Ke’Naiyah, Grade 8

"Reflecting on the past will help you make better decisions in the future."

Ke’Naiyah, a vivacious young member, is passionate about many things. She thinks of herself as an activist, a history aficionado and a future marine-biologist.

Over the summer, Ke’Naiyah’s class made up their own countries as part of their summer enrichment program, Brain Gain, which focused on combating summer learning loss. Her country, which she named 'Shadow Beach', had Nigerian roots just like Ke’Naiyah and is populated by people who can speak multiple different languages. Ke’Naiyah spent a lot of time reflecting on cultural differences and why people discriminate based on them.                         

Sharing some of her reflections, Ke’Naiyah explained, “I think people discriminate because they are intimidated by a culture that is different from their own.” She went on to say that she spent a lot of time learning about historical events this summer. As Ke’Naiyah gets ready to start school in the fall, she is excited to share all that she learned and thought about over the summer with her friends!

Ke’Naiyah’s story is just one example how the Boys & Girls Club of Newark creates a safe space for our members to explore ideas about their community in constructive and thought-provoking ways.