Five Towns Community Center offers updated youth-oriented services

Since September, the Five Towns Community Center in Lawrence began a new youth services program for groups of students from pre-K through high school that include programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), Zen, art and sports.

Sasha Young has been involved with center for seven years, and runs the homework center, or as she calls it, Ms. Young’s Homework Zen Den. She said that part of her program is to help the children become more rounded, in addition to getting some of their work done. “We focus on positive thoughts and actions,” she said. “We build things, work on some creative projects and teach cultural tolerance and patience.”

Students who attend, will alternate between the art and sports programs. The programs take place from 2:45 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. A Lawrence graduate, Jeff Artis, who conducts the basketball clinics, said that he focuses on trying to get the kids to be more active in their everyday life. “The youth isn’t too interested in fitness these days,” he said, alluding to the video game craze.

Artis focuses on teaching the rules of sports like basketball and volleyball to the older children, while focusing on playing games that can improve memory and hand-eye coordination with the younger kids, however, he said the lessons of teamwork and sportsmanship permeate throughout all the games. “I think this program will help kids understand their abilities,” Artis said. “Learning the games without the stress of school. Then you go home, very upbeat and maybe a little tired. We have kids from a lot of different backgrounds and it’s important to bring everyone together when they’re young.”

On days where they’re not running around the gym, the children will be working on art projects with Renya Castillo, who’s a substitute teacher at Lawrence Elementary School. Castillo took art classes throughout college, she hopes that her program helps. “The kids to explore themselves and art,” she said. “Help them not to just lollygag around the center.”

Castillo is working on matching images with words to help the younger learn the alphabet, and exploring painting and sculpting with Play-Doh. She said that she hopes they can acquire more art supplies so that they can expand their program, and that they would welcome donations.

Like Artis, she also see benefits to getting kids away from their screens. “I hope that they can appreciate art beyond just coloring with crayons,” she said. “It’d be great if they could apply art into their everyday lives, instead of just playing video games.”

Castillo also sees art as a potential entry point into other fields, “From the perspective of a teacher,” she said. “It’s important for kids experience art at a young age. Art could be a career, or it could open the door to steam in using the computer to make art … Doing these activities let kids expand their knowledge and creativity in a safe and comfortable environment.”

These programs can provide children with an opportunity to get some expand their horizons, Castillo said she typically sees between 25 and 30 students each in each class, but the hope is the number increases as word spreads.

There are Thanksgiving and Christmas events planned, as well as field trips. Last month 35 children had the chance to simulate a space flight at the Buehler Challenger & Science Center in Paramus, New Jersey. “It was nice to get the kids out of the area for some hands-on experience,” Young said. “They can read about it at school, but to be able to experience it bridges that connection. We’re trying to build on what they learn in school.”