An elementary school that believes in empowering children has provided opportunities for kids learning about participating in government to sponsor activities and community programs.
The Lafayette Peer Empowerment Project was formerly known as Project Yes. The 60 fourth graders at Alicia Sanchez International Elementary joined with the project to receive a civics lesson from Mayor Christine Berg.
“It’s a really good topic to learn about,” said fourth-grader Josue Cordova. “It helps our community to encourage kids to help out. Kids might want to do something.”
“We can’t rely on our public officials to solve all our problems,” said Elaina Verveer, executive director of the Lafayette Peer Empowerment Project. “We must work with them.”
Students will ask adults about desires for the city, state, and country. They will decide which they want to work on, and write persuasive letters to officials on specific problems they want to have addressed.
Locally, students want a swimming pool and sports teams in elementary school similar to what is available in middle school They also want more choices in art, physical education, and music classes. For larger community focus, they want additional security related to recent neighborhood robberies, and “no more drugs to come into the U.S.”
Recent Comments