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Youth in Action
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| Youth in Action leaders Caroline and Paris are cutting the cheese this month at Young Chefs Academy in Kalamazoo, MI. |
During the month of November, Youth in Action students began Young Chefs. Young Chefs is a program focused on introducing students to the culinary arts while also building vocabulary and team building skills. Youth in Action also initiated an alliance with neighboring Greenwood Elementary where they took on reading buddies in a third grade classroom.
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| Kalamazoo Youth in Action leaders Skylar and Joe frying up potato pancakes at Young Chefs Academy. |
To begin the service learning project Youth in Action first took a field trip to the local Barnes and Noble where they were given an allotment of money to purchase an array of children's books. Each week Youth in Action took the books they had purchased and took turns reading and being read to.
Youth in Action are stepping up and representing themselves, the school, and the Turn 2 Foundation well as mentors to young students at Greenwood Elementary. They have taken great ownership over the experiences they are having with reading buddies. Furthermore, they are truly enjoying themselves throughout the project, as well as their time spent at Young Chefs.
Milwood Magnet Middle School
2006-2007 Year End Summary
Youth in Action
Youth in Action focuses on increasing student achievement in the areas of learning, literacy, and motivation to attend and participate in school. Another goal is to develop mentor relationships between youth participants and positive adult role models. Students benefit from personalized tutoring in specialized academic areas where they may be struggling.
This year's Milwood Youth in Action program was held three times per week and included 15 student participants. The program was used to focus on specific areas that included community service, life choices and the school's magnet theme consisting of math, science and technology.
2006-2007 Program Highlights
Community Service (Friday)
- Bought and read books to area elementary students
- Built bird houses for school's courtyard
- Built a rabbit hutch for school's rabbits
- Fed rabbits and birds
- Raked school grounds
- Raked neighborhood yards
- Helped recycling efforts within the school
Positive Life Lessons (Thursday)
- Instilled daily group meeting to discuss student academic and behavioral progress in school
- Applied Prevention Works Program; a 14 week program to promote positive long term choices
- Bowling League
- Swim Lessons
Magnet Theme (Tuesday)
- Mad Science (NASA Program)
- Junior Achievement (Entrepreneurial Program)
- Kalamazoo Valley Museum (Planetarium Visit)
- Gull Meadow Farms (Cooking with Apples)
- Digital Camera Workshop
- Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations
"We had many great experiences throughout the past school year. The most successful part of this year's program was the community service component. Our students completed several projects that they thought of. Their favorite community service activity was the "reading buddies" project. We spent four consecutive Fridays with a first-grade class. The students were able to provide new books, be role-models and build confidence."
-- April Rocco, Director of Youth in Action
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