After-School Programs

0:02 Eastside After-School Program
0:05 St. Paul, MN
0:09 some of the children here new face quite
0:12 a bit of adversity we have the games
0:15 we've experienced two teens in front of
0:17 our door
0:18 prostitution across the street I mean
0:20 just so many things but still we are
0:23 able to remain positive it's with our
0:26 after-school programs we have an
0:29 opportunity to take kids of the East
0:30 Side community and provide enrichment
0:33 activities as well as academic support
0:35 and mostly we provide strong mentorship
0:40 with this program you have an idea well
0:42 you you know where your child is you
0:45 know what they're doing you know what's
0:46 going on and you know that it's
0:48 productive they have tutoring they have
0:50 help with their homework reading math
0:52 science like my oldest son he was behind
0:55 on math and some reading so he improved
0:58 that there's always a new dance there's
1:01 always a new friend
1:02 there's always a new song they've
1:04 learned there's a different skill they
1:06 mastered that they didn't know before
1:08 and you know it's just exciting to them
1:11 it's something else to do when kids come
1:14 to our building they have the
1:15 opportunity to come right after school
1:18 and we decided a few years ago that we
1:21 didn't want kids walking home at
1:23 nighttime every day we load up all the
1:26 kids that come to our program we drive
1:29 them toward program and in the evening
1:31 we drive each and every one of them home
1:33 the school system being as tight on
1:37 money as they are it cut a lot of the
1:38 music and drama and things of that
1:41 nature out of their programs and so
1:43 we've decided very consciously that
1:46 we're going to try to take up on some of
1:48 that we actually contract with local
1:51 agencies that provide professional
1:53 artists that
1:54 you know they provide professional dance
1:56 professional music professional art
2:00 after the after-school program we have
2:02 our basketball programs Boy Scouts a
2:05 girls program that we have going
2:07 anything that we can to make them an
2:09 all-around better person the police have
2:12 been with us now I believe four or five
2:14 years and they have just been phenomenal
2:17 this program allows children to see us
2:21 as human beings too and so they don't
2:23 always look at more enforcement is the
2:25 big bad guy they're actually able to
2:27 work hand in hand side by side with this
2:30 officer you know and that is just
2:32 awesome
2:33 everyone there is associated with the
2:36 community they live in the areas they
2:39 see the kids outside of school they know
2:41 the families so there they are the
2:45 community if the Salvation Army was not
2:48 here like I said this neighborhood would
2:50 be they would be hurting they really
2:54 would be I always tell the kids my
2:56 payment is later in life when I see them
2:59 going miss college working a job
3:03 starting a family being a positive
3:07 outlet to society being involved in the
3:10 Salvation Army actually gives my little
3:12 girls a chance to see that there's other
3:13 things outside of life other than being
3:16 out on the streets and you know having
3:18 no other choices or goals I want them to
3:20 have a good education and to be what I
3:23 can be
3:25 I'm trying we try to show them that no
3:31 matter what's going on in their lives we
3:34 love them
3:35 we see a need and we try to meet need
3:39 where it is
3:40 I've got 85 kids that'll be in our
3:42 building tonight that I know will not be
3:46 on the streets this afternoon that will
3:48 not be at a house by themselves this
3:51 afternoon that there'll be someone here
3:54 helping them with their homework
3:54 there'll be someone here playing
3:56 basketball with them that dollar that
3:59 you give yesterday helps us today to be
4:03 able to take care of that kid they'll go
4:06 home tonight and know that someone cares
4:08 about them