CASE After-School gives Middle Schoolers Consistency

Written by: Sara Giguere

Staff Member Sara Giguere reflects on the importance of intentional presence from adults in the afterschool environment.

In first grade I went to an afterschool program. It wasn’t the games or a field trip that most affected me; it was the adults who showed up every week. I wasn’t able to communicate this as a young child, but their consistency meant everything. I’m twenty-three years old, and l still remember their names.

Lead Tutor Sara Giguere has worked with youth in the CASE program for several years. She was inspired to give back by the impact that youth workers had on her when she was a student attending out of school programming.

Years later I was given an opportunity to be like one of those adults: an afterschool tutor. My first experience as a tutor with CASE was in the Spring of 2020. I saw the difference that was made in the kids’ lives and hearts through being there day after day; being consistent meant a lot. I got to learn about each student and gain their trust because I was a familiar face.

Lead tutor Amelia Harrison poses with a student during their academic hour at CASE. Consistent staff presence allows for youth to interact with healthy, positive role models in their lives, an aspect of CASE which is crucial to our mission and programming.

Due to the pandemic, we were not able to finish out our semester for CASE with those students in person. In order to continue being consistent, we began a virtual afterschool program to which I started volunteering weekly once again. I saw again the impact of being a dependable person for the kids. CASE was something consistent for them in the world of inconsistency created by COVID. They knew that when they logged in, there would be adults ready to welcome them. Even via virtual learning, the consistency allowed their confidence to grow in themselves and with others.

As of August 2021, we have been doing in-person programming again, and I got to see some of the students who were in the program before COVID. I hadn’t seen these kids in two years, but they felt the freedom to be themselves on the first day back. We didn’t have to work to break down the walls that kept them from being their unique selves. The lessons taught during 2019-2020 stuck with them. They didn’t have to relearn who we were at CASE because they had known us previously.

Consistency was what I needed when I was their age. I confidently know that the work that is being done by CASE will be remembered by our students.

I didn’t forget the workers who showed up consistently. Their consistency taught me that there were adults in my life I could trust. I know that the youth in CASE are learning they are cared for because of consistent, dependable adults showing up for them, day after day, year after year.

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CASE is a program of the Nashville After Zone Alliance. The Nashville After Zone Alliance is a network of coordinated after school programming for Metro’s middle-school students. NAZA is a partnership among the Nashville Public Library, MNPS, and other existing youth-serving groups. It is modeled on successful efforts in other cities and is organized around geographically-defined zones.