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After School Enrichment Programs
and Summer Recreation Program The ministry at Cristo Rey is actively involved with the youth in our community on a year-round basis. Throughout the school year, we run an After School Enrichment Program from 4:00-6:00 p.m. five days a week that provides tutoring, homework help, study skills, life skills, and a safe and supervised environment for kids who may otherwise go home to an empty house. During the summer months we offer a Summer Recreation Program from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. four afternoons each week that provides the same kids with opportunities for games, music, arts and crafts, etc. This is the fourth year we have included this aspect of Cristo Rey’s ministry in our Border Immersion Experience, and we have found it to be a wonderful opportunity to build relationships. Our children come from low-income families, many with single parent households. While most are bilingual, several of the younger children speak only Spanish. The program serves children from primary to high school. There are 25-35 children who attend each day. Your group will be responsible for running one of these programs. There is a great deal of flexibility in what you can do. The After School Enrichment Program is more academically focused, so from 4:00-5:00 they do their homework, which you can help them with. However, there are always kids who finish their homework early and are eager to play. From 5:00-6:00 they are available for any activity you may plan. The Summer Recreation Program is more focused on fun. There is no homework and you can design any activity for a two-hour period. Whether you are here for the Summer Recreation Program or the After School Enrichment Program, your day could include a combination of the following: games, arts and craft activities, reading time, singing songs, and one-on-one interaction. It works well to bring with you a repertoire of games that your group can teach. These can be as simple as tag, or as organized as kick-ball or soccer. The kids get very excited to have guests and love new ideas that each group brings with their 10-12 new faces. Be creative and have fun! One important factor to remember if you are here in the summer is the heat in El Paso. Plan on limited time outside with intermittent activities indoors where the kids can cool down a bit. Along these lines, arts and crafts activities are always fun, as are board games and puzzles. The program has some arts and crafts supplies like scissors, glue, crayons, markers, sidewalk chalk, but more specialized supplies you would need to bring with you. We also have some board games and puzzles, but if you have favorites, by all means, bring them. Since the kids range in age from 1st-9th grade, your group may decide to offer more than one activity simultaneously for these different age groups. Encourage your group to plan activities that they are excited about and comfortable with leading. Reading aloud is a positive time that not all of our children have the opportunity to experience at home. They love to be read to and to read to each other. Perhaps you have favorite childhood books that you would like to share with the kids. Checking a few out at your local library is a possibility. We also have a reading room with children’s books in both English and Spanish. The kids enjoy learning fun camp songs—especially with actions—and know a few from years past. Bring a guitar, a kazoo, a drum, etc., and have a sing-along. The key to these programs is flexibility and fun. If your group has fun with the kids, the kids will have fun. We don’t run an elaborate or extensive program, and they are used to new ideas—some that work and some that don’t. Our goal is to offer them a caring and encouraging environment where they can just be kids, and we are glad that you can be a part of that. Enrique Melendez (Program Director) will be at the program daily with the group and can offer on-site advice or help if needed. We strongly encourage you to be well prepared before you arrive, as the week will be fully scheduled. Please bring all needed materials with you. General materials might include:  Craft materials Music materials (cassettes or
instruments, and song sheets) Games and equipment An open heartNote: Cristo Rey Lutheran Church is not receiving any federal funds this year and therefore religious materials, including Bible stories and Christian songs, are acceptable materials and encouraged. |
