Rob Risley, Lead Partner of Si Se Puede Foundation, reflects on a Friday afternoon at Si Se Puede:
Last Friday evening I drove to Chandler to see Si Se Puede Foundation’s Friday after-school activities.
The most popular SSPF activity on Friday afternoons is the soccer program. Alberto has 8 big teams of K – 4 kids at two Chandler public schools: San Marcos and Galveston Elementary Schools. Alberto estimates that 200 kids participate, although it appeared to me that there were substantially more kids than that. Volunteer parents supervised most of the games, practices and peripheral activities. They were extremely well organized.
Alberto explained that he puts the volunteer parents through extensive training before they’re allowed to coach. It’s important to Alberto that all program participants (including parent volunteers and spectators) adhere to a high standard of conduct and a principle of giving back. The standards emphasize good citizenship: profanity is forbidden, the kids are encouraged to work together cooperatively, and participants take responsibility for the program by giving back to the school. Parents must work to clean up the school grounds by picking up trash and repairing damage. Alberto explained that this was a difficult concept for many to get, and he often needs to lead by example.
Two teams played on one field at San Marcos Elementary. They wore red & white T-shirts identifying their team. These were 1st & 2nd Graders, and all were so enthusiastic to play that there were substantially more than the regulation 22 on the pitch. The teams seemed to me to be at least ¼ girls.
Also on the school grounds was a community football practice for elementary school kids, which was not part of the SSPF program. Alberto mentioned that this program, like other community programs using school facilities, must pay the school district. SSPF is exempted from paying because of the service that the volunteer parents provide the school, and Alberto volunteers at the school 2 mornings each week to provide ESL classes to parents in the school attendance area.
After visiting San Marcos, we went to Galveston Elementary. Galveston is a very old school near downtown Chandler—it reminded me of the elementary school I attended. Alberto has a very long history working with Galveston, and has developed strong bonds with its custodial, teaching and managing staff. I understood that both San Marcos and Galveston are (or recently were) underperforming schools.
At Galveston, kids were playing or practicing soccer on about 5 different pitches. There were a lot of kids, and a lot of parents. It’s really very impressive how Alberto is able to coordinate this all and maintain order among so many people. A number of the parents came to Alberto with suggestions and issues—they clearly supported the program and really wanted to see it reach its highest potential. It seems that there was some general unhappiness that practices had been cancelled in the prior week with all the rain, probably leaving a lot of harried and overworked parents stuck inside with some very frustrated kids.
Alberto explained that about 80 of the soccer kids are also active in his after-school tutoring program, in which high school kids come to provide individualized tutoring to the elementary school kids.
The SSPF Ballet Folclorico also rehearses at Galveston on Friday evenings, although the evening I was there it was only at about 10% strength because the rest were preparing for a show in Phoenix for the next day.
The high school robotics team meets at nearby Chandler High School on Friday evenings. We weren’t able to get there in time to observe. Grace, Connie, Diane and I got to meet a couple of the high school participants when they came to coach the y younger kids during our site visit to Frye Elementary last spring. Alberto also wanted me to know that, since we visited, he now has a new elementary school robotics team that is entirely girls from grades 3, 4 and 5.
I attach a few pictures of soccer practice at San Marcos and of the Ballet Folclorico. Apologies with the poor quality of the photographs taken with my phone.
These really are amazing programs, and I came away as impressed with Alberto’s skills as an organizer/manager as I was by the programs themselves. SVPAZ partners should be proud to have SSPF as one of its investees. If any of you have a free Friday evening, I’d be happy to car pool you to Chandler to see for yourself!
-Rob Risley (SVP Lead Partner)
Tags: Si Se Puede