Afterschool offers added education and lifestyle enrichment for students

By Dennis Archambault

The after-school hours are fertile periods for additional learning, including health literacy. The leaders of the Skillman, Mott, and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., foundations, in a commentary published in The Detroit News noted that afterschool activities “open up a world of new learning opportunities that spark their curiosity, give them freedom to explore, and help them build life skills.” That includes a deeper dive into health literacy concepts, as well as specific activities promoting healthy eating and active living.

Claire Hawthorne, a Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, explored this space with her Schweitzer Fellowship last year. Her fellowship project created a mentorship program in partnership with Hope Academy in Detroit which served as a Youth Advisory Council to the school-based health center provided by Authority Health. She cultivated a cohort of middle school students to increase their health literacy and serve as peer educators within their school and in their neighborhood communities.

Hawthorne’s work opened the possibility of several health-related after-school activities that not only provide additional education but promote lifestyle improvement in young people.

“Decades of research prove how much young people benefit from programs like this,” according to the commentary by the foundations. “Youth connect with caring educators who are trained to help them gain confidence and develop coping skills.” They note that the state budget allows for $50 million annually for after-school and summer programs for 67,000 young people.” However, for every student enrolled in these programs, four are waiting to get in.

The foundations pledged their support for All in Michigan: Afterschool for Every Child, a new statewide campaign sponsored by the Michigan Afterschool Partnership.

While Hawthorne, as a Schweitzer Fellow, encountered several challenges in her program, she learned how important it was to address health literacy in the context of the overall problem of low literacy among Detroit students. “I was able to demonstrate to the students, at least somewhat, how foundational general literacy and general academic accomplishment is for anything that we undertake regarding health literacy.”

We look forward to opportunities to supplement education and lifestyle enrichment after school and during the summer and how that All in Michigan: Afterschool for Every Child becomes a reality.

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health and program director for the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, provided by Authority Health. For more information about Claire Hawthorne’s fellowship program, email darchambault@authorityhealth.org.