The After-School club program is one of the most popular programs at CRP. Kids from ages 6-12, have the chance to enjoy different activities after school, make new friends, and have fun in a safe environment. The activities at ASC vary from educational to artistic. Before, the kids used to start dancing Zumba sometimes when they attended ASC. After a while, it became a regular program that is every Thursday here at CRP.
Haifaa from Jordan, did attend the After School Club at first, and she loved when they suddenly started to dance in class. She is thrilled that it is a regular program today, and that she is able to use her dancing skills. She says: “This is so much fun, and I love to dance. When I go home after class, I normally listen to the songs that we danced to. Then I dance at home, or I go to my friend’s house to dance with them.”
ASC provides a different form of education than the standard curricula that kids learn in school. It is based on extracurricular activities, such as dance class.
Boys and girls are both attending the class. When the dance class first started, boys felt that it was supposed to be only girls that danced. This is the mindset they had at the beginning of the class, and that was what the boys were taught, because of the different gender roles. This made them shy and they were scared to dance in front of the girls. After a while, they got to know each other better and became friends. The dancing class evolved, and now both girls and boys are dancing together. They feel more safe with each other and are breaking the typical gender stereotypes.
Many of these kids are out of school, have missed school or are attending an over-crowded school, and therefore it is important to be able to give the kids a space where they can feel safe. Through different choreographies, they have the opportunity to expand their dancing skills.
With dancing, the kids are getting a chance to embrace their artistic side and they also get a physical outlet.
Many of the kids in the dance class have experienced trauma in a variety of ways. Dancing is giving them a free space to let them be able to be happy and excited about something, as well as they make new friends.
“Whenever I dance, I feel excited and I love being active like this. Through the class, I met two girls, and they were really good dancers. We danced together, Through that we bonded, and now we are really close friends.” Says Haifaa, with a wide smile on her face.
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