Culture

Children should be encouraged to explore their interests as soon as their school activity is over. Thankfully, after-school activities provide educational enrichment and actively support the child’s life. The Village Method is a provider of culturally affirming after-school programming. We are here to emphasize the importance of high-quality education, inside and outside the walls of schools.

As we all know, the pandemic impacted families and communities alike. Furthermore, it created an unprecedented demand for either in-person or remote after-school activities. As families and teachers were pushed to come together and overcome the global challenge, family engagement also took a step forward.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how after-school activities can boost your child’s chances for academic excellence. Read on! 

The Search for High-Quality After-School Programs

What makes one after-school program better than all others? The multitude of after-school programs that are currently available out there could easily confuse students and their parents. If you are looking for after-school activities, here are a few aspects you should consider.

Firstly, students and their parents must be encouraged to take part in family engagement activities. They must be motivated enough to spend after-school hours alongside a community of people they can relate to. Lastly, the after-school activities themselves must prioritize child development, critical thinking, and address educational inequity right from the start.

Remember, a truly great after-school activity will actively seek to accommodate the students according to their unique, cultural backgrounds. That is how a kid will understand how vital it is to belong to a community. This is how academic excellence is achieved ━ by connecting our youth to their roots and letting them know that they are indeed valued.

Create Opportunity for College and Career Readiness

An excellent after-school program will aim to gradually build on pre-existing skills, from early childhood education all the way to middle school, then finally, to high school. Educational inequity starts the moment our children fail to be seen, heard, and understood.

First-generation college students have it the hardest. The expectations are high and the resources are, for the most part, on the low side. After-school activities create necessary cultural pipelines. With the help of caring adults, awesome family engagement activities, and Social and Emotional Learning skills, our kids will naturally aspire for academic excellence and bask in its benefits. 

During the course of the K-12 years, after-school programs play a crucial part in the cognitive, emotional, and psychological development of our children. Their chances to get into their desired colleges increase whenever after-school opportunities are present. What kids need is the support of culturally responsive and affirming after-school activities.

School-Parent Relationships and Family Engagement Activities

According to Learning Heroes’ national survey, the pandemic brought family engagement activities to the very forefront of their children’s education. Before, the parent was quite literally kept in the dark regarding their child’s achievement. In fact, since 2020, parents want to spend time helping with homework and are keen to provide enrichment to their children’s learning capabilities.

Most kids need better family engagement activities in order to improve their learning skills and overall achievement levels. The road towards academic excellence relies on the schools’ willingness to implement and nurture culturally respectful family engagement activities.

We highly recommend that you check out the book titled ‘A Cord of Three Strands: A New Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools’ by Soo Hong. Its focus on low-income children and their need for parental engagement will prove useful in the process of dismantling educational inequity.

Academic Excellence and Social and Emotional Learning

While attending after-school activities, kids need to make new friends, have fun, and explore some of the most popular topics. In order for them to have a smooth journey to college, parents need to seek after-school programs that address their Social and Emotional Learning capabilities.

Academic excellence starts to take shape when we prioritize emotional and social skills. Kids need to develop healthy attitudes about themselves and the world they’re living in. They must explore their empathetic side and learn how to co-exist with other children. 

When searching for after-school activities for your child, make sure that Social and Emotional Learning is recognized as a valuable tool for children of all ages. It is elementary to aim for academic excellence in a creative manner that nurtures the well-being of the child.

Research has shown time and time again that Social and Emotional Learning improves academic achievement and has long-term effects that are tangible on a global scale. Social and Emotional Learning is a fundamental part of after-school programs that aim to help their attendants succeed in life.

Can After-School Activities Ensure Academic Excellence?

Yes, they can. After-school programs must ensure that they always provide their attendants with valuable family engagement activities. Social and Emotional Learning must also be the pinnacle of after-school education. 

More so, the young ones should engage in meaningful, culturally relevant after-school activities that will, in time, bring out the sense of personal empowerment and pride. All children that belong to minorities deserve to be acknowledged. After-school activities are here to bring a resolution to our nation’s long-standing educational inequity.

The Village Method is more than just another after-school program. Together, we have the power to build villages of happy, empowered children. Join our fight for equity by getting involved now!

The needs of our children must be met. After-school programs are here to help them develop agency and know what it is that they stand for. The Village Method takes this matter seriously by providing young scholars and their families with the after-school activities they deserve.

Did you know that 40% of the students that attended 21st Century Community Learning Center programs improved their reading and maths grades? Despite the educational inequity that continues to affect our nation, academic excellence continues to be pursued by young people who choose to participate in after-school programs.

In today’s article, let’s find out more about how after-school programs can help kids achieve academic excellence through extracurricular activities. Read on!

After-School Programs Pave the Way to Academic Enrichment

According to Eccles and Gootman (2002), children are “agents of their own development”. Marginalized communities are less likely to receive the education they require from public schools. In fact, after-school activities are becoming somehow mandatory for students of color. We must address this need by providing them with comprehensive after-school programs.

The achievement gap is still a real problem in most public schools. After-school programs are here to bridge this gap by providing all children with equal opportunities when it comes to their academic achievement, regardless of their social and economic backgrounds.

A 2006 article titled “Out-of-School-Time Programs: A Meta-Analysis of Effects for At-Risk Students” revealed that after-school programs were successful at helping students improve their reading and maths achievement levels. This was especially true for middle school and high school students.

In order for our children to have better grades, they require dedicated teachers to offer them much-needed resources and constant support. It is our responsibility to further increase their chances for academic excellence through after-school programs.

A Great After-School Program Will Rely on Family Engagement Activities 

Research done by the Afterschool Alliance shows that parents of color recognize the importance of any given after-school program, regardless of age group. The benefits of such a program include a deeper understanding of Social and Emotional Learning skills, a lesser chance of children getting involved in risky behaviors, and a higher probability of achieving academic excellence.

The research also shows us just how vast the unmet demand for after-school programs really is. Our youth needs to engage in academically relevant activities alongside various workshops that will enrich their skills. Furthermore, such a program could help them explore their African roots.

Teaching is an art that should go beyond the walls of the classroom. Thankfully, there are plenty of organizations that are keen on providing students with the necessary support, including valuable family engagement activities. 

Parent-teacher relationships pave the way for better academic gains. Family engagement activities are the pinnacle of equitable education for all. Families must be regarded as valuable partners in the educational process. Young people must feel seen and understood on all levels, especially from a cultural point of view.

After-School Activities Must Provide Cultural Responsiveness

Image caption: Freepik

Educational inequality stems from a lack of cultural responsiveness. Whether it happens during a school day or a school year, minority students must be introduced to valuable concepts and information that mirror their cultural values.

An Afrocentric workshop might not be as popular as one that focuses on leadership training. However, the value of accurate African knowledge is incommensurable. Culturally affirming after-school activities are a necessary tool that aims to nurture the whole child.

Family engagement activities may also enhance the efficiency of Social and Emotional Learning skills. The sense of community enables children to aim for their own definition of academic success. Whether they want to attend their dream college or give back to the community, they must be supported along the way.

It is important to search for after-school programs that go past recreation and homework. Our children need to experience a sense of belonging to their community. They must be educated according to the African standards of academic excellence. 

Can After-School Programs Lead to Academic Excellence?

The answer is affirmative. After-school activities have the power to put our youth on the right track. Here are the things to search for in an after-school program:

• It prioritizes Social and Emotional Learning
• It addresses Afrocentric subjects and issues
• It promotes a sense of community
• It focuses on culturally affirming family engagement activities

The Village Method is a community-based grassroots organization that focuses on addressing the cultural and academic needs of our youth. You can get involved today and help us build a village of successful young scholars!

Shall we kick off this article with a fact that affects us all? The U.S educational system is one of the most unequal in the industrialized world. The Afrocentric way of educating our young ones has always been under Western attack. The Village Method is here to lend a helping hand to all teachers, parents, and young scholars who are seeking their African roots. 

The unabridged African American history has yet to become a part of the school curriculum. That is because our lawmakers insist on censoring our centuries-long fight for education. Let us not forget that the segregated schools of the 60s continue to haunt our modern attitudes.

In today’s article, let’s join forces and seek the light at the end of the tunnel together. All African-Americans deserve to become accustomed to their collective, African past. Read on to find out more about the preservation of the African way of educating our children!

An Afrocentric View on the History of Black Americans

Afrocentrism is often mistaken for a radical idea. Similarly to the Critical Race Theory, its critics are often enthusiasts of the European way of educating our people. A shift of perspective must take place. Educational inequity needs to be addressed but only by learning from the past.

Its counterpart, Eurocentrism, has managed to diminish the educational importance of African culture and tradition. In 1865, the Freedmen’s Bureau was not only a response to the Civil War  ━ it also marked a remarkable time during the Reconstruction period

4 million newly freed people needed help to get their lives back on track. With over one thousand schools built to instruct and educate our people, things were looking better than ever, until the Bureau’s termination in 1872. This short-lived emancipation speaks volumes about the systemic racism and educational inequity during that time in history.

Our children must know the real history of their people. Regardless of all hardships, academic excellence was a consistent goal for the African-American community. An Afrocentric perspective on history will replace the miseducation of all people of African descent and reconnect them with the real African history. 

An Afrocentric Take On the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

The Civil Rights Movement brought forth ideas that are still being propagated today. This influential political movement initiated a national conversation regarding the end of racial segregation. Afrocentrism itself was a part of this debate. 

Overcoming systemic racism was surely a more difficult task back then than it is today. The Brown case revealed the educational inequity and its main cause, White supremacy. Western civilization tried its best to undermine the influence and richness of all African-derived cultures. 

Joint efforts of civil rights lawyers who had fought for desegregation were met with disdain by most White parents and teachers. The Brown case influenced communities throughout the nation and brought forth issues that had long been swiped under the rug of White supremacy.

Although our children were not legally constrained from attending White schools, they continued to face systemic racism and stereotyping. Contemporary African-American culture benefited from the Brown case, although its legacy remains quite an unfinished, Afrocentric symphony.

An Afrocentric Perspective on African Formal Education

Colonialism and Westernization paved the way for the educational inequity and systemic racism we are facing today. Although Critical Race Theory, a byproduct of the Civil Rights Movement, continues to highlight the racial injustice directed at our people, there are still some things worth discovering in regards to the African way of educating our youth.

Did you know that in Botswana, the necessary knowledge and skills were passed on orally, through Afrocentric fables, folktales, legends, myths, and proverbs? This not only dismantles the oppression of our people through a sense of self-awareness, but also sheds new light on the concept of Afrocentrism.

Should culturally responsive after-school programs take the example of African education? This kind of Afrocentric knowledge could very well be implemented via culturally respectful family engagement activities. That way, the families, educators, and children could gain a newfound perspective on the African civilization as a whole.

Colonizers’ main efforts were directed at suppressing and, ideally, obliterating the African spirit. What schools and after-school programs should be aiming for is Afrocentric awareness and academic excellence, as the two go hand in hand. 

Family engagement activities have the power to reconnect our youth to their roots. Only an Afrocentric educational approach can dismantle the systemic racism that has been plaguing our nation for centuries. It is time that we aim to build strong communities of like-minded individuals.

Can We Preserve the Afrocentric Way of Educating Our Youth?

Yes, we most certainly can. Civil rights lawyers and countless scholars made sure of that. Professor Derrick Bell or Asa G. Hilliard III, to name only a few, both fought for an authentically Afrocentric way of living and educating our youth.

We can now bring awareness to the founding fathers of Afrocentrism, as well as to the history of our people with the help of culturally responsive after-school programs. Furthermore, family engagement activities can come in handy as a way to educate both the children and their families. This is what we like to call building a village.

The Village Method is here to build proudly Afrocentric villages. Unlike other after-school programs, we bring forth the richness and complexity of our ancestral culture through Youth Development, Family Engagement Activities, and Community Outreach programming.

Join us as we start building more and more villages. You can get involved today! 

The history of our people is nothing short of fascinating. In today’s America, being an African-American is often associated with negative sentiments. This ends up perpetuating constant social inequities, as well as making way for the furthering of systemic racism. An Afrocentric agenda is long overdue. 

Our children deserve to feel confident in their own skin and secure in the richness of their African ancestry. However, the curriculum they’re being taught is lackluster, to say the very least. 

An uninspired youth will end up making countless mistakes along the way. We must stop this scenario from ever taking place.

Today’s article is here to bring to your awareness a different manner of educating our children ━ an Afrocentric approach that will open the doors to academic excellence and restore a healthy sense of African self-awareness. 

Read on to find out why Afrocentrism has become the standard for equitable education!

An Afrocentric Recollection of African-American History

Before after-school programs and family engagement activities became popular, our ancestors have had to deal with far greater challenges. 

The history of segregation remains the thorn in our people’s sides, especially from an educational point of view. It marked a particularly painful era that continues to impact our present-day struggles.

Despite all the hardships and inequities, 18th-19th century teachers and parents continued to push forward towards academic excellence. Once they were free from the oppression of slavery, our people were adamant about becoming formally educated, knowledgeable individuals. 

The tradition of self-help was a steeple of modern-day education. Unfortunately, self-help education is a concept that few of us are familiar with. 

Abolitionist lawyers, such as Robert Morris, were pioneers when it came to ending the segregated schooling system. His ideas were revisited during the Brown v. Board of Education case.

100 years after the efforts of early abolitionists, the Brown v. Board of Education landmark decision accomplished the impossible. It managed to put a legal end to the shameful segregation in public schools. 

We still have quite a long way to go. However, our children deserve to learn the real history of their ancestors, without artifice or censorship. An Afrocentric perspective on history is vital and needs to become a part of the current curriculum.

What Are the Benefits of an Afrocentric Curriculum?

Let us find out some of the main benefits of Afrocentrism and how it may improve our youth’s academic journeys:

• Afrocentrism provides self-awareness and confidence – The more our children become familiarized with their African culture, traditions, history, and ancestry, the more likely they will be to excel academically and throughout their adult lives.
• Afrocentrism prioritizes global citizenship – The diversity of the world can seem overwhelming at times. By embracing one’s cultural and historical heritage, the world and its many biases will be easier to navigate.
• An Afrocentric curriculum builds important skills – Our children will be much more likely to develop efficient critical thinking skills. Afrocentrism enhances one’s cognitive skills. By emphasizing the importance of the African way of learning, we can offer kids some of the most valuable social and emotional skills.

The Afrocentric Curriculum and the Critical Race Theory

Ever heard of the Critical Race Theory? The curriculum purposefully ignores its cultural significance. A self-proclaimed Afrocentric curriculum cannot omit the Critical Race Theory. Its impact defies systemic racism and brings our people together like never before.

It should come as no surprise that politicians decided to ban the Critical Race Theory. Our youth is maliciously sabotaged, left to wander through the dark with no compass. According to our politicians, they should live their lives unaware of the greatness of their African ancestry.

The time for a change is now. Not only does our youth deserve an accurate description of their role in society, but they must also become aware of the biases that are the root of all injustice.

An anti-racist curriculum is not inherently racist. Instead, it points out the systemic oppression that all minorities have to battle, day by day. The second-class citizenship of our people can only be eradicated with the help of the Critical Race Theory.

Professor Derrick Bell’s writings set the tone for the modern-day Critical Race Theory. Many African-American legal scholars joined forces in order to bring equity to our people’s lives. Their efforts should not be in vain. Instead, we should make it our main mission to embrace Afrocentrism. 

Is an Afrocentric Curriculum the Right Choice?

We conclude that Afrocentrism is the only way through which we can establish an equitable educational system.

Our children are fully deserving of an equity-focused curriculum that will further enable them to give back to their communities. The academic journey of our youth depends on the communities that aim to nurture and accurately instruct them. 

Schools and their curriculums are failing our children at this point in time. What is the solution, you might ask?

We highly encourage you to look into culturally responsive after-school programs. Remember, they should teach our youth all they need to know regarding their rich African heritage.

Furthermore, Afrocentric after-school programs should make it their mission to efficiently bridge the gap between home and school via family engagement activities. Nonetheless, they should aim to nurture long-lasting, supportive communities. 

It takes a village to raise a child, according to the ancient African proverb. Why not start today?

The Village Method is here to revolutionize regular after-school programs. Fully equipped with an Afrocentric perspective and eager to encourage valuable family engagement activities, our organization may be the perfect choice for you and your child.

You can join our village by getting involved or simply by spreading the word about our cause! We thank you for your interest and support! Your contribution to our village will undoubtedly empower generations to come!