Project YES is an after-school program aimed at helping students with their homework, to learn English and stay active with sports such as football, basketball and soccer.
The program merged with the Tucson Urban League in 2005, but has been operating for about 20 years.
Project YES—an acronym for Youth Envisioning Social Change—also tries to help reduce youth involvement in drugs, crime and gangs. It attempts to give students the option of doing something more productive, such as getting on track to graduate high school, said Sister Mary Anne McElmurry, tutoring and mentoring coordinator.
“Basically, what we try to do is keep them in school and make sure they graduate,” said Sister McElmurry.
Sister McElmurry said Project YES has 109 students enrolled. Additionally, 85 to 90 students a day from Mission View Elementary School, Wakefield Middle School and Pueblo Magnet High School come to the family center for tutoring in all subjects, but with a keen focus on English, reading and math.
“I get to help the kids and do my homework too,” said Angelica Almeida, a 13-year-old student at Wakefield Middle School who has been coming to the center every day since she was in elementary school. “I help them with their homework or whatever they need.”
But studying isn’t the only thing students are likely to be found doing at Project YES.
There’s also fun and games.
Tuesdays and Thursdays involve a little friendly athletic competition.
“There are two other organizations in South Tucson that the students compete against in sports,” Sister McElmurry said, referring to the Nellie P. Covert School and the John Valenzuela Youth Center. “Right now it’s flag football season, and the students are quite fond of it. We have a lot of trophies on display here.”
The University of Arizona’s Kappa Delta Chi sorority puts on a carnival for the kids at Project YES every year with games, food and prizes. This year they chose to hold it on March 5.
Project YES is open to students Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is located at the Angel Family Center, 100 W. 37th St. To enroll a child in Project YES, parents can contact Sister McElmurry at 520-884-1602. However, there is already a waiting list of about 20 children.
