LANSING, Mich. — Any day now, the Michigan legislature could pass the state's annual budget. This year, that budget will have been formed with input from some of Michigan's youngest advocates.
Last month, Michigan's inaugural class of Youth After School Ambassadors visited lawmakers in Lansing for what's known as "Capitol Day." The Michigan Afterschool Partnership (MASP) put the program together to give the members of afterschool programs a voice.
Eight ambassadors, ages 13-17, were chosen from across Michigan through an application process, that included a written essay. Four of the students chosen live in the 13 ON YOUR SIDE viewing area. Chyna Jackson lives in Grand Rapids and represents STEM Greenhouse. Sean MacDonald lives in Grand Rapids and represents New City Kids. Sydney Reed lives in Shelby and represents Aspire Shelby. Rylee Reisinger lives in White Cloud and represents Project Focus.
"It was really important, as we were making selections, that the young people represented the entire state of Michigan as much as we could - whether that be young people who are attending school-based out-of-school time programs, or community-based, or faith-based, if they were living and attending programs in rural, suburban, or city centers. That's important because all of those communities have needs. Some of them are really unique. Others are shared across the state," said Trevor Davies, who serves as the deputy executive director for the MASP.
It meant a lot to the students we interviewed to have the chance to represent afterschool programs.
"I got a whole bunch of phone calls saying that I had won the essay contest, and I was over the moon excited. And over the phone, I got a whole bunch of congratulations. I was very thankful that they believed in me enough to put me up there to go and try, and it taught me that you could do what you want to do," Chyna said.
Over the next few months, the eight students selected met over Zoom. They learned about advocacy and how to make professional biographies. But the real pinnacle of the program was what's known as "Capitol Day."
"Capitol Day was a celebration where we had folks from all over the state present. We had more than 250 partners, out-of-school time providers and organizations, and most importantly, young people, who attended the Capitol Day. While they were there, they had an opportunity to participate in Capitol tours, and advocacy training, and meet directly with their elected officials," Trevor said.
The budget, as proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in February, includes a $50 million investment in out-of-school time programs. At the time, the MASP called that level of funding "unprecedented."
"The funding is really important because that's how they get our stuff to do experiments and stuff for our science part of the after-school programs. But then, there's the funding for field trips, and the food is also included in that. Everything on top of that is really expensive," Rylee said.
Aside from the academic benefits of afterschool programs, Sean MacDonald said New City Kids has created a sense of belonging for him.
"I was in the foster care system for almost all my life. So coming here, it just feels like a second home. And even when you're down at your lowest point, there's always something here that brings you up to a higher level," he said.
The students also say meeting with lawmakers face-to-face gave them a new perspective on the people who serve their communities.
"I just expected them to be kind of scary and not connected in their community. But going into the office, you saw a lot of this stuff from Hart, and Shelby, and Ludington, which is close by here, so it's cool seeing stuff from our community, instead of just them being a speaker and doing stuff that Capitol people do," Sydney said.
Chyna even had the opportunity to deliver a speech from the Capitol steps, talking about what the mentors in her afterschool program mean to her.
"I did stutter a couple of times. I'm going to be honest. But I really had fun doing it, because it's given me practice doing things that I may want to do later in life. And after walking off stage, I got a lot of thanks, and people talking about how my story was very inspirational, and about how people who are 30 don't know how to [give a speech]," she said.
Once the budget passes, the students will have a better idea about what the final decisions means for the future of their programs. In the meantime, the MASP is always looking to connect with people who have ideas about how to grow out-of-school time across Michigan. You can contact them through their website.
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