Lauryn, pictured above, is one of 13 teenagers at Albert Einstein High School’s after-school program that have worked to research and craft legislation in preparation for the 2015 Youth & Government Legislative Weekend, held April 24-25 in Washington, DC. This year, Lauren joined more than 40 YFS sponsored youth in this YMCA program.
For the past seven years, the YMCA Youth & Family Services’ Linkages to Learning program has partnered with Maryland Youth Ballet (MYB) to teach dance after school-program in local schools. At the end of each semester, the children and their parents are invited to see a performance.
Just before noon, Alberto, whose name has been changed for this article, eyed the zip line suspiciously. He’d already tried once to gather the courage to ride it across the wide-open space below. On his first attempt, the 8-year-old made it to the top of the ladder. By lunchtime on the first ever YFS Family Day, Alberto made it all the way to the edge of the 40– ft high platform and stopped, planning to try again after the noon meal.