Engaging the Youth
ACANA provides a variety of programs such as arts and culture programs and job training, but also runs a series of programs aimed specifically for children and adolescents, which allow them the opportunity to engage in positive interactions and development.
A-STAY
ACANA’s Serving and Transforming Active Youth (A-STAY) program targets African immigrant youth (primarily truant youth and dropouts) between the ages of 13 and 21 in Southwest Philadelphia. The program provides youth with a safe, supportive environment which encourages positive interaction and growth. The program utilizes mentoring, counseling, arts and culture activities, job training, tutoring, and broadcasting and music recording experience. ACANA is equipped with an advanced recording studio, computer lab, and other resources of which the students can take advantage.
Counseling and Intervention
In recent years ACANA could not help but to take into consideration the exacerbating culture of youth violence prevalent among African immigrant youths and their peers, which has taken over Southwest Philadelphia communities and schools, beginning most notably in 2002. In response to this increasing outbreak of youth violence, ACANA’s new goal is to bridge this man-made gap between African Americans and Africans born on the continent of Africa, and to help refugee/immigrant families and residents of Southwest Philadelphia have access to culturally sensitive health services and other social service benefits. Since then ACANA has taken an active leadership role in our community to ensure that we are providing culturally sensitive service delivery for those most underserved and most at risk.
Design for Educational Prosperity
The Design for Educational Prosperity (DEP) program’s objective is to help (low-income) youth succeed in school through after-school and summer day camp programs (for children 5-14). The program objective is to provide students with additional support to encourage success in school, thereby reducing the risk of school dropout and criminal activity. Additionally, the program includes both African and African American youth, in order to ease tensions between African American students and African immigrants. The program focuses on reading, writing, and mathematical skills, as well as arts and culture programs, including music, dance, and art projects. (The program encourages growth and development through a secure and supportive environment by promoting academic achievement and cultural esteem.) This program serves an average of 40 children per year.