AFTER SCHOOL activities
Own It! is a substantive & empowering multi-week enrichment program for middle and high school students. It is adaptable to after-school, evening, weekend, or summer programs and is currently being used in various Boys & Girls Clubs.
History Connection
Students consider the following questions & issues:
"What is most important to me in my neighborhood?"
"Whether I appreciate historical landmarks in my community."
"Face the challenge of looking at memorials to great Americans and create a memorial to my life."
"Designing a public monument that celebrates values and goals for the U.S. today such as creating a "Statute of Liberty" for now and our future."
"Doing an 'Inheritances, Inequality, and Privilege Walk' in the shoes of famous Americans at age 20 and considering how they compare to me."
"Experiencing 'traveling while black or brown' using the Green Book."
Left: Clubhouse, Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club, California, 2018
Personal Awareness
We encourage students to engage such matters as:
"Focusing on 'what I care about' . . . in my family, school, neighborhood, community, country, and the world."
"Growing up stories-'It's where I finish life, not where I started."
"What would I want to tell my grandchildren about my life's accomplishments and how I achieved them."
"Identifying a hero and seeing what qualities I share with them."
"Self-Assessing what I learned, personally, and how I develop opinions about the world I live in."
Right: Image displayed at Diverse Voices Conference, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 2009
Creativity and Engagement
We encourage imaginative approaches:
"Disempowering hateful language by understanding that 'what you think of me' is your issue and does not define me."
"Brainstorming; being imaginative and creative."
"Identifying a cause I care most about and developing an action plan to advance that cause."
Fun!
We want students to enjoy Own It! by:
"Doing improv warmups at the start of every meeting."
"Getting a prize for 'What I do worst.' This involves taking a risk without fear of judgment."
Right: Children's Theater, Dallas, Texas, 2019
Flexible Program
We offer handbooks with fully developed lessons that provide detailed, yet flexible, programs for After School, evening, weekend, or summer Own It! sessions.
Own It! activities support Community Building when used in joint programs for youths from differing parts of a community.
CONTACT US if you want to use Own It! with your group.