2007-08 After School Awards

Church of the Open Door After School Program, Miami, Fla.
One of MicroSociety’s outstanding AfterSchool programs, located in Miami, Fla., has one of its smallest populations. Eagleville boasts a citizen population of about 30 citizens, most under 4th grade, yet they have a fully functioning society.

Lake Trafford, Immokalee, Fla.
Tucked away near the Everglades, in Immokalee, Fla., Lake Trafford is the site of a bustling MicroSociety AfterSchool Program. Here immigrant children, grades 3-5, learn the ins and outs of  succeeding in the real world.

 New Jerusalem After School, Miami, Fla.
The New Jerusalem Community Development Cooperation, Inc (NJCDC) is located in the heart of Miami, and is in its third year of using the MicroSociety program in an afterschool setting. The goals are to provide a safe and fun educational environment where children can explore, build relationships, and learn strategies to live a healthy and productive life. NJCDC has been able provide children from varied economic backgrounds with an opportunity to enjoy some of the best South Florida has to offer through field trips to the Everglades, Butterfly World, the Seaquarium, and Parrot Jungle, to name a few. Many of the children have never had opportunities like this. On one occasion one of the children in the program shared “this is the best day of my life.”

Safe Space, Lucretta Mott School at PS 215, Far Rockaway, NY
This  MicroSociety after school program was launched at Safe Space’s Lucretta Mott School PS 215 site in September of 2006 and quickly became a success with parents as well as students. Intent on offering all students opportunities for leadership and success, the program was opened up to include kindergartners and to provide  opportunities for parents to become involved. The academic impact of the program soon became apparent in individual student report cards and standardized test results. Students were so engaged in what they were doing on the job that another program was launched at the middle school  in the second year. Students there now return to Lucretta Mott to serve as mentors for the younger students. At the beginning of the third year, SafeSpace was so pleased with their successes, they added two additional programs.