Program Updates

After School Club

"It’s hard to believe that November is already coming to a close! The theme for After School Club this month was reflection - we spent time exploring our own experiences and learning about those others have had. This is always one of my favorite units to delve into because I love asking questions to learn about others, and really enjoy creating spaces where students can feel comfortable asking their peers questions they might not normally ask.

Some of the activity highlights were an Ask-Me-Anything session where we featured students and mentors in a small group setting to ask and answer questions, and an After School Club alumni panel to speak about the transition from high school to college. I can’t wait for the spring, when we will be building on these sessions and focusing more on college and career exploration."

-Mike Sirera (he/him). Program Manager

Girls Art and Maker Group

"After our pumpkin patch escapade in October it was great to be back in the Center for Creativity (C4C) for our November meeting! Dakota visited to talk about her work and led an activity about the spirals of emotions and how we get support from the people around us.

For the second half of the day, we did decoupage with glass jars and filled them with nice notes to ourselves. Thank you always to the C4C for hosting us and of course the students, volunteers and staff who make this possible. I’m looking forward to more cozy meetings as we make our way through winter!"

-Erica Hughes (she/they), Program Manager

Youth Steering Committee

"We kicked off our November meeting focusing on public speaking and talking about ourselves within the context of getting jobs (something YSC members are very interested in). We hosted 2 wonderful guest speakers, Kheir Mugwaneza and Ezekieli Seti, who guided us through a mock job interview activity and gave us so much good advice about how to manage stress!

Special thanks also goes to Dr. Lachelle Green from Youth Enrichment Services, who joined our virtual meeting to lead a resume-building workshop. Students actively participated in the activity and asked thoughtful questions to gain a clear understanding of resumes. By the end of the session, many of them had completed their resumes and understood how they can talk about themselves and their experiences related to job opportunities. This was a major accomplishment of this year’s program."

-Chance Eliah (he/him), Program Coordinator

Post-Secondary Support

"Our most recent mentoring cohort meeting held space for reflecting on who we are to each other – mentors reflected more on their role in students’ lives, and students along with their mentors collaborated in exploring what it means to be in community with each other and how to build community from experiences of shared or differing values. Post-Secondary Program Ambassador Tomi also led students in an exercise to build a vision board for their future lives, from career to education to social life and beyond, which students will work to turn into SMART goals at a future meeting.

As the holiday season approaches, many students are completing college applications and receiving their initial acceptances. We look forward to supporting students in comparing their admissions offers, applying for resources that will assist them in accessing education after high school, and achieving their goals for the future!"

-Dakota Rottino-Garilli (she/her), Program Manager

PRYSE Academy

"PRYSE Academy has officially hit its peak “quiet time” for the year; however the buzz and excitement of our busy planning season is right around the corner. Afterall, those who operate mid-year programming know that summer officially kicks off on January 1st! I look forward to meeting with ARYSE students in the coming months to get their invaluable feedback, and to pick up once again with our amazing partners who help bring each year’s vision into reality.

Those who follow the organization closely will have also noticed that we are growing our PRYSE leadership team. And, while I’m incredibly excited to share some major updates, I’m afraid all of you amazing readers will just have to stay tuned!

In this season of gratitude, I want to close by giving thanks to the tens, if not hundreds, of individuals who I have worked with over the years who have given our flagship program their time, love, and dedication. Thank you all for being a part of the PRYSE journey, and may this festive season bring everyone happiness, cheer, and celebration!"

-Cody Weisel (he/him), Program Manager

November 2025 Recap