In the News: EduCare Graduate featured in Learning in Afterschool & Summer Blog – “A Youth Leader Speaks Out on Kindness and the Youth Mental Health Crisis”
EduCare is delighted that Axel Perez, a recent Lynwood High School graduate and former EduCare student, has been highlighted in a recent Learning in Afterschool & Summer blog post about Simply Wholehearted, the nonprofit he founded.
We could not be prouder of the leadership Axel has demonstrated. We also acknowledge the outstanding contribution that Magaly Barajas, long-time Afterschool Site Coordinator at Lynwood High School (now ACE Initiative Site Administrator at South East High School), made in support of Axel’s vision.
In Axel’s words,
After realizing I was passionate about leadership and had the experience, knowledge, and resources around me, I began sharing my vision and working alongside outstanding individuals to create leadership development curricula and activities. This focus on leadership led us to “Simply Wholehearted”. Simply Wholehearted wouldn’t have come to life without the support of Magaly Barajas and the EduCare Foundation team.
At this point, Simply Wholehearted became a leadership organization. Leadership groups in our community struggle to afford leadership development services that other privileged groups get to attend or receive benefits from, which is why I made it my goal to offer these services to historically excluded students. Since then, we have served over two thousand students for free through several workshops, private training, and leadership curriculum. Our podcast offers topics on leadership with a supplementary worksheet for students to tag along, and our program, Empower Wholehearted, provides a groundbreaking curriculum, interactive activities, and wholehearted connections that will leave teams empowered and expand their reach and impact.
For over 30 years, EduCare has been encouraging and assisting students to grow into well-rounded, resilient leaders and community members students. We provide a full complement of programs and services – from our flagship ACE (Achievement and Commitment to Excellence) Program, to afterschool programs providing academic support and enrichment, to professional development programs and workshops for parents.
Thanks to Sam Piha and Learning in Afterschool & Summer for interviewing Axel Perez, and for showing the ways in which EduCare helps to develop communities of kindness and caring!
The original post, A Youth Leader Speaks Out on Kindness and the Youth Mental Health Crisis, is available in full here.
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