Chopping Block Students at Brownell STEM Academy had fun learning how to cook in the Chop it Like its Hot Club. Each Tuesday throughout September, students learned a quick and healthy recipe using fresh ingredients sponsored by Flint Fresh Mobile Market. Learning Guide Sandra Crawford facilitated the club and brought fun and engaging lessons to […]

Jalen Nunn knows firsthand how things can come full circle. Nunn works for the Hurley Foundation as a volunteer and community engagement coordinator. Recently, the TeenQuest alum connected with R.J. Kaplan who works at Beecher School District, a Summer Youth Initiative (SYI) partner. The two worked together to have an SYI student volunteer at Hurley […]

When Jon Blanchard was in college, he dreamed up an idea while passing the time playing video games. He wondered if there was a way he could teach students concepts of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, through basketball. He turned that vision into an organization called STEMletics and now, he teaches Flint students […]

Through Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), students get on-the-job experience working at organizations and businesses in Flint and Genesee County each summer. However, for some of these summer workers, their experience extends into the fall. “When our SYI partners have employments needs and students have a positive experience, we like to extend that partnership as long […]

Each October, afterschool programs around the country celebrate Lights On Afterschool. The nationwide rally is a yearly tradition coordinated by the Afterschool Alliance, a national nonprofit that aims to expand support for quality afterschool programs. “We participate in Lights on Afterschool each October to raise awareness of the importance of our program to Flint students,” […]

Mutual Respect Kicking off the school year, YouthQuest sites at Flint Community Schools started working on social contracts between the staff and students. YouthQuest staff solicited ideas from students on what they would want in the contract and how they would like program to go. Then, they combined those ideas with their own expectations for […]