After School
After school, teenagers like to let off steam. Sometimes that means hanging out on the streets with friends. But the street is a place where teenagers can get mixed up in trouble. Neighborhood youth centers are an alternative. But after-school activities have to have a special appeal to attract teenagers. D.C. teenager Hawi has an inside perspective on what that appeal is. And she knows one place that has it. Here’s her story, from WAMU’s Youth Voices.
About Hawi
Hi, my name is Hawi and I’m a junior at Bell Multicultural High School. I’m Ethiopian and I live in Columbia Heights with my mother.
I just became a new aunt and I’m very excited about that. I can’t wait for the day when my niece is older and I have already graduated from college and can take her with me to travel around the world. Besides babysitting my niece, I like hanging out with friends, listening to music, watching TV, reading books, and writing narratives and poems.
I know this is a bio and I can only write so much so I’m just gonna share with you two quotes that keep me going. I got this poem from a friend of my mother’s diary and I just love it. “Life is like ice cream, eat it before it melts”. The second quote is from my eight grade teacher. He had it on his wall at school and now I have it on my wall at home. “Always do what you need to do before doing what you want to do.”
My story idea was inspired by the Youth Action Research Group here in D.C. This summer YARG did some research on teen-friendly places that are open in the afternoons and evenings. I know of a few neighborhood cafes and co-ops that welcome young people and make them feel like family. I want to talk about what makes these places feel right for teenagers. I’m going to interview some of the managers of these places and the teens that like to go there.