Helping Homeless Teens In The Classroom
By Greg Bowman
DETROIT (WWJ) - How do you make sure kids get an education if they don't even have a place to call home?
Medical students from Wayne State University provide tutoring to young people at Covenant House, a place which offers food, shelter and education for homeless teens. Wayne State Student Nabil Al-Kourainy is one of the coordinators of the tutoring program. He says some of the kids need help with the basics to learn reading and math.
"It's really an amazing program, which is why I'm so excited to play a small part in it," said Al-Kourainy. "They house these students. So they give them room and board. They provide them with access to an education. They also help them with job placement while they are living in the facility."
Shaquille Denson is a resident at Covenant House, where he has been staying since December. When he arrived, Denson said he didn't even have a birth certificate or any identification. Officials at Covenant House helped him get the papers he needed to enroll in school. What keeps him going despite all the hardships he has faced in his life?
"I keep myself motivated. I pray to God. The people at Covenant house encourage me to continue to do good on a daily basis. Every day, I wake up, and try to take it one day at a time."
Melissa Golpe from Covenant House says the program has been around since 2002, and has been a real blessing for the kids who stay there.
"It allows us to service our residents, give them the skills they need," said Golpe. And the Wayne State students are coming out here, volunteering their time, spending every Tuesday evening with our kids. It's been a really great program and a lot of our kids say they have gotten a lot of help from it."
The program has helped prepare students for their GED or High School Diploma and even possibly for their ACT or SAT exams if they are college bound.
Get more on the program at this link.
