FLINT, Michigan—After winning one of four highly competitive grants, YouthQuest will expand its middle school program to help prepare students for their transition to high school.
YouthQuest won a $100,000 “Aim High” grant from the New York Life Foundation, selected out of 450 applications.
Operated since 2010, YouthQuest is an after-school and summer program that annually serves roughly 2,000 kids around Flint and Genesee County.
“This will help us not only to serve more kids at the middle school level, but expand the opportunities we can provide for them,” said Rhetta Hunyady, vice president of education and training at the Flint Chamber of Commerce. “This program provides support… We’re doing it together.”
As a free program designed to approach learning in a fun way, students stay engaged in the world and its processes around them, asking questions and being attended to in a way appropriate for their learning style, discovering skills for the working world and having a blast while doing it.
The goal?
“(We) want them to ask, ‘tell me more’, ‘show me more’, and really get excited about their learning all while having fun while doing it,” Hunyady said.
Going beyond the typical classroom setting and activities, YouthQuest encourages students to explore the community and local organizations by attending fitness and health programs, the theatre, and museums. YouthQuest also hosts community leaders for conversations and brings in local vendors and instructors to teach a variety of skills from archery, cooking, and speaking a foreign language.
“Ultimately as they grow into adulthood (these learned skills) will help them in the future,” said Hunyady.
Along with the core subjects taught throughout the program—like math, reading, and science—students are also shown the importance of volunteering and are encouraged to pick projects, organizations, and causes to donate their time and effort. Taking a whole-child approach, YouthQuest aims to help build well-rounded students equipped with a variety of skills and learning experiences.
For more information on YouthQuest, contact your school or the
Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.