East Palo Alto Boys & Girls Clubs provide artistic outlet for teens
In East Palo Alto -- where state education numbers show more than nine in ten public school students are low income and more than half are English learners -- many are finding hope and connection at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula.
Lena Potts offers the perfect artistic outlet for a group of high school students on a field trip.
"A lot of students are feeling scared, fearful for what the future holds for them," she said, noting the recent Presidential election.
Potts urges the teens to create social justice signs expressing what's on their mind.
"It's OK to feel like things may be collapsing a little bit. What can we do that's positive and productive and move forward?" Potts said.
She has spent the last decade leading thousands of students kindergarten through high school at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula.
The last four years, Potts has served as site director of the East Palo Alto Clubhouse, the largest of the Peninsula's 29 sites.
"East Palo Alto can get some negative attention for a history of a significant amount of trauma. And while that remains true in may cases, and that is our history, there's also so much joy here," she said. "Our kids are resilient. Our families are resilient."
Many of the students who regularly come to the clubhouse come from low income, undocumented, and single parent families. Potts cultivates a safe haven for them to grow and thrive through academic support, connection and community.
"I want them to choose to go to college, or choose to go into a trade. I want them to have the opportunity to choose whichever path works for them and find a career and fulfilling life that's authentic to who they are," she explained.
She started her job as site director just after the COVID-19 lockdown. She pivoted from in-person programs to distribute food to thousands of participants and their families for a year and a half.
Then she spent the last three years re-building attendance from the ground up. Today, 240 active members participate in the free programs.
Her efforts increased regular high school participation six-fold to about a hundred students.
And she raised funds to secure a new Best Buy Teen Tech center providing access to technology that includes a 3D printer and computers.
Potts also created TeenChella – the club's version of the Coachella Festival. The kids perform music, build teamwork, and have fun.
Nayeli Chapa Maldonado was a student at the clubhouse for several years before working with the teenagers as high school community liaison. She calls Potts a mentor and inspiration.
"She's like a second mother. Whether it was personal or school-related, I always know I could count on her," Maldonado said.
"It's been such a privilege for me to serve the community for a long time, and I can see them grow up," Potts said.
So for expanding opportunities for Boys and Girls Clubs participants to grow and thrive in East Palo Alto, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Lena Potts.
