To celebrate #LightsOnAfterschool and the amazing impact that out-of-school time programming has on young people and communities we want to share one story from MCC youth program alumni Daisy who we are incredibly proud of and thankful for! #AfterschoolWorks

When Daisy began coming to MCC’s youth programming at Kosciuszko Community Center she was 9 years old. Her mother enrolled her in YDP’s summer camp to give her an active summer while she worked full-time and attended school at night. In Daisy’s words she joined so she wouldn’t “become a couch potato”. Daisy would end up attending summer camp for many years, with her younger twin brothers joining her.

When Daisy was 14, she was asked if she would be interested in being a camp counselor helping to care for younger kids. She spent the next several summers and parts of her school years working in the YDP program, gradually taking on more leadership roles. At the same time she participated in MCC’s teen groups and hands-on arts programming. One summer with a staff person having departed, MCC was without a liaison supporting a partners literacy work with first and second grade students. Out of all the adult staff, the program manager immediately chose Daisy as the “perfect fit” and she co-led literacy programming alongside folks with decades of experience for the rest of the summer. The result? The kids and partner ended the summer raving about Daisy’s leadership and ability to communicate with and support the children in the class. Its one is a series of opportunities Daisy would make the most of.

Fast forward to 2020 and you can find Daisy serving in the National Guard, setting up and running COVID-19 testing sites while she pursues her Bachelors degree from UW-Milwaukee with a major in Biomedical Sciences and minor in Spanish. Asked what role being involved in MCC had in her pathway Daisy says, “Being involved with MCC definitely helped me strengthen my ability to work well with others in a team environment. And working with children and planning activities throughout the day helped strengthen my ability to take on a leadership role.” Our youth programming’s ultimate goal is to support young people on pathways of educational, career and civic success. That starts with relationships, with sharing community with one another. As Daisy puts it, “MCC taught me to deeply love a community that needs more heart to heal its wounds.”

Since 2000, Lights On Afterschool has been celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America’s children, families and communities. Learn more here

From CBS 58 – “shoppers cleared the aisles at the El Rey Food Market on Milwaukee’s south side Tuesday morning, in competitive speed shopping. The folks in green shirts were participating in the 12th Annual Race for the Hungry. It’s a benefit to help the Milwaukee Christian Center. Full coverage can be found here

From Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service – “Because events are held at the popular Kosciuszko Park, MCC’s Youth Program Manager Brian Stewart said limiting groups also helps reduce interactions with the public.

A challenge for all organizations is finding activities that are engaging while also socially distant.

“Initially we thought games like soccer could work, because you’re just kicking a ball around,” Stewart said. “But unless you only practice drills, you’ll inevitably have kids breathing [on] and touching each other due to the competitive nature of the game.”

“…The MCC’s Stewart said the summer forced his organization to become even more focused on its neighborhoods.

“We were very building-centric before — a lot of our summer programs were inside,” Stewart said. “Now we’re constantly looking for ways to get youth involved in their own neighborhood and build a lasting testament to their involvement in their own community.” Full coverage can be found here

From Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service – Community artist Tia Richardson and her community collaborators did not let the pandemic stop them from finishing the third in a series of murals that stretch over 200 feet along West Forest Home Avenue.

Richardson and a team of eight youth artist interns spent a month collaborating to create the mural, which is named “Together as one heart.”

The project is a collaboration of Richardson, Milwaukee Christian Center and Muskego Way Forward Initiative, with financial support from MPS Partnership for the Arts and Humanities, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention. Full coverage can be found here

From Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service – “White worked a variety of jobs including as a manager at Walmart before transitioning to youth work. In 2018, he was hired as a youth adviser at MPS for the Milwaukee Christian Center, first working at Bradley Tech High School and now Pulaski. Pulaski High School shares a building and basketball team with MPS charter, Carmen High School of Science & Technology’s Southeast Campus…”

“Everybody is at a 3.0 GPA or higher,” said White. It’s an extraordinary accomplishment at a school where the graduation rate is 54 percent and student achievement score is 6.9 compared with a statewide average for high school students of 59.8, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s 2018-’19 school report card data.

The school has fared much better in measures that track school growth and the closing of gaps in English language arts, mathematics and graduation rates.

“We’re not just trying to make them better players, we’re trying to make them better people,” White said. “I think sometimes they’re not used to having somebody pour in and invest in them, and when you do that, it makes them invest in themselves.”

One player who has benefited from that approach is Dallas Lorona, a 17-year-old junior who transferred to Pulaski from Bay View this year. White began keepings tabs on Lorona months before the season even started, once ordering him to do 200 pushups as punishment for getting caught walking the halls.

“If I didn’t have Coach White or basketball, I’d probably be getting in trouble,” Lorona said.

“Everything he does is to make us work for a better future and to be ready for that next level of life on and off the court.” Full coverage can be found here