Youth N.O.W. | April 2021

With the warm weather and various outdoor activities we had planned, we had a nice taste of summer over spring break! First, we partnered with our friends from Youth in Wilderness to take our students on a hike through Arroyo Seco. We learned about watersheds, wildlife, saw some beautiful views, and splashed through waterfalls. We’re looking forward to our next hike in May! 

We then held a Fundamentals Basketball Clinic and welcomed many new faces. Along with learning new skills and techniques, numerous students reported that their favorite part was getting to meet new people. Students also had the opportunity to go on an afternoon bike ride through the slough trails, led by our partners from Community Bike Collective!

We are currently serving 110 students with twice weekly homework tutoring with the help from 61 volunteers and one intern. Our volunteers join us from various walks of life with the common aim to serve and support our youth! Some are university students, retired principals, tech workers, others are professors, retired teachers, engineers, and high school students. Volunteers are an integral asset to our organization and we wouldn't be able to do the work we do without their help!

Faith is a Psychology major in her final year at CSUMB. She enjoys being able to freely express herself through art and dance, connecting with people while doing so. Faith plans to further her education with the dream of starting her own holistic mental health program geared towards adolescents.

"I have enjoyed a lot of aspects of volunteering with Youth N.O.W. but I have most thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the student that I am currently working with.... Making this connection with this student has greatly inspired me and motivated me to continue performing acts of service for my community."

Bridger is a PVUSD Virtual Academy high school student. He has a wide variety of hobbies including dance, gymnastics, and rock climbing. Bridger is currently

pursuing admission to college in the field of History.

"The most enjoyable thing I find about tutoring is the satisfaction of having helped someone to genuinely understand something. The moment one of my students makes a breakthrough and suddenly understands a concept or is able to solve problems of a certain type on their own conjures one of the best feelings in the world." 

Victoria is a CSUMB student majoring in Math with a Teaching Concentration. She enjoys going camping and is passionate about teaching, helping others, and math.

"My favorite moments from volunteering are when the student and I are struggling on solving a problem and after some research we have a breakthrough. It is always fun to work through a challenge and the students and I feel so proud when we figure it out."

Isabel began volunteering with Youth N.O.W. as a high school student and is currently at UCSD. She is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Human Biology with the intent to apply to medical school.

"I am enjoying my experience as a tutor and my favorite part has been watching my students grow more confident with their school work. I love sharing those moments of sudden discovery with them and watching them progress."

Sarah is a retired middle school teacher who joined us this semester but, has been volunteering as a tutor since retirement. She loves to ski, learn new sports, read lots of books, sing in the choir, and loves being a grandma.

"I got really lucky when I was paired with Gabriel. He is such an eager and interesting 7th grader. I love hearing about what’s going on in his life and finding out about his dog Ruger. He is also focused on bringing up his grades which makes my heart smile."

"She has helped me a lot with homework! She is very nice!"

- Wendy (7th grade) about her tutor, Faith.

“I like how they help me a lot. I like how talkative and funny they are. It helps me be comfortable with them!”

- Nayeli (8th grade) about her MVC tutors.

“She is great! She is very helpful.”

- Andrew (10th grade) about his tutor, Victoria.

We are thankful for all our amazing volunteers and our partnerships with Monte Vista Christian School, Twin Lakes Church, CSU Monterey Bay, The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County and Volunteermatch. With their support we are able make a difference in our students lives!

If you'd like to join our volunteers in tutoring and mentoring a middle or high school youth: Click here for more information

For a visual representation of the impact our volunteers make, check out our video highlight from when we were awarded The Volunteer Center's 2020 Be The Difference Award: Watch here!

Andrew - 8th Grade

E.A. Hall Middle School

"I like that Youth N.O.W. helps with school and has an after school program!"

- Andrew

Our student of the month for April is Andrew! Andrew is currently an eighth grader at E.A. Hall Middle School. He has been a long time member of our program and is a very dedicated student! Like many of our students, it has taken Andrew time to adjust to distance learning. He is now, however, doing great! We are happy to say we have seen a tremendous amount of growth from him. He is not afraid to ask questions during tutoring and always shows up with a positive attitude. Not only does he participate in our tutoring program but, he also joins us for basketball and art events as well! In fact, when Andrew grows up, he wants to be a professional basketball player. When he is not at the center he can be found on the court playing basketball with his brother. We are very excited to see what will come next for h! Congratulations Andrew!

Vincent - 9th Grade

Aptos High School

“My favorite part of Youth N.O.W. has been the help they have to offer, which really comes in handy when you're struggling on certain subjects."

- Vincent

Vincent has been selected as the April Student of the Month! Vincent is a 9th grader at Aptos High and has been a part of Youth N.O.W. since he was in middle school. We have seen him grow over the years through his participation in our summer program, the leadership skills he portrays in our basketball clinic with Coach Bobo, and through the confidence he demonstrated as the recipient of our Cultivating Success Academic Growth awardee in 2019. The qualities he has acquired through his time with Youth N.O.W. have allowed him to have a successful freshman year, of course with the help from his tutor Vijay! His favorite subject in school is math because it is challenging, fun, and it makes him think! Vince can be found playing basketball, paintballing, and shopping outside of school. After high school, Vince plans to go directly to college. “I want to become a lawyer that protects civil rights for humanity!”, says Vince. His selflessness, dedication, and charming personality prove that he has what it takes to accomplish his dreams.

Congratulations Vince!

We’d like to give a special shout-out to Jose-Aaron M., Kevin A., Michelle L., Haylee G., Tais S., Lexiah G., Guadalupe M., and Ruby R. for ending the 3rd quarter with 0 missing assignments!

Basketball Clinic with Coach Bobo

Every Mon. & Wed. from 4-5pm

at 31 Carr St.

(Link to sign-up)

Family Art Day

Saturday, Apr. 11th from

10am-12pm at 31 Carr St.

Health & Wellness Workshop

Saturday, Apr. 24th from

10am-12pm at 31 Carr St.

Family Art Day

Saturday, May 1th from

10am-12pm at 31 Carr St.

Hike with Youth in Wilderness

Saturday, May 22nd

Time & location: TBD