HAMILTON, Ohio — A school program is expanding its services in the City of Hamilton.
H.Y.PE. Hamilton will start an after school program for music and boxing at Wilson Middle School in September. H.Y.PE. is an acronym for Hamilton Young People Empowered.
“The goal is to offer what we have here on a more broader base so whether that’s starting satellite location,s things of that nature, doing some pop ups,” said H.Y.P.E. CEO and founder Shaquila Mathews.
Mathews, known by her community as Pastor Shaq, just wrapped up an eight-week summer program that focused on financial literacy, STEM and community service.
“It gives them a place to idle time. You know idle time can get us in trouble, so them occupying their time and putting them in an environment where there’s something going on where it’s not so structured in the summer where it feels like school, but there’s enough structure for them to know [they have] to be here at a certain time,” Mathews said.
She said there’s a need for more programs like H.Y.P.E. in Hamilton as her waitlists get longer. A couple weeks ago she had four open spots and they were gone in hours.
“This confirms that H.Y.P.E. is needed and that we should be here and that we need to be here,” she said.
Throughout the program the teens gave presentations on different STEM topics and immersed themselves into various art forms. On Fridays, all the teenagers go out and help their community and have a work day. To help teach them about financial literacy, each student earns a $25 stipend every Friday if they complete their community service work and attend two out of the four days of the summer program that week.
“We want them to understand how you got this money. Some kids it’s gone by the time they get around to the candy store. Some kids save it for football, some save it for back to school, everyone has their own goal,” she said.
Mathews is looking to expand her program beyond Wilson Middle School. Her goal is to open another location in a different Hamilton neighborhood.
This fall, H.Y.P.E. Hamilton's programming at Wilson Middle School will center around music and boxing.
“Where do we need to be to best serve families and serve our kids in this district?” Mathews said. “I think it would be great if we could occupy some space on the west side of town because we’re now currently on the east side of town, so I definitely think being able to explore opportunities on the west side of town potentially looking at Lindenwald.”
To keep her non-profit running and to continue offering teenagers experiences that can change their lives, you can click here to learn how you can get involved.
