Nasreen

At Moorelands City Programs, we serve over 900 children each year at our after-school, leadership and summer day camp programs. And yet, we disappointed many families and children who waited for hours in long lines to register for our programs.

One mother was faced with what is perhaps the most difficult decision of all. She waited in line for 2 hours, having left her job early to register her 3 children at a Moorelands After-school program. She lost wages so that her children could have this opportunity. By the time it was her turn, there was only one after-school space left. She had to make the impossible decision to give up the space or choose just one of her children to attend. All three wanted to go and she did not know how she would go home and tell them that only one could do so. She finally made the heart-wrenching decision to send her eldest child. He was struggling to communicate in English and finding it hard to make friends. She had heard that at a Moorelands program her child would be able to make at least one friend. She hopes there will be space for her other two children later in the year.

The opportunity to become confident in communicating and make connections with other children is a something that we often take for granted. For many of the children we serve, these are gifts beyond measure.

Nasreen* was only 7 when her parents were killed before her eyes in Afghanistan. Her only living relative was her teenaged uncle. Together they fled to a refugee camp and within a year found themselves in Canada, newcomers sponsored by a Toronto church.

Once in Toronto, Nasreen was diagnosed with a blood disorder that required her to be taken to the Hospital for Sick Children every couple of weeks for a blood transfusion. The local Afghani community did not embrace the newcomers. Parents feared that Nasreen's disorder might be contagious at worse or unlucky at best and would not let their children play with her.

When Nasreen joined the Moorelands After-school program she was very shy and quiet and did not have a single friend. To watch her alone in the school yard was enough to break your heart. Over time, Nasreen gained confidence working with other children on arts and crafts projects and taking turns reading. As the other children got to know her, they began to accept her. The mothers picking their children up from the After-school program also began to notice her and one mother gave her daughter permission to become friends with Nasreen. It was the first friend Nasreen made in Canada and her smile told everyone how important it was.

Angela

Angela first started attending the Moorelands After-school program at the Applegrove Community Complex when she was 11 years old. Today, at 22, she is a Program Leader at another Moorelands After-school program and also works at the Moorelands City Summer Day Camp in the summer.

"I wasn't popular at school", says Angela. I was the tallest; I had curly hair, buckteeth and acne. The Moorelands After-school was a place I could go where I wouldn't be judged. It was a place where you were free to be who you are, a loving place, a safe place. I wanted to make sure the after-school program was the same for others as it was for me. The people there are the best."

In her off hours, Angela is studying at George Brown College and is an active volunteer. She has been recognized with five awards for her volunteer efforts, including a Volunteer of Ontario Award.

Registration Night

Registration nights for Moorelands After-school Programs often prove to be real eye openers. Take a recent evening at the bustling Grenoble Public School in Flemingdon Park for example. We've been delivering programs at this school of 1000 students since 1998 and each year, the demand for our programs has grown. Usually 2 registration evenings are held and any remaining spots are filled during the first week of the program. This year was very different! When we arrived early for our 6.00 p.m. registration we were shocked to see a line of people stretching out the door and half way around the school - more than 200 people had lined up to sign up their children for available spots.

As we frantically set up, the school's staff informed us that people had started queuing at 2.30 p.m. There were parents, older siblings, grandparents, friends of the family and little children who had stayed on After-school with their parents, so families could secure space in the program. Hard working parents who are unable to afford childcare are desperate for a safe space for their children to be after school. Moorelands After-school Programs provide a nutritious snack and creative activities that help children develop self esteem and life-skills while having a lot of fun. Children are also supported in language learning and academics through homework help and literacy programs. The children in our programs soak up new experiences and are never afraid to make mistakes or try new things

Everyone in the line-up was incredibly patient. No one broke into line; no one became angry or protested about having to wait. People helped each other to complete the forms, even though they were strangers to one and other. People frequently stepped forward to assist with language interpretation even after they had registered and needed to get home themselves. As the spaces started to fill rapidly, the line still grew. In what seemed like moments, we were down to the last two After-school spaces. As we watched in shock, the woman who was next in line stepped aside to allow the person behind her to register his child, as he desperately needed to leave. As a result of her generosity, she was unable to register her own children because they were twins and they wanted to go together. She did not complain or protest.

All the spaces were filled in an hour and a half and another 10 children were put on a waiting list. We turned away many other deeply disappointed and desperate families with sadness and a sense of the overwhelming need for more programs such as this. And yet, frustration was not the only outcome. We left learning that while the community of Flemingdon Park might have a lack of resources, they were rich in mutual respect and support. The Moorelands After-school program at Grenoble is but a small piece in the fabric of this school and this community and yet an essential and sorely needed one.