SOUTH PORTLAND — Avesta Housing and Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (BGCSM) have partnered to provide a unique after-school program in the Brick Hill neighborhood of South Portland that, if successful, may be expanded to other communities across southern Maine.

Two days a week, staff from BGCSM provide on-site after-school programming to children in grades kindergarten through fifth in the community room of Brick Hill Heights, an Avesta Housing affordable housing property. The program is open to residents of the surrounding community, which includes Brick Hill Heights and three other Avesta properties – Brick Hill Townhouses, Brick Hill Cottages, and West End Apartments. Avesta staff currently working there are from the neighborhood, including one who lives at Brick Hill Townhouses.

The one-year pilot program was made possible by a $50,000 grant from the United Way of Southern Maine’s Brick & Beam Society.

BGCSM’s ability to transport youths to its Clubhouses has been greatly impacted by the COVID pandemic. By offering on-site after-school programming to elementary school students in low-income communities, it can provide academic support, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activities and overall wellness promotion at a critical stage of childhood development. During school vacation weeks, interested attendees will be bused to vacation camp at the Portland or South Portland clubhouse.

“Great futures should be accessible to everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from,” says Brian Elowe, BGCSM’s CEO. “Programs like this remove barriers to access. We are excited to be working together with Avesta and the Brick & Beam Society to build great futures for the youth in southern Maine.”

The after-school program is representative of the close relationship between Avesta Housing and Boys & Girls Clubs, which partner on many initiatives for youths in southern Maine. Both organizations are optimistic that it can be extended beyond the current one-year period at Brick Hill as well as to other Maine communities.

“We are pleased to offer after-school programming to our Brick Hill residents with Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine,” said Nicholas Kjeldgaard, resident services manager with Avesta Housing. “Promoting resident well-being and success lies at the core of our mission, and this program is part of that commitment.”