LIFE Program to begin in January
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Shrewsbury - While there are reports about drugs, alcohol and violence related to at-risk kids, Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services (SYFS) Director Jeff ery Chin said that one of the biggest dangers to children can be the simple problem of having too much time.

"Children who have a lot of time on their hands that is unsupervised are spending a lot of time in front of the TV or computer," Chin said. "They're not interacting with other kids, their parents aren't home, they're not involved in productive activities and these kids tend to fall through the cracks."

Which is why Chin and other SYFS staff created the Learning Individual Future Empowerment (LIFE) Program, designed to make sure those students get the support they need to be successful both in school, and later in life.

"The program is designed to give kids a safe place to go where there are positive role models, they can learn about themselves and their peers, have access to activities they might otherwise not have, get a chance to give back to the community and feel better about themselves," he said.

The after-school program, held at Oak Middle, is open to all middle school students in town and consists of a variety of activities each afternoon. Participation is voluntary.

Chin said about half of the children involved are deemed at-risk and the other half just like to have the extra help and socialization.

"We really work to enhance leadership and social skills," Chin said. "Kids that go through this program get a chance to learn about themselves and by the time they're done we're hoping they'll be well adjusted and on their way to becoming good citizens."

Unlike other activities at the school, there is no activity fee for LIFE, which is sponsored by SYFS. The program is expected to begin in January 2008. Anyone who would like to enroll a student in the LIFE Program can contact SYFS at 508-845-6932.