TTNS after-school Kidz Club wraps up another year

Best friends Kiana Kendall and Viviana Morales met at Take the Next Step’s Kidz Club. The tenth-graders don’t go to the same high school. They have managed to form a special bond after hours. 

The girls are two of 16 leaders that tutor, teach life skills and ensure the nearly 60 Kidz Club members have some fun twice a week after school. Combined, the group served more than 1,000 volunteer hours this year, said the nonprofit’s community outreach coordinator Sarah Lunstrum.

The program wrapped up for the year with a hike, and a free dinner provided by Main Street Cafe last Tuesday, May 30. They also recently prepared for the Kids Club’s Wake The Neighborhood summer session, which is 3-6 p.m. every Thursday in July. 

Kendall said being a leader has taught her about herself, as well as how to better address the needs of her younger peers.

“Kids will come up to you and tell you what you need to hear,” she said. “God speaks to me through them.”

For the last six years, the program has provided kindergarteners through fifth-graders a place to go after school, Lunstrum said. Many clients that come to the drop-in center bring their children with them. Over time, volunteers get to know the families well, and notice their individual needs, she said.

One 4-year-old boy stuck out six years ago. His family’s need for more supports than they had access to influenced the decision to start Kidz Club. Next year, the little boy will be in sixth grade, and become one of the student leaders, she said. 

The group meets 3:30-5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. The meetings start with snacks and games, followed by homework help. Each session ends with a faith-based gathering, where the kids can learn skills like how to regulate their emotions.

Park Place Middle School sixth-grader and Kidz Club leader Daniel Vigil Ruiz said the program has always been a place where he can come to feel safe, and set aside life’s stressors for a moment.

“When I have a bad day at school, I can throw away all that pain,” he said.

Hidden River Middle School sixth-grader Victoria Castro said the program has helped her come out of her shell. When she first started attending, she would stick very closely to her childhood friend.

“Now I can talk to other kids without stuttering,” she said.

All four leaders said they struggled with bullying in school. Morales said Kidz Club is a place for students to learn how to handle those tough situations, refrain from bullying and stick up for themselves when they are being bullied.

Morales said the bonds formed at Kidz Club carry over into the hallways. It creates a safer environment for the students at school when they know they have the support of classmates who also come to Kidz Club, she said.

Lunstrum said having access to that kind of support is critical. She said a number of national studies have proven the value of a consistent, meaningful relationship with an adult.

The Center for Disease Control reports a strong social network and healthy interactions with an adult can offset the risks associated with traumatic childhood experiences, such as suicide and dropping out of school.

Take the Next Step also supplies community-specific statistics. About 73 percent of the students at the elementary school nearest to the nonprofit live in poverty, 51 percent don’t perform at their reading level and 66 percent are behind in math skills. Students that attend high-poverty schools are seven times more likely to drop out, according to Take the Next Step.

Lunstrum said the nonprofit coordinates with the teachers of Kidz Club members. Tracking progress helps volunteers be more intentional in selecting services to provide through the program, she said.

“We have heard from a lot of teachers that the kids at Kidz Club are more ready to learn when they are at school,” she said.

Morales said she has seen that same progress firsthand. She has worked with first- and second-graders, and she remembers one girl in particular that was not open to getting help with homework when she first started. The girl’s backpack was full of unfinished packets, she said.

Over time, Morales was able to gain her trust, and the girl agreed to pull out her piles of paper. It was never a challenge again to get the girl to allow Morales to help with her work, she said.

Kendall said a big part of Kidz Club is helping children rethink mindsets that may be harmful to their future. Some have siblings that are in gangs. Attending the program helps them see there are other possibilities, she said.

Lunstrum also said it is important to give kids that knowledge. This year volunteers took kids to different college campuses, so they would learn about opportunities beyond high school. She said many of the kids do not have family members that have finished secondary education.

It isn’t all serious at Kidz Club. Sessions include games, songs, and often some dancing.

“We have fun, we get crazy, we embarrass ourselves,” Kendall said.