Y.W.C.A. showcases summer programmes

And those programmes of the “Y” are proving extremely popular. News Five’s Alyssa Noble stopped by the St. Thomas Street headquarters this morning for a progress report.

Alyssa Noble, Reporting
The first round of Y.W.C.A.?s summer program came to a close today with some moving performances.

Sonia Lenares, General Secretary, Y.W.C.A.
?I think this year as usual, was very successful. We started on Monday the third, and for the past three weeks we?ve been having classes in Math and English, Karate, cosmetology, cooking, cake and pastries, sports, swimming and arts and crafts. We had almost four hundred children participating in the various programmes. I must say children and adults, because we also had adult swimming. We had computer classes also and we felt that everyone seemed to be very satisfied with what we have done so far.?

And the participants seem to agree.

Kyle Perez, Participant
?I was in English and Math, and it was really good. I had fun. It?s really exciting and it?s really fun too, so mek everybody could come out.?

Amaya Brown, Participant
?Actually, I was here last year and it was a lot of fun. I was in three classes: cosmetology, volleyball and swimming. All the classes were fun and all the teachers were nice, you get to meet new people.?

While the first session attracted hundreds of children, it also drew a record number of volunteers, thirty to be exact, who say the ?Y? experience was definitely enriching.

Lauren Zetina, Volunteer
?This is my first year volunteering at the ?Y?. I decided to do it because it?s something that I?ve always wanted to do, I like working with kids. It?s a rewarding thing to do because a lot of the kids needed help with math and reading and so forth. So it?s rewarding to see them progress and know that in their future classroom in September, they are going to be a little more advanced than the other kids.?

Anessia Longsworth, Volunteer
?I really enjoyed it. The kids are really nice. You know, you do have times when you would have to get at them for certain things, but it was really good. It was my first time volunteering, but I did come here before for the swimming classes and it was really good. I enjoyed it a lot.?

Sonia Lenares
?We always encourage people to come out and volunteer because it?s good for them to give back to the community. It?s a good experience for them because they come and they work with the children and most of the times, when they come, the children learn something and so they too are enriched by what they are doing. So we encourage young people. It?s very good and healthy for them.?

In case you?re feeling as if you missed out, don?t worry, the next session begins on Monday and the Y is inviting everyone to register.

Lauren Zetina
?I just encourage kids to come. It?s a very good experience. It gives them something to do. There?s a lot of things at the ?Y? to do, I didn?t even know about it, so it taught me a lot and I know the kids will enjoy. It?s only three weeks, so they still have a lot of time for summer break.?

Sonia Lenares
?Come in and sign up. We have a small fee for each programme; it depends on the type of programme that they are signing for. We do the minimal fee so that we can encourage all parents if they want their child to attend. So, they can come to the office and sign up.?

Alyssa Noble reporting for News Five.