Alishia Smith was a 12-year-old sixth grader at Everett’s North Middle School when she first joined Kids on the Move.
She continued to participate in the program as a student at Everett High School. “I got a sense of security in high school, which is something you don’t always have,” Smith said.
“I didn’t do drugs and alcohol and still don’t,” she said. “You still get pressured at school.”
Kids on the Move, run by Deaconess Children’s Services, is a nonprofit program that is now recruiting students in the Arlington and Darrington school districts.
The after-school program offers help with homework, drama and art classes, and tips on how to deal with peer pressures over drugs, tobacco, alcohol and sex.
The goal is to reduce drop-out rates, teen pregnancy and delinquent behavior, said April Wolfe, Deaconess’ director of internal affairs. They also hope to increase teens’ knowledge of community resources, provide adult role models and a social support system.
“We’re not going to turn away any teen,” she said. “Any teen is at risk by being a teen. They face hardships every day, a lot of pressures.”
The group in Darrington, offered at the Darrington Support and Resource Center, is just getting started, Wolfe said. Students in the sixth through 12th grades can participate. The sessions are offered three days a week. Specific days depend on students’ schedules.
Smith, who is now a 21-year-old Everett Community College student, leads the sessions for high school students in the Arlington School District.
The groups provide a place where students can talk about their problems. Confidentiality is stressed, she said, so students feel free to talk about anything.
In Arlington, the Tuesday sessions cover topics such as peer pressures and self-esteem. Wednesdays are for help with homework and study skills. Fridays are for the arts, with time for drawing and drama.
When Smith first joined Kids on the Move as a student, her parents were going through a divorce. The staff provided her, and other students, with support, she said. Just having someone to talk to made a big difference.
“It really was a huge impact on me,” she said. Smith was on the honor role all through high school.
However, funding cuts forced the Deaconess to shut down the program in 2001 after her sophomore year, four years after she first joined it. At the time, Deaconess only had one program in the county.
Nevertheless, Smith said she always hoped that she could return to the program, this time to participate as a leader.
Backing from local organizations helped relaunch Kids on the Move for the 2006-2007 school year. These included a three-year, $155,000 grant from the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, and a three-year, $115,000 grant from Seattle’s Whitehorse Foundation.
“It’s definitely my dream job,” Smith said.
Plans call for the program to be expanded to the Everett School District in fall 2008.
“People really see the need,” Wolfe said. “They want to see kids graduate and become successful.”
Kid on the Move
For more information on the Kids on the Move program in the Darrington School District, call Deaconess Children’s Services at 425-259-0146. For information on the program in the Arlington School District, call 425-501-6374.
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