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Janet Maulbeck gets ready for the upcoming 2004-05 program
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Beyond the Stairmasters, treadmills and weights…past the smell of chlorine…away from the climbing wall and gyms…lives the “other” YMCA—the Y that some don’t see, but is a benefit to all.
It’s the Community Outreach department and it’s what makes the YMCA stand apart from other gyms in the area. Think the Y is just about fitness? Take a minute to find out just one of the ways the Y is an invaluable community resource.
As the community changes, so too does the Y’s community outreach services. Mirroring the national population, the Summit area has seen a doubling in its Latino population in the past 10 years. Given that dramatic increase, it was clear that more needed to be done to reach out to Spanish-speaking adults and children. One such way was through the creation of the Latino Achievers, an after school enrichment program.
“We started the program for middle schoolers last fall and
it has really taken root,” says Janet Maulbeck, the Y’s Community Development Director and coordinator of the program. Similar to the Y’s extremely successful Black Achievers program. Latino Achievers aims to help children with issues related to identity and self-esteem, and to motivate students both academically and personally. “Beyond that, we asked the kids what their needs and visions were, and they said learning English was one of their goals,” says Maulbeck. “They also wanted a place where they can talk through various issues, so we’ve tried to give them a place to do that in a positive, problem-solving way.” Expanding Latino Achievers to also include high school students is planned for the near future.
In addition to the Latino Achievers, the Summit YMCA began offering a homework-help program for both Black and Latino Achievers. “We’ve gotten wonderful feedback from teachers who are grateful for the support. And another measure of our success is seeing the same kids come back week after week,” says Maulbeck. Adds Keyon Smith, Outreach Services Director and coordinator of the Black Achievers program, “We were finding in our Achievers meetings that we were spending so much time on career exploration and other things, that we were neglecting homework, especially math. I am very hopeful that homework help will become an even bigger part of our department in the future.”
But students are not the only focus of the Y’s community outreach efforts. The Y has recently been cultivating a partnership with Overlook Hospital, offering a variety of health screenings and lecture series both at the Y and at Overlook. The Y also initiated a Spanish-language parenting series—with the help of a grant for the Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills. Next up are needs assessments at both the Springfield and Berkeley Heights branches to get a sense of what types of outreach services will be most useful and beneficial for those communities.
June 1, 2004
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