Harambe It is 2:30 PM on a Thursday afternoon. The white van pulls up in front of the middle school, now empty, but soon to be filled with at least ten kids that are really looking forward to the Harambe after school program at Advocates. As the kids file out, they all run up, open the door, jump in, and engage in battle over who is going to be sitting in the front seat. The kids are all excited, talking about their day, sharing things with us, and expressing their happiness in coming. Five minutes later the bus pulls into the Advocates parking lot. The kids can barely contain their excitement, as they jump out the side door, and run up into the office where their time with us will begin. When they walk through the door, the high school peer leaders are there waiting, excited to see the kids, and anxious to get started on the educational lesson and project that they have planned for the day. Lessons include drug refusal skills, communication, and creative projects. Before any projects are started, the kids pair up with the peer leaders and the tutoring begins! Students complete their homework with little persuading. As each student finishes they will join the group in the back room for a half hour of team building games. As the group reconvenes, they all gather in one room and the activities start. The students are a very diverse group. In this environment they learn how to become leaders themselves. The program consists of about 10 to 14 middle school students that were placed in the program by their guidance counselors. They work on their own leadership and communication skills, rather than just hanging out. The way that the students relate to each other is amazing. Participation has been beyond what is exhibited in most programs. We have near perfect attendance every week and the kids are continuously asking if their friends can come. Our
program is distinct from other programs because we actually provide
transportation for the kids. We pick them up from school in a 15-passenger
van and we drive the students home after the program. As a result,
we have a very good turnout because the kids don't have to depend on
their parents to transport them. It requires a little more effort on
our part, but we think that it is really great to see these kids happy,
striving, and wanting to be a part of something. We are somewhat limited
to what we can do with the kids inside an agency setting. There are
no bells and whistles, but we have a secret weapon that keeps them
coming back. We have High School peer leaders who are totally committed
to the students’ growth and development. This helps students
to resolve any conflicts they may have and develop drug abuse resistance
skills.
The peer leaders help build a foundation enabling these kids to resolve conflicts with each other almost immediatly. This is really a diverse group, but when they come together, they work very well as a team. When
asked about what they thought about the program, We, as peer leaders, like the Harambe Program. In fact, we love it. Working with the kids is most definitely the driving force behind our work. When the kids first arrive with a smile on their face, and excitement in their eyes, we know that the enthusiasm for the program is mutual. By working with the kids every week, we have gained their trust and respect. We enjoy the bond we have developed, and are proud to be a positive influence in their lives. To show that we are equal, we facilitate and participate in activities with the kids weekly. We enjoy teaching about tobacco, decision-making, and other life skills. Moreover, we enjoy learning from the kids. As peer leaders we feel that the Harambe Program has impacted our lives by teaching us many valuable skills. In our effort to teach life skills through presentations, games, activities, and our influence, we have gained knowledge from our interaction with them. We also learned how to communicate effectively with diverse groups of people. This program has been extremely beneficial, not only the children, but to us as well. Although some of us are leaving Advocates at the end of the school year, we would love to continue to work with the kids. Everything about the Harambe Program has been educational for us. Even the basic planning of the program has taught us useful organizational, communication, and planning skills. Not only have we gained valuable knowledge, but also we have thoroughly enjoyed it. We feel as though the work we have done with them has impacted their lives as well as ours. We hope that no matter what happens to our program, we all keep our Harambe memories close to heart. The
youth participants when asked what they thought of the “I
think this program is perfect just the way it is. You get to play
with kids your age and everyone can be themselves. This program is
educational and you learn a lot about things you need in your everyday
life. The people here are great and nice to talk to. The peer leaders
are the teachers to me. They know what we like because they have
been through the things that we are going through. When I come here
I feel normal because it’s a place just to be yourself, you
don’t have to be serious, and you can be a jokester if you
want. I know the place that I described sounds like a wonderful dream
place but it isn’t. This place has rules that we need to follow
and sometimes we are serious. And I guess I want to say that I love
this place. It is just what kids need in their teen years. I would
recommend it for anyone, even adults. Maybe they should start a program
for them. I thank my lucky stars that I was chosen to be in this
program.” “The
program has changed my life by having me understand and make better
choices in my life. I always like coming here. I try to get some
of my friends to come. I tell them how much fun it is.” “This
program has helped me to help someone that I love and care about
make the right decisions. When I am I here I feel safe with everyone
at Advocates.” “Every
Thursday I get to hang with my friends. I think Harambe is fun because
I like the peer leaders and they make me feel comfortable because
I can be myself. I really like Harambe.” "It
helps me make better choices when I am around my friends and I meet
a lot of people here. It is a good way for kids to learn about things
they never even heard of." “I
like this program because it helps me do my homework. It's very nice
because at the end, you get a ride home. When I am here, I feel safe.
The best part of this program is that we go on field trips. And every
time I come to this program I leave learning something new.” " It
changed my life by a lot of things. I make friends here and meet
old friends. I was happy when me and Adam taught people more about
wrestling. I have a whole lot of fun and I expect to see more of
these in the future. A couple of other things I learned about was
pig Latin and Spanish. Some people think that Harambe is a freaky
boring place but to me it's like heaven and home." Well there you have it, right from the kids themselves. It doesn't get much better than that. We are really excited about the idea of eventually expanding the program to more than one day per week and increasing the number of students that participate. We would like to develop an evaluation process that helps us formally track students and their growth inside of the program, the choices they make in the future, and the impact on the family as a whole. Due to limited staff, this will be very challenging for us to accomplish. However, we will be examining additional funding sources this spring. Velma (The peer leader coordinator) and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of the kids. Thursday’s have become a day that none of us would miss for the world! ? Renee F., peer leaders and kids of the Harambe Program
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