CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

PROPOSAL

COM495 SENIOR SEMINAR

SPRING 2019

Proposal prepared by

Raniyah Alghamdi
 CHILDREN ARE
Raniyah Alghamdi
THE FUTURE!!
The project is one which involves

developing an after-school training

program in Saudi Arabia. The

program will be academic based as

it would focus on helping the

elementary students who have

challenges in their education. This

program borrows the concept from the United States for the after-school program which has been

very effective in helping children. The same concept which has worked very well in the United

States can also be developed and implemented in Saudi Arabia.

There are no after-school programs in Saudi Arabia and this creates a very good

opportunity to develop one. The development of the afterschool program takes into account the

major areas that children struggle with in elementary school. Helping children in areas which

they are academically weak in is an effective way of making sure that they do well in school and

later in life.

After-School program with academic support is the only way of

helping Saudi Arabia elementary children overcome academic
challenges and do better in school.
 WHY AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM?

Saudi Arabia education system does not offer after-school education programs, this means that

the typical education day starts at around 3 PM in the afternoon and the children go home. Many

of the children who are in the elementary are just learning how to read, write and attempt

academic problems. The pace by which these students are able to master these vital skills differ

from one child to the other. According to Director-General of the Arab Organization for

Education, Culture and Science (ALESCO), Dr Abdullah Hamad Muhareb, Saudi Arabia is

suffering from a regressive education program. This means that the current education system is

not empowering the students with the skills which they need for the modern world (Middle East

Monitor, 2017).

There are many elementary school children who are struggling and helping them get off

to a more confident start should be encouraged (Kelly, 2019). The next issue is time, the

children, once they get out of school at 3 PM, means that they will have an entire afternoon

playing since in elementary they are too young to be allocated tasks at home. The goal is not to
limit the afternoon time where the children play, but it’s to take at least an hour to help those

students who are having problems writing, reading, or solving mathematical problems. These

long afternoon hours can be used constructively to offer academic help to the students. New

York University carried out research into the impact of the After-school program and they found

that these programs have been linked to academic confidence and skills (New York University.

2017).

According to Michael Adamowicz, who wrote a report on his research of the impact of

the after-school program found that the children who attended after-school program performed

much better academically, were more confident, and interact with other students much better

(Adamowicz, 2016). This finding found that once the areas which the students were struggling

with were identified then it became easier for the educator to help them improve. This will not be

like an extension of the normal class time but rather on specific weak areas. This would be more

like looking for creative ways to academically engage the student.

HOW SAUDI ARABIA DOES EDUCATION

The idea is to develop an after-school template which will be refined here in the United

States then implemented in Saudi Arabia. The fact that this is a training program it would be

subject to modification once it’s

being implemented in Saudi

Arabia. The program would not

be implemented in the whole of

Saudi Arabia but rather it would

be a pilot project and if it proves successful then it would be rolled out to the entire country.

This will be a template or a pilot program where a few local schools will be selected and work

done with elementary children. Once the template has been polished and proved successful then

it can then be used by other educators in other school in Saudi Arabia

The after-school program will run from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM, this is basically 1 hour of

working with elementary kids. A similar program is being run by St. Mark Youth Enrichment

which is an institution here in Dubuque which has made the after-school programs a success.

THE PROPOSED TIMELINE

Task Resource Date

Research on best after-school
Academic program
Draft the chosen after-school
program that will be in use
Identify a specific school to
implement the after-school
program
Seek Approval for the after
school program
Collaborate with the
elementary teachers to
determine the best way to
Internet and library resources Feb 10th 2019
Pen, writing pads March 15th 2019
Make phone calls and visit April 10th 2019
different school in Saudi
Arabia
Draft a formal letter to the April 20th 2019
school administration or
make a phone call
Holding meeting and May 5th 2019
discussions
teach
Determine the areas which the Give Informal survey June 10th 2019
elementary students struggle questions.
the most Student exercises books
Create a schedule for the Print papers, and writing June 15th 2019
elementary students stationeries
Commence the training July 27th 2019
 References
Adamowicz, M. (2016). Academic Effects Of After-School Programs . Retrieved from Mental

Help: https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/academic-effects-of-after-school-programs/

Kelly, K. (2019). 6 Benefits of Afterschool Programs. Retrieved from Understood:

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/tutors/afterschool-programs/benefits-

afterschool-programs-kids-with-learning-attention-issues

Middle East Monitor. (2017, March 15). Arab states suffer from ‘regressive’ education

programmes. Retrieved from middleeastmonitor:

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170315-arab-states-suffer-from-regressive-

education-programmes/

New York University. (2017, November 6). Afterschool program environments linked to

academic confidence and skills. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 27, 2019 from

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106112233.htm.

http://stmarkyouthenrichment.org/