help Girls Rise and Shine

Aug. 31 2015 | Tags: , , , ,

“During the field trip to Sky Zone, I remember thinking it would be impossible to get 70 girls to take their shoes off, put the socks on, and get ready to play. But we all worked together and we got it done,” Anna, a first year Youth Leader, remembers. Making the seemingly impossible happen isn’t in the job description for the Rise N’ Shine Youth Leaders, but it is definitely something they can now add to their resume. This summer, 25 Youth Leaders assisted AFG staff in hosting the Prevention Department’s annual Rise N’ Shine summer camp. The camp, for girls between the ages of 4-14  living in Southwest Detroit, is designed to allow the participants to learn new skills, improve their literacy, and make new friends, all in a fun and welcoming environment.

The Youth Leaders, all between the ages of 16-24, had to have a 2.5 or higher Grade Point Average, be currently enrolled in school, and possess leadership skills to be hired for the job. “I decided to apply to become a Youth Leader because I love working with kids and being a mentor to them,” Kiara, another first year Youth Leader, shares. In addition to receiving a weekly stipend, the Youth Leaders also participated in weekly trainings on topics such as CPR/First Aid, conflict resolution, financial literacy and more. These topics prepared them for issues they may face during the camp while also helping to improve and increase valuable employability skills, such as time management. “Getting the girls from being active to having to sit down and eat lunch was hard, but learning to manage my time made it easier,” Anna shares.

A typical day for the Youth Leaders started at 8am with breakfast. Working with AFG staff, the Youth Leaders helped prepare and serve breakfast, check each camper in as they arrived, and then got the girls ready for their first workshop of the day. Some of the workshops this year included cooking, arts and crafts, reading, chemistry, and gardening. After guiding the participants to their workshops, the Youth Leaders provided support to each workshop facilitator by taking participants to the bathroom, running errands, and making sure each girl is participating and having fun. “Participating in the workshops with the girls inspires them to get more involved, talk about what they are learning, and come up with ideas for things. It also makes them feel more at home,” Kiara explains. When it is time for lunch, Youth Leaders helped prepare and serve the food until it was time to take the participants to their afternoon workshops. At the end of the day, they helped serve a snack while checking out each girl as they leave to go home.

The fast-paced environment allowed each Youth Leader to work on the skills they learned during their trainings, such as communication. “I have improved my communication skills with the younger girls. Because they take everything literally, you have to be careful what you say so you don’t have a misunderstanding,” Kiara shares. Of course, challenges arose as well. One of the things the Youth Leaders had to overcome was learning how to work together as such a large team. “It was really interesting to see all the different sides of the other Leaders. It has been hard at times, but by the end, everyone was more comfortable and we all bonded,” Anna remembers, smiling. This teamwork allowed them to execute another successful, exciting summer of Rise N’ Shine.

2015 Rise N’ Shine Finale

Aug. 31 2015 | Tags: , , , ,

“One thing I’ve learned this summer is to be fearless!” Makhya, one of the 70 campers who attended Rise N’ Shine, AFG’s free summer camp, shares while smiling from ear to ear. Rise N’ Shine tends to have this effect on the girls, aged 4-14, who attend each summer. Between the fresh summer air, countless fun activities, and new friends everywhere you turn, Rise N’ Shine is a recipe for a fun summer vacation. Indeed, the fun is what brings girls back year after year and allows them to experience workshops like gardening, chemistry, cooking, dance, and much more.

The excitement is tangible as you walk into the room for the camp’s summer finale. Held at AFG on August 13, the finale highlights what the campers have learned and accomplished during the summer and allows them to share it with their family and friends, who are invited to attend. Before the program begins, the girls introduce their parents to the new friends they have made, the Youth Leaders who have been supervising their groups all summer, and the AFG staff members who made the whole summer possible.

Once the program begins, the crowd enjoys perfectly choreographed dances, beautifully arranged songs sung by the campers and the Youth Leaders, and two plays performed by the girls from the Turning Books into Plays workshop. The plays, “Cinderella” and “You and Me and Home Sweet Home”, were books the girls adapted into plays and practiced all summer long. After weeks of preparation and practice, each girl excitedly and enthusiastically preforms her parts and then bows to a round of applause once they finish. After the performances, each participant is recognized for her accomplishments in the award ceremony. The youth leaders call up the girls they helped supervise and proudly awarded them a certificate of competition.

Before it’s time to leave, each girl receives their own 2015 Rise N’ Shine yearbook. As they race around trying to get their friends, Youth Leaders, and workshop facilitators to sign their books, they take a break to talk about what they learned and what they enjoyed most this summer. “This summer I’ve learned to be kind, not disrespectful or rude,” one girl shares. Another camper agrees and adds, “I’ve learned how to be challenged by new things.” Of course, their favorite things about Rise N’ Shine are also the things they will miss the most, “I’m going to miss my friends and my Youth Leader!” JaMiah, a returning camper, shares. One thing all of the girls agree on, they can’t wait to come back next summer and do it all over again!

Alternatives For Girls would like to thank all of the volunteers and donors who made Rise N’ Shine possible this summer!

The Dedicated Youth Leaders of Rise N’ Shine

Jul. 1 2014 | Tags: , ,

Starting on July 1st, AFG’s halls will be filled with the sights and sounds of our Prevention Department’s annual summer camp, Rise N’ Shine (RNS). Three days a week, from 9am-3pm, approximately 75 girls between the ages of 4-14 participate in fun and educational workshops and field trips. This memorable six week camp is something that participants look forward to every summer and its existence wouldn’t be possible without the help from a very essential group, the Youth Leaders. The ten Youth Leaders hired this summer will assist in the programs’ execution by supervising RNS participants throughout their multiple workshops, helping cook and serve meals and snacks, and making sure that the participants are having fun throughout the day.

Youth Leaders must be between the ages of 16-21, have a 2.5 or higher Grade Point Average, must be currently enrolled in school, and have a number of other qualifications. “Youth Leaders must be flexible, have the ability to work in a team setting, have a positive attitude, and have the skills to work with younger children,” explains AFG Youth Services Coordinator, Tiffany Edwards, who will be supervising the Youth Leaders this summer. The benefits of being a Youth Leader are a weekly stipend and weekly trainings on topics such as positive youth development, employability skills, goal setting, CPR & First Aid, and team building activities. This year the Youth Leaders are funded in part by the Village Women’s Club Foundation and City Connect Detroit’s Grow Detroit’s Young Talent Program.

Essence, a second year Youth Leader, said she is excited for another summer with RNS. “It started out as a summer job, but as the summer went on, I really started to like it. So that led me to apply again this year,” Essence explains. Every day at 8:30 AM the Youth Leaders arrive to start cooking breakfast and setting up for the day’s activities. After serving breakfast and making sure all of the youth are accounted for, the Youth Leaders guide the participants to their workshops and provide support to each workshop facilitator by taking participants to the bathroom, running errands, and assisting in activities to keep the girls energized. When it’s time for lunch, Youth Leaders help prepare and serve the food until it is time to take the participants to their afternoon workshops. At the end of the day, they help serve a snack while checking out each girl as they leave to go home.

The full day of activities allows each Youth Leader time to practice valuable skills that they can use in the future. “I’ve bettered my conflict resolution skills since becoming a Youth Leader,” Essence shares. “Over the school year I worked as a tutor in an elementary school, so a lot of the conflict resolution skills I learned were very useful because they are younger and are working on self-control.” Of course, there are challenges as well, “The most challenging thing is dealing with all of the different personalities, not just the girls but other Youth Leaders, too. We work together as a team so it’s important to get to know everyone’s personalities and attitudes,” Essence explains.

Being a Youth Leader in RNS still allows the young women to enjoy the summer while improving these skills. “My favorite part of RNS is being able to participate in the activities and the workshops that the girls participate in. They are really fun and I learned from them too,” Essence shares. “I really enjoy the field trips as well, it’s good to get away and have fun. And the girls really like them too,” she smiles. The hard work and dedication that the Youth Leaders exhibit does not go unnoticed by Tiffany, “The Youth Leaders are very important because without them I don’t think Rise N’ Shine would run as smoothly. They’re the ones who take the initiative and believe in our vision and execute the ideas we have. Without them, how would we do it?”

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Blog: Rise N’ Shine

Sep. 19 2013 | Tags: , , ,

Rise N’ Shine

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Rajanae and Ciara

About the bloggers: Rajane is 19 years old, and a three year Youth Leader for  Rise N’ Shine. Ciara is 18 years old and a Youth Leader for AFG’s Rise N’ Shine  summer camp.

Rajane:  I was a member of the Rise N’ Shine summer program since I  was four years old, and grew too old to attend.   So I decided to join as a Youth Leader.   This year was my third year as a Youth Leader.  Each year gets more exciting.  This year we had a ton of swimming trips, and  we even went go cart racing.  The classes  for the girls were awesome; basketball, gardening, yoga, cooking, arts and  crafts, fashion design, movie making, and a lot of other fun classes.  Personally,   I like that we even help the girls with their reading and writing skills  while having fun.  Rise N’ Shine also  helps the Youth Leaders with leadership trainings, CPR, and with working on a  team.  Rise N’ Shine was a wonderful  experience for the young ladies, youth leaders, and the facilitators.  I believe we all gained something from this  summer.

Ciara: Working at Alternatives For  Girls was a  great experience. I got the  opportunity to mentor and have fun with young girls who are still discovering  who they are in this world. I got the chance to make someone smile, help them  take a risk, and watch them grow. I got a chance to work with my peers and grow  as an individual. Taking every step with these young girls along the way and  helping them feel comfortable with new obstacles was the greatest experience I  had while being a youth leader at Rise N’ Shine.

For some of you,

your first day was very scary and overwhelming.

Like your first day of school, too many new people.

And every morning that you came to Rise N’ Shine you were nervous,  really sleepy, and cautious.

We just wanted to show you that it’s okay to explore,

It’s okay to open up, play, laugh, and want more.

 

It’s okay to be afraid, and it’s okay to have fun all day.

Life will sometimes throw lemons your way,

make the best out of the bad and drink lemonade,

like you did here every day at lunch.

The smiles, laughs, cries, dances, rainy days, funny faces, field  trips, games, and friendships,

will all be a part of your memory

leaving you all doesn’t seem real to me.

 

As you move forward onto to your school year,

remember that your never alone, even when you think you are.

 

Remember it’s okay to take risk and try new things.

If you continue to grow and be yourself,

Life will always bring new things.

 

The world is waiting on you, go explore and spread your wings.