ATLANTA MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS

Atlanta City Council member Andre Dickens Launches New Website

ATLANTA – Atlanta City Councilmember Andre Dickens launches a new website, www.Opportunities4Atlanta.com, a community-enabling webpage that promotes enrichment programs for Atlanta’s youth by exposing them to programs designed to boost their education.

The Post 3 At-Large councilman grew up in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and attended numerous summer and after school programs including the city’s premier program – Camp Best Friends.

“After-school programs, internships, summer programs, and other enrichment opportunities play vital roles in every child’s educational success and contribute to a child’s healthy development,” said Dickens. “Introducing youth to new programs encourages their curiosity and opens many doors of learning.”

Summer Programs

The initial idea for the site came from several parents commenting about what to do with their children once the school year ended. Summer programs throughout Atlanta meet a diverse cross-section of interests and range from day camps to overnight camps – including art camps, music camps, sports camps, religious camps, and others. Dickens and his wife Kimberly made sure their daughter, a rising APS 4th grader, attends Camp Best Friends swim/tennis camp for a few weeks, a dance camp for two weeks, an inventor’s camp, and an overnight camp as well.

“Finding and promoting educational and recreational activities that keep our youth engaged during the summer is in the best interest of the city’s workforce development, economic development, public safety, and quality of life goals,” says Dickens.

After School Programs

Well-structured after school programs expand the learning time for students, provide opportunities of collaboration with the community in a safe environment. After school programs also help children become well-rounded through exposure to diverse cultural activities. An assistant principal at a local middle school believes after school programs provide students with an opportunity to work on building skills in a smaller setting, garnering more one on one attention. As fall approaches, Dickens plans to add more after school programs as providers submit their offerings.

Internships

In today’s job market, employers are looking for students who have held internships or co-ops during their collegiate experience. Internships can help students identify career paths and build connections within a career field. Gaining a real world perspective on a career is essential and supporters of Opportunities4Atlanta.com want to ensure children in Atlanta are working towards achieving a distinguished academic resume.

“We want to bring awareness to a variety of educational programs available for every Atlantan, whether it is an after school program, summer program, college prep workshop, internship, etc.,” Dickens added. “We want all of Atlanta’s youth to be able to access the countless educational opportunities available to them.”

Visit www.Opportunities4Atlanta.com to learn about the opportunities for youth throughout the city. If you have a program/opportunity that you feel should be added to the site, you can submit your information on the contact page.

For more information, please call Councilman Dickens’ office at (404) 330-6041.