Tag: summer school

This July, Border Partners held its annual summer school program for local youth looking for educational fun during the summer heat wave. For three weeks, we hosted a packed afternoon program for around 100 kids aged 5 to 13. We provided a variety of educational activities. We aimed to foster personal development, creativity, and connection for these young participants.

Over the three weeks, nearly 300 children participated in Summer School 2025. They received snacks and refreshments daily. Sharing food created moments of joy and connection around the table as important as time spent in the classroom or outside on the playground.

Summer School Week ONE

The first week opened with activities ranging from welcome games and simple cooking classes to more hands-on science experiments. The students also had plenty of fun. 

They enjoyed movie afternoons, water games, and outdoor play. All of this gave them plenty of physical activity alongside the learning.

Summer School Week TWO

In the second week, participants explored their artistic side. They enjoyed another cooking session. They also discovered the joy of science with projects like kinetic sand and bubble blowers.

A summer highlight was the evening bonfire, where children roasted chocolates together for a moment of connection and reflection.

Summer School Grand Finale

We closed the summer school with a special celebration. At this event we honored all the birthdays with a piñata, cake, and games.

The children also enjoyed a visit from the local fire department. The fire fighters taught them fire safety. This skill is especially important in our dry region which is prone to high temperatures.

Thanks to the dedication of our staff, this year’s program achieved its goals: fostering respect, creativity, and community. It provided the children a summer with their friends that they are not likely to soon forget.

The success of this year’s summer school strengthens our commitment to offering enriching opportunities. We believe that learning and play go hand in hand. Combining learning and fun is a goal we will continue to honor in the programming our newly opened Youth Center will provide.

This month, 47 children enjoyed an engaging week of summer activities in Palomas. They learned new skills, got some healthy exercise and ate a nutritious meal each day. This week-long summer highlight resulted from the ingenuity of our staff and the generosity of the Gila Friends Community and the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.

Each day, the children participated in seven classes. These enriching topics included mental health, nature, computer, first aid, arts and crafts, nutrition and sports.

Our staff produced three classes as brand new offerings: 

• In the mental health class, Cecy, the instructor, focused on having children learn to recognize their emotions and practice some simple ways to release negative ones.
• The nature class focused on learning about how plants grow and how different vegetables benefit the human body.
• In the computer class, children actually opened up a computer, broke it apart, and put it back together again. As a result, they could understand better how a computer works.

The morning of learning ended with a nutritious lunch for the children.  As an example, one of the lunches was empanadas made from soy granules and vegetables from Border Partners’ garden along with a drink made from fresh fruit.

As children prepare to resume a school year, many are concerned about losses in learning due to COVID disruptions in the past two school years. These disruptions have been particularly difficult for impoverished families who lack the technology and resources to supplement the children’s education. A week of enriching instruction and structured activities will boost the students’ school readiness and help them begin a school year well. We’re grateful to all our supporters for providing this important opportunity for the children.