By Ailyn Garcia
The St. Petersburg Housing Authority’s Jordan Park Youth Program is an initiative that provides free after-school programs for the children of Jordan Park. They have mentorship, educational and recreational activities available.
Kiara Lovett, the director of social services for SPHA, believes this initiative has created a safe and supportive environment for the children and community of Jordan Park. She said she has seen it help foster personal growth and build confidence in the youth and wants to let the youth know that they have a community that cares.
“I want them to know that they can be something great,” Lovett said. “And life is truly limitless. You can be whatever it is that you want to be, but if you don’t have the tools to do so, I feel like it’s my duty, my job, to help provide the tools.”
Lovett said she firmly believes that children must be provided with the tools and not just be expected to be successful. Not everybody is afforded the same opportunities or grows up with the same skills, moral confidence or values; therefore, she said the need for opportunities is what inspired her team to begin to brainstorm some possible ideas.
Asking themselves what families wanted to see, they decided to conduct a needs-based assessment.
“We created a needs assessment that encompasses everything from what do you like most about living in your community to what is it that you want to see,” Lovett said. “And we took the stats from that and designed the program to hit on the majority of those components.”
One of the programs with the biggest turnout was their Tutoring and Education Program, held on Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Volunteers come to help children with their homework and give guidance for them to succeed in school.
Lovett said that a teacher reached out to her about one of the students. He was missing about 21 assignments. They spent the entire evening helping him to complete them, and he was able to raise his failing grade up to a C.
“That was just great to hear because that’s our purpose,” Lovett said. “That’s our mission.”
Zedrick Colier Jr., an 8-year-old third-grade student, is part of the Tutoring and Education Program. He said he has enjoyed coming to learn and has already made friends.
“So, my first day was the other week,” he said. “I had a tutoring teacher. She was kind of nice, and I couldn’t say how much I appreciated it.”
Zedrick Colier Sr., the boy’s father, had enrolled his son in the program after finding out about it through an email that Lovett had set up. Over time, he said he has noticed his son becoming much more confident and comfortable in the classroom setting.
“He loves to learn, [and] he’s more willing to learn now,” Zedrick Colier Sr. said. “In tutoring, he says ‘those guys, they’re pretty nice.’ He likes the environment, you know, his friends coming to learn, and he’s more happy about learning. I wish it was for more than just one day a week.”
Zedrick Colier Sr. said he’s grateful for the additional support the program provides for his son. He explained that teaching can be challenging at times, so he appreciates others who can reach his son.
“I’m thankful there is a program that reaches out to people who can’t afford tutoring,” said Zedrick Colier Sr. “I just want to thank them for lending a hand with helping my son to become a better person, a smarter person also.”
Shalonda Gary, from Exceeding Grace Christan Center, leads the Tutoring and Education Program. To her, teaching is more than math and reading, it’s about connecting with each child and learning about their story, she said.
“The desire to point to other kids’ lives is one of my biggest gifts that I can give back, and it’s a gift that God has given me to love and to just pour into others,” Gary said. “I couldn’t think of a better program to be a part of. You’re loving on children while you’re educating children, along with building relationships.”
Gary said she has also seen how the program has impacted the parents in the community as well.
“The parents get a breather because, speaking from my own life when my children were younger, I would’ve loved to have had the extra help,” she said. “You’re kind of stretching yourself thin between working, cooking [and] making sure everything is done.”
As the Jordan Park Youth Program continues to support families, community support is important to the program’s continued success. Donations, volunteering and spreading the word about the program can all make a difference.
“I would say step up and volunteer, even if it’s just one child that you mentor,” Gary said. “Allow yourself to not just take this as a mundane type thing, where you’re just coming in every Thursday, but you’re open to doing more in their lives. Even going as far as partnering with the parents and seeing where you can help the child even more.”
“People can help by signing up to volunteer and donations,” Lovett said. “It allows us to still be able to provide for our community in the way that we do.”
For example, the Jordan Youth Program received donations for their Christmas toy giveaway last year. It helped to adopt families for the holidays and provide meals and gifts for the children.
The donations and assistance also help fund the martial arts programs and provide snacks, fresh fruit and drinks for the children.
Lovett said that working with the youth is the most important part of her work. She highlighted that the focus on youth is essential for the well-being of future generations.
“Our youth, that’s the next generation,” Lovett said. “That’s who I’m going to look forward to when I’m old and, you know, wrinkled. That’s what I’m going to hope, that our society is in great hands.”