Here’s a look at what was going on with BYP’s mentoring team this summer! We had a lively time and got a lot done during our six-week summer program.
As a tradition, BYP Jr. had a part in putting on two parties this summer at the Avenue Apartments. We teamed up with the new Event Planning team to put on a Game Night and a Luau. We brought food, games, prizes and lots of dancing for our senior friends to enjoy!
The bulk of our work was done at HOST (Heritage Out of School Time). It was every BYP Jr youth’s duty to befriend the kids and provide mentorship and support in the classroom.
Sometimes we brought our own projects, such as putting on a Scavenger Hunt or making a craft. A successful project was Calming Bottles, made by Chawntay’s team. These colorful bottles are designed to relax kids as they shake them and watch the glitter settle.
We also got a little bit of gardening in! Puhala is a garden site that is close to HOST and a great place to take kids for a garden excursion. The kids at HOST planted flowers and strawberries and got to harvest tomatoes and zucchini. BYP Jr also put together and painted a Little Free Library. The Garden Team helped us install it at Puhala! If you are Braddock, stop by and take a book, leave a book!
While the kids at HOST were on a field trip, we planned a fun afternoon event, Chalk the Dock II, inspired by an event from last year. We made the front of the Community Center an appealing kid haven by decorating it with sidewalk chalk, doing face painting, and blowing giant bubbles!
Another event we put on occurred during the last week of program. We invited the youth to bring their siblings to work. BYP Jr. planned the agenda for the siblings, which included lots of games and tours of all of the work sites. Siblings got a sneak peek at what it’s like to work at BYP, seeing the garden sites, Braddock Farms, HOST, the Media cave, Print shop and Braddock Library! The day even included a mini Talent Show!
As a final treat, the Media Team helped us make a music video! You can see us Whip and Nae Nae with our little buddies at HOST:
-Laura