Stories from the Field: The Right To Belong in an After School Program

by Roberto Gil
WCC Program Director

If one googles the name "America SCORES Bay Area", one would soon realize that it means that America SCORES is "a non-profit organization that inspires urban youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world." Yet, during my first returning visit to West Contra Costa Lake Elementary School two weeks ago, I realized that the name of America SCORES Bay Area for these kids means "to have fun, to express yourself, grass, colors, uniforms, unity, community, hard-work, family and team-work."

America SCORES has been providing services at Lake since our first arrival in West Contra Costa in 2006, but because of the lack of funding in the school district, Lake couldn’t be part of our last 2011 fall program.  However, just recently, Lake realized that they did have some small amount of funding to have at least one team composed of eighteen students.  On February 13, I went to Lake to talk to the after-school supervisor and, to my surprise, all the former America SCORES students cornered me and demanded me to let them be part of the team. There were about twelve of them.  Four weeks later, the roster was composed of eleven girls and fourteen boys.

Coach Cervando Velix with the America SCORES students from Lake

Today I got to talk to two sixth graders who have been in our program since they were in third grade, Carolina Diaz and Carlos Peña. Both of them are really happy to be part of America SCORES again. They asked me about coach Meg, coach Blaise, coach Ruben and they both insisted that it would be great to have a boys and girls team instead of just one coed team. I asked them what they liked about our program and both of them provided me with sincere answers. In Carlos’ words: “ I like America SCORES because you get to do fun things and you get to play with your friends unlike club teams where you play with kids that you don’t even know.”  As for Carolina, her favorite part of America SCORES is to come to our Saturday games and share some of her poetry and meet all the other America SCORES kids.

Now I feel more motivated than ever to find a volunteer so these kids can have a boys and girls team. I feel that through them I finally learned that kids join our program out of a human necessity, to write so they can express themselves and be acknowledged by their peers and coaches.  Furthermore, they join to seek the company of their friends. I wish I could have had a program like America SCORES during my infant years for I clearly identify with those human necessities even today at my forty two years of age.

Carolina Diaz and Carlos Peña at Lake School  on March 12, 2012