Juventud Program making a difference at Sherman

Gilma Arenas, Juventud Coordinator at Sherman Middle School, has a passion for being a positive influence on young students' lives and believes that she can help every student. 
“Gilma goes above and beyond what her expectations are,” says Sherman Middle School Principal Michael Hernandez. “She definitely takes a big part in the students' academic lives, but also making connections with the families — bringing them in and helping to facilitate opportunities for us all to sit down and talk and get supports to the families.”
Centro Hispano of Dane County's Juventud Program provides tutoring services and vocational orientation to students in need. These students participate in cultural and educational activities as the students are guided in exploring options for further education following graduation from high school.
“Our program is very beneficial because we have somebody like Gilma stepping in and just taking it 10 times farther then what she needs to do,” Hernandez says. “She stands at the door at the end of the day and she brings kids over. Sometimes kids don't want to stay after school. She shows that she cares. She talks to the parents. It's neat to see her in action.”
Hernandez, who is originally from Chicago, has seen people in Arenas's role do the opposite. “Sometimes it's easier just to let the kids go home …. because you're still getting paid the same no matter what,” Hernandez says. “She's getting 10-20 kids every day after school all excited about what they are going to do.”
Students receive tutoring for homework and help in English and in Spanish. The program is also a great opportunity to meet friends and to develop a sense of belonging in the school.
“Especially those students who's first language is not English…. they need support and we find tutors from the university who are bilingual,” Arenas says. “They help the students in English and Spanish. It's good for the tutors because they can practice their Spanish, too. The students are more confident when they listen in their own language.”
Juventud has an after school homework club with the tutors. “We work on different projects with the students that are interesting and fun,” Arenas says.
One of those projects was a beautiful mural project called “Diversity” that was completed late last school year and is the pride of Sherman Middle School this year.  “The mural is important because  at Sherman there are students from different countries — Laos, Africa, South America, Central America, Europe…. everywhere. We are very diverse,” she says. “About 20 kids helped with the mural. It was a team effort.”
 Hernandez says that the Latino population at Sherman is about 14 percent of the students.
“Our school is very diverse. There are approximately 24 languages spoken in the building,” he says. “It is a true picture of the east side…. and actually, a true picture of what America is. 
“The mural was a very important project,” he continues. “For some of the kids who worked on the mural, attendance was an issue. Now, they are bringing in their families to see the mural to show what they did. It became their building. That's their mark that they left forever and they are so proud of it.”
Arenas was the director of the mural project and she enjoyed it quite a bit. “Art is part of my life. I helped with the murals at Centro Hispano, too,” she says. 
Originally from Bogata, Colombia, Arenas has been into art since she was young. She was a teacher for 20 years at University of La Sabana in Bogota where she has a degree in art. “I was also a teacher in La Escuela de Bellas Artes in Bogota,” she says. “I helped the school district to do all of the art programs for high schools in Bogota.”
In Madison, Arenas has been working with Centro Hispano's Juventud Program for 10 years. “The program has expanded a bit over the years and we are able to have more tutors now,” Arenas says. “It's very important for me to be in contact with the students every day and that they know that if they study and take advantage of their opportunities, that they can be successful. They need to know that they are here because they have goals and their families have goals and they need to be focused.”
The academic part at school is important, but Arenas says that the education must continue at home. 
“The nice thing about the program is that we've been able to bring in college students who are bilingual, as well as community members who are bilingual to work with our students in native language, conversational English, academic English,” Hernandez says. “The neat thing is that it is a built-in mentor. I've worked with some of the college students who were involved with Juventud working with Gilma and they became mentors to students — coming in on days where they weren't even signed up to be there just to check in on the kids. It's very powerful. 
“The great thing about Gilma is that she is not just working with our Latino students — she sits down with any student in need,” Hernandez adds. “Kids gravitate towards her.”
Arenas works with the school teachers, principals, and counselors throughout the day to familiarize them with the specific needs of each student, to know what they are working on in school, and in what areas they need extra help. She is able to develop a trust relationship with the student and the kids feel more comfortable in school as a result.
“I really enjoy helping the students and the families,” Arenas says. “When I see a student who doesn't speak any English in 6th grade who is now in the 8th grade and they speak very well …. I'm very proud.
 “My personal goal is for all of the students to go to college or to do something better for their lives,” Arenas adds. “For me, that's very important. This will make our community better in the long run. I think that Centro Hispano is doing a very good job concentrating on the young people and helping with the families.”