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January 22, 2025
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Annandale Safe Youth Project: a haven for children

For children with family, behavior, or school issues, the Annandale Safe Youth Project offers a life line.
When C. came to the Annandale Safe Youth Project five years ago, his mother had moved out of town, he was adjusting to life with his dad, and was struggling in school, says staff member Antonia Arias. “He was a handful; he used to come in and tear up the room,” she says. “He needed someone to understand what he was going through.” Arias met with this dad and teachers and went to back to school night, and once he realized how much people cared about him, “he did a 360 on behavior.”
Helping at the Arlington Food Center
Another student, T., was very quiet and cried a lot when he first came to the program. “Last year, he really broke out of his shell, and now he loves to play outside with the others,” she says. And for K., whose mother recently lost their basement apartment and is trying to find another home, the Annandale Safe Youth Project offers a stable environment in the midst of a chaotic home life. “He never misses a day,” Arias says.

It’s always rewarding to see the children accomplish things they couldn’t do before,” Arias says.

The Annandale Safe Youth Project provides after-school and summer supervision for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. The program is located in a spacious room with kitchen facilities at St. Barnabas Epispocal Church on Ravensworth Road.
During the school year, the children receive homework help, mentoring, counseling, and a snack, which is important because some of them don’t get enough food at home, Arias says. They also have access to the Get Real about Violence program, which address anger management and conflict resolution, and the Shiloh Project, which teaches children to build healthy relationships by caring for pets. They help the staff by doing chores, such as mopping the floor, raking leaves, and shoveling snow, and have plenty of time to play.
Arias and Navarro
During the summer, the children go on lots of field trips. This summer, they’ve gone to the water park at Bull Run Regional Park, the outdoor adventure park at Hemlock Overlook, and a Redskins pre-season game, and they’ve played mini-golf and taken helicopter rides.

The program serves about 30 students during the school year and about 15 in the summer. There is no family income requirement. Most are referred by counselors at Braddock Elementary School but there are also a couple of students from Poe Middle School and one from Annandale Terrace Elementary.
The program, open 3-6 p.m. after school and 1-6 p.m. in the summer, is run by the Alternative House, a refuge for abused and homeless children.

Alternative House also operates other school-age programs in Falls Church and Springfield, as well as shelters for troubled teenagers, homeless youths, and young mothers and their children and a teen center in Culmore, says Nandred Navarro, director of community outreach. In addition, Alternative House provides a case manager at Annandale High School, who works with students at risk of repeating a grade.

Funding comes from a variety of sources, including Fairfax County, federal programs, and private donations, Navarro says. Several members of St. Barnabas volunteer with the Annandale Safe Youth Project and contribute snacks and gift cards for children’s birthdays. More volunteers are always needed, she says, especially people with bilingual skills. Anyone who could help provide the children with a field trip experience is also appreciated.

The children who outgrow the program often don’t want to leave, Arias adds. When they reach seventh grade, some of them come back as volunteer helpers.

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