 Students collaborate at an Empowerment Academy Study Jam last spring. (Photo courtesy Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley) On September 4, Cris Fonseca and Andrea Ayala boarded a time machine on the campus of Sonoma Valley High School.
No sci-fi magic was involved. Instead, Cris and Andrea stepped into their futures courtesy of the Empowerment Academy, an after-school program open to all high schoolers that’s funded by your Red & White Ball contributions. With your support, we’re partnering with Sonoma High, the Sonoma Mentoring Alliance and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley to provide support and programming teens need to be successful students, employees, and citizens Access to essential life skills right on campus has been a game changer for Cris, a senior. He says, “You don’t have to travel all the way across town to get help, and you don’t have to leave campus and come back – it’s all right here.” Last spring Cris took a Money Matters class at Empowerment Academy that helped him make the most of the paycheck he earns as a Boys & Girls Club culinary intern. The class covers basics of personal finance, including how taxes work, credit and debit cards, and spending decisions. For Andrea, a junior, taking online driver’s education classes on-site at the Empowerment Academy last spring helped her engage more fully with the material than if she’d logged in by herself at home. She says, “Here, I could really look at the assignments and stay on task – and with driver’s education, it’s stuff you really have to know so you can drive safely, so that’s important!” Andrea and Cris plan to make the most of the Empowerment Academy’s offerings this year, from English-language peer tutoring to job skills training. On opening day of the Academy, they and a dozen other students gathered in the informal drop-in space to chat, play pool, and review homework with support from Mentoring Alliance staff. In a nearby classroom, Boys & Girls Club staff led the semester’s first Keystone Leadership class, which helps students develop interpersonal skills and promotes civic engagement and advocacy. Space to connect, study support, and new life skills – the Empowerment Academy’s innovative format provides a launch pad for student success. With your support, their dreams can take flight toward a bright future.
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