After-school program aims to provide opportunities for children in Windsor’s west end

Young children work on a craft in this undated stock image. (Yan Krukau/Pexels.com)

The Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation is launching a new after-school program for children in Windsor’s west end.

The program is specific to children living in community housing in the Sandwich community.

It will provide after-school support, homework help, financial literacy, and field trips, along with personal development and sports activities.

Senior Manager of Community Development and Engagement with Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation, Jennifer Cline, said they’re launching the summer recreation program to get kids involved before the after-school program begins.

“We have around 100 kids who attend our summer recreation program every day, so we’re aiming for around 60 to 100 kids who will access our after-school program,” she said.

Cline said it’s a chance to give these kids different opportunities and perspectives.

“We have a lot of youth who grew up in our summer rec program who are now camp counsellors, who are not in university, and who are now going to college,” she said.

“We have some of our Windsor police officers who grew up in social housing and are now coming back and giving back to our communities. It really provides a lot of opportunities for them to see there’s life outside of social housing.”

Cline said the grant is going to help them offer different field trips to help broaden the kids horizons.

“A lot of our kids in social housing with low socioeconomic status; the families unfortunately don’t have the financial means to access those different resources that cost to go to the movies or to go to the art gallery; there’s a fee associated with that. So a lot of times our families are having to choose between putting food on the table or doing an activity,” she said.

The program is in partnership with McBride Youth United and is being supported through a grant from the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan.

- Written by Rusty Thomson/AM800 News.