“I used to be one of those knuckle-headed kids, always running around on the streets. It wasn’t a good environment for me,” says Keion Fleming, 15.
Studies show that Fleming was hardly alone. According to the After School Activities Partnership (ASAP), there are an estimated 45,000 children throughout Philadelphia who spend 20 to 25 hours alone every week. While these numbers are staggering enough, another study done by the Wallace Foundation in May showed that an estimated 74 percent of children throughout Pennsylvania do not participate in summer learning programs.
Despite large numbers and high percentages throughout the city and state, Germantown offers a variety of after-school activities for its children and youth to engage in. These activities range from sports to the arts, and everyone, from parents, to educators to the children participants themselves play important roles in their community.
“We live in a society that’s very fast. Sometimes we spend more time away from people than we do together. When you have structured activities, it provides a good and safe environment for children,” says Marc Johnson Sr., the father of 13-year-old Marc Jr., who participates in FreshVisions Youth Theatre at 4821 Germantown Ave. “Kids need downtime where they can be themselves, sure, but when there are hours upon hours of no structure, that’s when tragic things start to happen.”
“We really make sure that the kids are able to give their very best,” says Bruce Robinson, FreshVisions’ founder. “We don’t audition and we don’t screen. We train, and we train hard. We accept anyone from the neighborhood, and while they may not go into acting and dance when they leave FreshVisions, they will know what it takes to do it professionally, and well.”
In addition to teaching his children the art of acting, and dancing, along with choreographer Carmen C. Butler, students of FreshVisions are also lectured in the importance of African-American heritage and culture, which they can then apply to their shows. The goal is not only to train, but to teach and inspire.
“I’ve seen kids who people wrote off when they came here, leave us empowered, amazing, fearless human beings who know what they have, and know what they can do to empower their communities and escape the negativity that you hear on the news” Robinson says.
“I decided this was a better place for me,” Fleming says, speaking of FreshVisions. “Mr. Robinson is like a father figure, and this year, I also got to help writing the foundation for ‘The Return of Dreadlock Homie.’”
“The Return of Dreadlock Homie,” a fresh spin on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, is a part of “Ebony Kaleidoscope 5,” which will be performed June 25-27.
According to Debra Weiner, school district and community liaison for ASAP, an important criteria for effective after school activity is intensity. “After-school programs should really last about three hours a day, and be in session for four to five days a week in order to provide safety and ample development for the child,” she says.
The ministry’s intensive dance program came to fruition in 2009, under Executive and Artistic Director Bonnie Bing. The program, which formed from Canaan’s Summer Art Camp, focuses on training world class dancers in ballet, tap, zumba, jazz and modern styles. “We wanted to evolve the dance program by increasing the quality of dance” Bing says. “In our program we proper dance technique as well as terminology. We teach coordination, balance and control of movement and promote structure, self discipline, consideration and appreciation of others through dance.”
The pre-professional dance program has been described as “world class,” with the intention of creating fully fledged individuals who plan on continuing professional careers in dance. “When we say world class, we do not mean a description of style or quality,” Ballet Mistress Maureen Booker says. “We instead speak of a level of readiness to not only train and dance here in Philadelphia, but around the world. It’s a dance culture, down to the common language, common dress and common gesture. That is what we mean by world class. The difference between a general dancing class and our intensive class is the difference between standing in the fast food line and sitting down to a meal.”
Booker and Bing, who recently saw their young performers through their final dance concert before the summer session, both agree that rigorous, engaging after school and summer activity are important factors in a child’s life. “Parents are working now, and children can be home alone,” Bing says. “If they’re not at home then they’re on the streets, possibly getting into trouble. I would say all after-school arts programs offer children the chance to be in a positive, nurturing environment rather than alone or on the streets.”
In addition to the significant opportunities for Germantown’s artistic youth, there are also a number of centers and programs for more athletically inclined children and adolescents.
The Paley Police Athletic League (PAL) Center, located at 5330 Germantown Ave., is one such location.
“PAL is completely free of charge,” says Officer and PAL Director Ernest Pollard. “We have basketball, baseball, football, soccer and tennis. We even have a golf program in the summer. All of our sports are seasonal.” In addition to sports leagues, Paley PAL also offers a boys mentoring program every Wednesday night. Boys aged 7 to 18 are free to engage in conversation about drugs, school, jobs and good male mentors in the community.
“What you see on the news every day is a lot of younger kids involved in more serious crimes. Kids and parents need to be aware that if they stay busy they don’t have a lot of time to get involved in local crime. It’s idle time that gets the kids in trouble,” Pollard explains.
One of the problems with after-school and summer activities is simple awareness: knowing which activities exist and where to find them. To overcome this obstacle, ASAP provides a comprehensive directory of activities on their website. According to Executive Director Maria Walker, the directory is also published in the Daily News every September, which reaches 300,000 households. “After that, it’s up to the parents and caregivers to make sure their children are accounted for and getting to these programs, which give children a positive outlet for their energy.”
Opportunities for growth, and development, as well as for having fun and making friends exist in abundance in Germantown, and finding them has become easier than ever before.
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