At ACHS, the Youngins in Progress club builds relationships and welcomes anyone in the school community. The club is coordinated by ACHS family engagement social worker Ana Bonilla.
The club first started when students came back to school from the pandemic. Post pandemic, a lot of the kids who were missing school were Latino males. Bonilla started the club during the 2021-2022 school year as an incentive for students to come to school and form relationships with their Latino peers. The club initially started with around 40-50 kids playing soccer at the Minnie Howard field during lunchtime.
During the 2022-2023 school year, the club continued to expand. Social worker Laura Funes Quinones, started co-coordinating the club. Bonilla realized that a lot of the kids coming from middle school were struggling with their grades. This motivated Bonilla to further incentivise these students: they can only play soccer if they keep their grades up. Bonilla also introduced tutoring during that year.
During the 2023-2024 school year, parent engagement and career exploration were introduced. The career exploration allows for the students in the club to explore what they want to do after high school.
“They can see the reflections of who they are in us,” Bonilla said. “Our barbecues are very Latino, we don’t do burgers and hotdogs, we do carne asada, frijoles, tortillas.”
“Growing up in this country. I never saw a face that looked like me, I didn’t see someone who understood where I came from,” Bonilla said. Bonilla’s goal is for her students to reach for the stars and see how valuable they are.
“I am first generation. I could see the struggle in my peers with their voices not being heard.” said 2017 ACHS graduate Funes Quinones. “I was the only Latina in my AP classes, one of the only colored students in leadership.”
Funes Quinones’ goal is to remind her students that anything is possible and just because they are stereotyped doesn’t mean they can’t achieve their goals.
Student Perspectives on Youngins in Progress:
10th grader Byron Perez: “It helps you a lot in school because they put stuff in order for us. They help us with our homeworks, problems in school, and support us in whatever we are in.”
10th grader Luis Callejas: “It’s a big family, I feel secure with everyone cause we have the same background.”
11th grader Heber Pacheco: “Ms. Bonilla and Ms. Laura give us a space to come to, whenever we need it.”
11th grader Brandon Lopez: “For me it means security, most of us are Hispanic so we all understand each other. You know you can be here, you know you can be yourself.”
12th grader Juan Machado: “They help us out in different ways, I feel like they have become a second family to us in school.”
