June 8, 2025 • 32 mins
Segment 1: What do PILLOW FIGHTS and JAZZ music have in common here in El Paso?!
.
Amber Banda speaks with Candice Reyes, Founder and Director of The Jazz Exchange in El Paso, TX. After coming back from living on the east coast for 10 years and seeing the jazz scene in El Paso lacking, Candice and her husband Abel decided to create this organization to educate and entertain the public via jazz music. Amber and Candice talk about the differences between the jazz music scene in the east coast vs here in the Sun City, Candice's musical upbringing, and events coming up where people can be exposed to this amazing and often misunderstood form of music.
They also talk about an upcoming fundraiser, the Brew Battle Pillow Fight, with a stacked lineup of pillow fighters ready to fight and raise funds in the sake of JAZZ. The Jazz Exchange will also have a special performance between smackdowns. For tickets, more information on the Brew Battle Pillow Fight, and more information on the Jazz Exchange and their musical events, go to thejazzexchange.org or look for them on Instagram and Facebook.
Segment 2:Parents! Wish there was one place you could go to search and filter summer camps and events for your kiddos this summer?
Then look no further! Amber Banda interviews Enrique Garcia, the Healthy Kids Director for Boost Network of United Way, about their online resources to help parents find camps and events for their kids to do this summer. You can go to their website and search by age, area, (including Juarez), activity, etc for ways to keep your kids entertained this summer. Many of the organizations the Boost Network have partnered up with are non-profits, which means that many of the summer camps and events are free or at low cost. Go to theboostnetwork.org
.
Amber Banda speaks with Candice Reyes, Founder and Director of The Jazz Exchange in El Paso, TX. After coming back from living on the east coast for 10 years and seeing the jazz scene in El Paso lacking, Candice and her husband Abel decided to create this organization to educate and entertain the public via jazz music. Amber and Candice talk about the differences between the jazz music scene in the east coast vs here in the Sun City, Candice's musical upbringing, and events coming up where people can be exposed to this amazing and often misunderstood form of music.
They also talk about an upcoming fundraiser, the Brew Battle Pillow Fight, with a stacked lineup of pillow fighters ready to fight and raise funds in the sake of JAZZ. The Jazz Exchange will also have a special performance between smackdowns. For tickets, more information on the Brew Battle Pillow Fight, and more information on the Jazz Exchange and their musical events, go to thejazzexchange.org or look for them on Instagram and Facebook.
Segment 2:Parents! Wish there was one place you could go to search and filter summer camps and events for your kiddos this summer?
Then look no further! Amber Banda interviews Enrique Garcia, the Healthy Kids Director for Boost Network of United Way, about their online resources to help parents find camps and events for their kids to do this summer. You can go to their website and search by age, area, (including Juarez), activity, etc for ways to keep your kids entertained this summer. Many of the organizations the Boost Network have partnered up with are non-profits, which means that many of the summer camps and events are free or at low cost. Go to theboostnetwork.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I am
your host, Amber Banda, and right now I am joined
by Candace Reyes. She's the founder and director of the
Jazz Exchange, building communities through music. Candace, thank you for
talking with us today.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited of course.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
So you you and your husband actually started this correct,
His name is Aldo able able Able I new star
with an A and it had four.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Letters, so close close close enough Si.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
So you started this organization and it is a minority
led organization serving underserved artists and local businesses. Can you
tell a listening audience more about the Jazz Exchange and
what it offers the community?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah? Absolutely so. My My I'm from originally from al Paso, Texas,
and my husband's from Wattis and we both grew up
here and we both went to UTIP and did our
music undergrad at UTIP, and so we did a commercial
music program and then we played a lot during our
college years in the local scene. We kind of we
(01:24):
kind of slowly started kind of like the Jazz Exchange
before it was even the Jazz Exchange, you know, we
were just very involved with the community, being hosting live music,
going into different coffee shops, having live jazz. And then
we decided to actually, once we got married, we taught
for one year at Loretto Academy as music teachers for
(01:46):
general music, and then my husband got accepted for his
masters at William Patterson University in New Jersey. So we
decided to move to the East Coast, you know, thinking
that we were probably just gonna live there for like
wary five years, and we ended up living there for
ten years in the East Coast, in the New Jersey,
New York area, and we got some really cool opportunities,
(02:09):
you know. I think one of the reasons why we
stayed was because we got to work with some really
great I got to work with some really great nonprofits
in the East Coast and in New York that were
all music education, specifically towards jazz because New York and
New Jersey they're kind of like the mecca of jazz
over there, and obviously it's a bigger city, so there's
definitely a lot of funding and a lot of programs
(02:32):
and options for jazz education on the East Coast. And
then my husband got to work with you know, the
nonprofit as well as a faculty member, and we just
kind of really got into the scene in the East Coast.
And every time we'd come back to a pass so
you know, we'd visit family during the holidays. You know,
every time we'd come, we'd be like, where's jazz? Like,
(02:54):
you know, when we were growing up here, we just
had a lot of opportunities to go play jazz. And granted,
I mean I grew up a musical family. My mom
and my dad were involved in a local band called
Asuka that were you know that bad has been around
for many years, over fifty years, so you know, growing
up in a musical family, I got to be around
(03:16):
musicians and have that opportunity. But still, you know, every
time we'd come back, I was like, man, this scene
was was definitely a lot bigger. There was a lot
more things happening, and unfortunately, you know, those nonprofits that
used to be in all pass so kind of died
off or didn't continue doing what they were doing, one
of them being the Alpasso Jazz the Apastle Friends of
(03:38):
Jazz excuse me. And so, you know, I think that
was one of the reasons. You know, after being in
the New York City area and doing our careers in
our professional stuff in that area, you know, every time
I just be like, I feel like we got to
go back and support our community. Like we've just learned
so much over here that now we can kind of
(03:59):
just come over here and uplift our community. Why not,
you know. So that's kind of what we did, you know,
in a nutshell. Obviously some ups and downs and obstacles
that got us through, but you know, now we're happy
to be here. We've already been here for about three
years in al Paso, and the Jazz Exchange is a
registered local nonprofit here in al Paso, Texas, and so
(04:20):
you know, I got to really experience and be a
director and be an artist Laison, and you know, obviously
running your own nonprofit is different, and you got to
learn some things that you didn't realize as an owner
executive director. But with mentors and people that have helped
and people that also have showed interest in, you know,
(04:41):
supporting the community. It's like we're our mission statement and
is building communities through music. And I think that's one
of the biggest things that we were trying to build here.
There wasn't really there was a lot of things happening,
and yes there was live jazz unless yes there's great musicians,
there wasn't really like a community that was getting together.
So that's kind of how we started some of our
(05:02):
programs with our Jazz around Town music series, and then
we decided to start like an afterschool program which is
year round, and also do a summer camp for kids
ages eleven through eighteen through our Jazz Academy program. So yeah,
there's a lot going on and we've had several programs
and just different things and ideas that you know, we
(05:22):
also just kind of connected with Watts too, since my
husband's from Wattas you know, there's so much connection and
unity that is happening, you know, through music more than
what people think, you know, so music really can unite
us and not divide us really, So that's kind of
where we stand with music. Very powerful in many ways.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Oh yeah, definitely. Different genres of music have their dedicated
listening base, you know, even down to artists who got
your swifties and then countries its own entity with its
own you know, all the genres have different subcultures. So,
like you're saying with jazz, I mean I've listened to jazz,
I took a jazz class in college, but I'm not
familiar with like you know, I'm sure you guys have
your own language and stuff like that. So it's very
cool that you're bringing that from what you learned from
(06:03):
the East Coast, bringing it to al Paso and having
that culture, not just the you know, playing at the
clubs and being able to go see a jazz band,
but having that culture here where people can go and
relate and talk. Now, one of my questions for you
is what is one of the big or what are
some of the biggest differences you've seen in the jazz
scene in the East Coast versus here in al Paso.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Well, I mean, obviously, the East Coast you know, has
a history. You know, there's there's you know, jazz legends
that have played you know, you know John Coltrane, Miles Davis,
you know, jazz clubs that were you know around. You know,
there's just so much history to jazz, you know when
we talk to kids about it, or when we talk
to when we go and visit schools and recruit people,
(06:46):
and a lot of people sometimes just don't know. But
jazz is the only American art form that was born
and created here in the United States. It's the only
music art form that was born and created here in
the United States.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
So it's our.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Music, it's our history, you know, it's where it comes from.
It's part of what our culture is, you know, the
American art form, and so being part of that really
does give some kind of history to people saying, oh,
jazz music has been around, you know now, I think
jazz music has been around for a little over then
(07:22):
one hundred years, and you know some of the founders
and you know, icons and legends. Lewis Armstrong. You know,
everybody knows who Louis Armstrong is. You know, he's one
of the exactly exactly, he's one of the people that
changed the history of jazz music. You know, he started
scat singing he started playing, you know, the trump in
(07:43):
a different way and swinging the music, and then big
band era came along, and then bebop came along, and
so all the music we hear today, country, rap, blues,
soul funk stems from the root of jazz music. And
so that's something that we really teach people and students
especially that are kind of new to coming into jazz
(08:05):
in the Academy program. But it's also very interesting that
a lot of adults too kind of just don't understand
or have never been told the history of what jazz
music is. You know, Yeah, and a lot of people,
you know, there's different styles of jazz, and some jazz
is for certain people, and some jazz isn't. You know,
there's smooth jazz, there's bebop, there's swing, there's big band jazz.
(08:25):
You know, there's groovy, soulful funk. You know kind of jazz.
It all stems from the blues. It all stems from
from that music. So, you know, knowing where it comes
from is probably the biggest and the most important thing
to understand jazz. Right we kind of tell people, you know,
you don't listen to Mariaci music and not go to Mexico,
you know, or know that it's from Mexico, right born.
(08:48):
And you don't listen to salsa music and not know
that it's from you know, Puerto Rico, you know, or Bahata,
you know, Panama. Like different cities have different sub you know,
their genres of music. And so jazz is the American
art form, and so it's really cool to you know,
tell students and teach people about, you know, what jazz
(09:08):
is about.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
And I feel like if people know a little bit
more about the history of the music, they feel more
connected to it, they appreciate it more.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
So.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
It sounds that jazz is kind of like the ballet,
because I love dance, so it's like the ballet of dance,
because if you know ballet, you can pretty much do
all other sorts of dance, you know. And if you're
just if you're just joining us. I have Candace Reyes,
founder and director of the Jazz Exchange, Building Communities through Music. Now, Candace,
(09:35):
let's talk a little bit more about the events. People
wanting to be a part of this experience, people wanting
to learn more about jazz, play an instrument, Maybe they
have a child that's interested in that can you tell
us a little bit more about some of the programs
that you have.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, of course, so we have a Jazz a Candiey
program that has been running now for the past three years.
We have two kind of programs that we do with
the Academy program and this is all music education. So
we have a year round program that runs from October
all the way up until early June. So right now
(10:10):
we're kind of at the end of our spring semester.
We'll be having our spring concert this coming up Sunday,
June eighth at the Garrison, and so you get to
hear some of our students through our year round program
that do this after school. This is kind of extraricular
after school students who are invested in want to do
(10:31):
it and want to learn more. You know, they only
get so much time in school with their band directors
or their teachers. No forty five minute class, you can't
really teach a lot of that extended skill and technique.
And so that's where the students kind of have the
opportunity to come and be part of the Jazz Academy.
And through the Jazz Academy program, we have our artistic
(10:52):
director who's my husband, Able met Elis who plays tenor sacks.
And then our newest faculty member is doctor Christian just
who's a bass player also a music educator at Brown
Middle School, he's the orchestra teacher. So we have really
you know, amazing musicians who are professional musicians, who have
(11:13):
lived as musicians, you know, like as a living. They
do this professionally. But then also our educators. And so
my husband's now the new jazz band director at UTEP,
so he gets to work with college kids, and then
he gets to work with like young kids, you know,
middle school and high school school. And so our academy
program is for students ages eleven through eighteen. They at
(11:37):
least have to have one year of band or experience
in playing music. Maybe they're with private teachers, that's fine too.
And then once we finish our school year, we do
a two week summer workshop that happens at the last
two weeks of June. So that's an annual summer workshop.
(11:57):
It's a two week intensive summer workshop where students get
an opportunity to come and play and learn about the music,
really understand what's going on on a more extensive level. Right,
it's more of a understanding the improvisation of jazz, you know,
(12:18):
I think that's one of the beautiful things, you know,
talking earlier, we give students the confidence to express themselves
through their instrument and you know, so understanding a little
bit more about the jazz history, the culture, you know,
and then we do some jam sessions and then we
have you know, some tech classes where they get to
learn about their technique.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
You also have the Jazz around Town music series, you
have the Alpasso Jazz Festival. If you want more information
on those, you can go to the Jazz Exchange dot org.
But there is one event that we have a few
more minutes to talk about, and it is called It's
actually a fundraising event that's going the part of the
profits are going to the Jazz Exchange. This sounds really cool.
I believe this is the second and will Brew Battle
(13:01):
Pillow Fight being presented by the Buzzed podcast. Those guys
are really cool. Joko unfortunately could make the interview today,
but it sounds like a lot of fun. So this
Brew Battle Pillow Fight is going to be Saturday, June fourteenth,
So as of the airing of this episode, it's going
to be this Saturday at the Sagi Vessel one, one, three,
five five Pelicano. The patio is going to open up
(13:24):
at four The fight the pillow fights start at five pm,
and actually my husband is going to be one of
the fighters who's going to be UH against a fallow biker.
The MC is going to be my buddy Mike Tipton,
Great MC, and then it the main event is going
to be Grizz from Kiss FM and Dario from one
to four point three Delicious Dario The Delicious one fifteen
(13:48):
dollars for adults, five dollars four through three and five
and under I think, and then.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Under five dollars for kids, six dollars for kids, and
then under five is free.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Oh okay, okay, So if you want more information on
that event, you can go to the Buzzed podcast. And yeah,
it looks like a pretty cool lineup. I don't know
how they're gonna do it with the pillow fights or what.
All I know is my husband is super excited and
I'm going to get there a little later in the evening.
But Candice, before we leave, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
No, I just you know, thank you for coming. Out
and supporting. We're really excited that Buzzed Podcasts chose us
as a nonprofit. You know, as a nonprofit, we do
rely on funds and community support, and so by you
coming out to this pillow fight that they host annually,
you're not only just supporting the nonprofit, but you're just
supporting local businesses and supporting all the people who are
(14:43):
doing local stuff and really changing the local scene through
the radios podcast You know, even you know the people
who are sponsoring, you know, the event. You know, there's
a lot of people in invested into the time of
this event. So it's gonna be fun, it's going to
be outdoors. The Jazz Exchange Academy program will be performing
(15:04):
at four kpm and at seven pm, so you guys
will really get an idea of you know, where where
your donations and where that money is going towards the
future of generations of jazz musicians here and I'll pass.
Speaker 6 (15:17):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So I hope to catch the seven pm performance. I
do have an event that day, but I will be
there right afterward. And so again, if you want more information,
the Jazz Exchange dot org. You can also find them
on Facebook and Instagram, the Jazz Exchange, and of course
on par one to two point one Sunday, ninety nine
point nine and ninety six point three k Country, I
will be posting all of this information and again the
Buzzed podcast That's Buzzed. Find them on Instagram. You can
(15:41):
see the fly, you can see the lineup. Go choose
your favorite and why is it going to be rigs?
But Candace, thank you so much for talking with us today.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Thank you. And just one last thing. You can buy
your tickets online for the pillow Fight at the Jazz
Exchange dot org. So there are tickets all available online
as well.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Oh there you go, so buy them now. Even if
you can't make it, that money is going to the
Jazz Exchange. So thank you so much, Candice, thank you.
So the audio in this next interview is just an
example of real life happening. There was a huge accident
on it and I ended up having to do the
(16:18):
interview over the phone. But my guest was very gracious,
very kind, very very flexible, which I appreciate. So I
apologize in advance for the audio quality on my end.
But again, this is real life happening and it's a
very good interview.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
So enjoy, welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
I am your host, Amberbanda, and today we have Endrique Garcia.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
He is from the Boost Network, a part of United Way.
Speaker 6 (16:45):
Endrique, can you please tell the audience your title and
also thank you for being here with me today.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
I am Bertie. A pleasure to be here. Actually, yes.
So this is a program at the United World Passo
County funded by the Paso not the Health Foundation. And
the whole idea and the whole premise of this project
is to increase access to after school prog children and
the youth of our community. We work with different after
(17:12):
school program providers throughout the year to provide them with training,
connect them with different resources, created some networking opportunities and
collaboration making between them. And this is a tri state effort,
so we work in southern New Mexico Apasso and what
is so this is kind of like this binational effort
(17:32):
that we work in tandem amongst each other. But currently
we're working on a summer campaign. I don't know if
I can share a little bit more about it.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
We'll get us into that in a little bit. But
my question for you, would you say you work in
tandem with different schools. How do you choose the schools that.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
You work with? Are they like low income or are
they chosen at random? How does that work?
Speaker 5 (17:52):
Actually after school after school programming, we don't yes, yes, yes,
we don't work with with schools directly work with the
after school program problem.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Okay, See when I hear after school, I always can
I always think, you know.
Speaker 6 (18:04):
It's after school but at a school, but it's just
you know, no, no, no, it's afterwards.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Okay, right, right, that's exactly I mean, you're exactly right. Right.
For parents and members of our community, oftentimes it's trying
to like find that opportunity to have their kids continue
to be busy whenever they're finished with the school the
school day, right, And oftentimes some schools actually have that
(18:30):
opportunity within their campus and within their properties. But when
they're not, they work with organizations that we work with,
most of them being nonprofits. And these are like small
organizations throughout the region. But you're also your well known
established long term like you're why why w u c A,
(18:52):
y m c A, your Boys and Girls Club, your
boy Scouts, your girls so all these type of different
organizations across the region we work with them, and then
we just tried to promote a bit bit more access
into those programs.
Speaker 6 (19:07):
That is a big help for the parents. And so
what we're going to talk about now since most of
the kids are getting out of school for summer. I
know mine, right, you know she she's already out of school.
Can yes, can you tell us a little bit more
about the programs that you're going to help make available
and help promote for the kids to do during the
summer and save the parents a little bit of their sanity.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Yes, yes, yes, absolutely, I mean one of those things
that again, parents are busy, continue to work, right where
the kids continue to be.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Life goes on in the summer too.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Right, right, and then there's kids. What are you going
to do with the kids? Like there for the summer
for a couple of months, and I'll continue to work
and Grandpa or Grandma's not at home or like you
know what, like you just well to your kids, continue
to learn, to continue to foster, continue to right, get
out there. I had to get out there getting consoles.
(19:57):
So like what we do with these programs that we
work with, we received their information for their summer camps
creating pictured as a one stop shop, meaning through our
boost website. The boostnetwork dot org is where you find
a summer catalog for many of these organizations that we
(20:20):
work with. We work with more than one hundred different organizations.
So the cool thing about it this is a like
a stop like a one stop shop for parents to
find a little bit of everything and for ages five seventeen.
So it's a wide range, wide array of age range.
Activities can go from your traditional outdoor activities like hiking
(20:42):
and biking and stuff like that, to club activities on
at some of these organizations, sports music, you named it right,
there's a little bit of everything for everybody.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
So I was actually trying to do this last year
on a ninety six point three ky Country Monday through
Friday through the seven Shameless plug.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
What I was trying to find somewhere where.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
I could just get all of those summer camps and
kind of list them on.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
KHA dot com. And I couldn't find anything.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
And so I'm so glad that I now know about
you and about the Boost Network.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
So the website is the boostnetwork dot org.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
Now, can you tell us a little bit about some
of the local camps that you might know of is
that case might be interested in.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Yeah. I mean the cool thing about it and I'm
glad you did this plug is I like, the more
people know about Let's resource, the better. These are nonprofit
organizations for the most part, and they some of them
receive funding from our resources that we connect them with,
so like oftentimes the camps that they are offering are
(21:47):
have low cost or are entirely free for them for
the kid. It's that's a good little part to have
right there. Oh yeah, right. The other cool component about
our website and our and the members of our network
and their camps is, as I was sharing with you,
we train and continue to to pour these organizations throughout
(22:10):
the year so that parents can have the certainty. Parents
can have the certainty that if they enroll a camp
of their enroll their kids in some of our our
programs camps, that he will be safe, there will be better.
They have some degree of structure already that we continue
to support, so there'll be quality camps for sure.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
And when they go online to the Boost network dot
org are the camps?
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Can they search them.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
Like through different filters, like maybe through ages or anything
like that.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
Yes, so we try to make life easier for everybody
and right, so the good thing is like our website
allows since this is a binational effort too and attracts
to the effort. One of the things that we can
see to support is, you know, like some of the kids,
so obviously you finish their school here and then they
(23:05):
google to grandma and what is and for the summer.
But once they're with grad mine what is, they're not
doing anything? So what might as well just enrolled in
the camp over there.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
So the website allows you to filter by location, by yeah, yeah,
by location, by h range, by type of activity, and by.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
And like a full map of it. So like it's
connected to Google Maps. So if you want to find
something that is close to your home or something that
is close to your work, you can put your address
in that website and then it will throw the different
options that you can find around there.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
Oh wow, that's amazing. And is there a cost to this?
Speaker 5 (23:56):
No, are the cost of the programs and maybe the
Petskagen because it's their own programs we're promoting, but a
coup for them to use our resources. This is entirely
free for the community to use.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Absolutely and if you're just joining us, we have Endrika
Garcia Enrica. Can you tell the audience your title? And
he is from the Boost Network of United Way.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Yes, I'm the Healthy Kids Directors yet the United World,
Pazit County and we are the ones that coordinate the
efforts for the Boost Network, which is this out of
school time network supporting different enough to school programs.
Speaker 6 (24:36):
Now the United Way is that the same organization that
has the Family Resiliency Center?
Speaker 5 (24:42):
That is correct? So through Boost, Yes, through Boost there's
other opportunities.
Speaker 8 (24:47):
Right.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
We also have a program called Parents Teachers. The program
called Parents's Teachers work the kids that are five and under.
So this program teaches parents how to be the first
teacher at home, like increase their motor skills and increase
everything too, and for parents to ensure there's a healthy
development of their children. So through United Way, you like,
(25:10):
the families can find different resources from zero age to
rect assistance, to after school programming, to the Parents's Teachers
programming to volunteer opportunities. So and through our Boost Network
website you can find the different avenues to connect to
these resources as well.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
Oh wow, so the Boostnetwork Dot org again and if
there are parents that maybe are wondering what is what
what could a child gain or what could the value
be of having my child in one.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Of these various camps.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
First of all, there are so many different camps and
all pass so there's you know, if the child likes
to play with animals, or if they like to cook,
or if they like to you know, they're interested in
robotics or art.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Now, can you speak to those parents and just tell them.
Speaker 6 (25:58):
What the value is of their kids even doing one
week or a few days out of the summer, what
that can do for them and their family.
Speaker 5 (26:05):
Remember you said you said this, right, I mean like
the wide array of the activity oftentimes tends to be
a secondary thing. Right. You try to foster the interest
of your kids and and obviously engage them and things
that they like. But the long term, I guess benefit
from being involved in after school programming In the summer camp,
(26:29):
kids develop their sub skills better. Like they tend to
make friends, which is a little bit harder nowadays when
they're attached to a screen. There they they make friends
very enhance their social modern cognitive skills. Kids learn what
and reinforce what they're not learning in school. Academics and
schools can do like a little like they do a
(26:50):
lot right for our kids. But this is this is
the space where kids can be kids and and this
is the value that after school programming brings because this
allows like a healthy development of a youth. And there's
a bunch of research that shows that a kid that
is involved in after scoopromium in a summer camp tends
(27:11):
to develop better and perform better as an adult than
the counterparts that don't. Really it's yes, yes, like a
few revers and again, some of that research you can
also find in our website.
Speaker 6 (27:24):
The boost network dot org. Again, if you want resources,
like again I wish.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
That I had had this last year, you go there.
Speaker 6 (27:31):
It's your one staff shop to find various summer camps
for your kids.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
You know the camps.
Speaker 6 (27:36):
Of course, like you said, you work with various nonprofits,
so the camps can be their low cost, no costs,
or some have a cost. But you know, for if
you're able to afford it, and you're able to send
them to as many as possible, I think that's great,
not just to inundate them to keep learning and keep
doing homework, but just to expose them to a lot
of different things that they can't during the school year exactly.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
I mean like the better the merrier, right, I mean
you might not know that. You may say, you know what,
my kid is great at sports, but you because he's
always been doing sports, so she's always sports. But what
if you have an artist in the make and you
don't really know because you haven't had the time to
get that kid explore those activities at one point. So
(28:16):
this is the opportunity also for parents to discover some
hidden talents and some hitting gyms that their kids may have,
and some hidden interest that even the kid himself can say,
you know what, I love playing football, but maybe I
am really good at biking or making music or something.
Speaker 8 (28:37):
Like that, you know, uh, being on k with my
work there, there's a lot of country artists that had
a sports background and they ended up making it really
big in the music industry.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
So that's true.
Speaker 6 (28:49):
You might have a sports sports star that you know,
turned art or either where they find the love for both.
So again, the Boost network dot org, you're basically one
stop shop for all things summer camps. Enrique, is there
anything else that you would like to tell the listening audience?
Speaker 5 (29:03):
Yes, another that you touch about the country. I mean,
there's a handful of renowned personalities on our website that
share the testimony of being involved in after school programs
kind of like enhance how they are doing and why
there are great adults in the make. I mean there's
somebody that is a mural is somebody that is a
(29:25):
business owner, somebody that's a renowned musician. Uh So there's
like for parents and and even for kids themselves too
to find that inspiration like out there. It's tangible, it's
it's something that they can reach for their stars and
and and start young. The other thing that I would
like to share this is an ever expanding list are
(29:47):
summer camps. And because we work in the Stristate region,
our summer camps tend to start at different dates and
different uh because schools ends in different cycles and depending
on the state and in the country. So this is
an ever growing list. If there's any afterscript program provider
that wants to join the list and you take advantage
(30:09):
of the platform and be part of this resource for
our community. This is a favorite resource for the community.
We invite any organizations so that it's doing summer KMT
to contact us to be part of this resource as well.
Speaker 6 (30:22):
That's amazing. And again, the BOOST Network a part of
the United Way of al Paso and the UNIWA does
so many great free things for the community, and there's
just one more thing to add to the list. So
and think, is there any sponsors or any nonprofits organizations
that you want to give a shout out before we finish?
Speaker 5 (30:40):
Yeah, I mean the parts or not. The Health Foundation
has been funded this initiative since since exception, So I
mean this is a tandem effort between the Foundation and
in any way since twenty fifteen. So I give credit
to both leadership too.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
Well.
Speaker 6 (30:55):
Enka, thank you so much for being a part of
this show and for letting the community know about this resource.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Thank you so much for talking with me today.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
No, well, thank you, thank you, Amberta. I appreciate the opportunity.
I mean, the more people know about this or like resource,
the better. There's a handful of opportunities out there. It
just depends on the interest of the kids and and
if we have a surplus of themanth and and not
enough supplies, that justifies our efforts to continue to find
(31:26):
resources to bring back to our community, to continue to
expand this this this opportunity.
Speaker 6 (31:31):
For our kids exactly. Please take advantage of these opportunities.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
They're here for you, a passle, They here for your
kids and parents, there for your sanity.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
Grandparents is there for your sanity. It'll help your kids grow,
it will help.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Your kids thrive. So again, Arika, thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Amber, I appreciate you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You've been listening to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio l Passo. If you, your
organization or event would like to be featured on an
upcoming program, please email to ep Forum at iHeartMedia Dot
or call us at nine one five three five one
five four zero zero. Tune in again next week for
(32:06):
another additional of El Paso Public Forum. The preceding program
was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio El Paso
Welcome to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I am
your host, Amber Banda, and right now I am joined
by Candace Reyes. She's the founder and director of the
Jazz Exchange, building communities through music. Candace, thank you for
talking with us today.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited of course.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
So you you and your husband actually started this correct,
His name is Aldo able able Able I new star
with an A and it had four.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Letters, so close close close enough Si.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
So you started this organization and it is a minority
led organization serving underserved artists and local businesses. Can you
tell a listening audience more about the Jazz Exchange and
what it offers the community?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah? Absolutely so. My My I'm from originally from al Paso, Texas,
and my husband's from Wattis and we both grew up
here and we both went to UTIP and did our
music undergrad at UTIP, and so we did a commercial
music program and then we played a lot during our
college years in the local scene. We kind of we
(01:24):
kind of slowly started kind of like the Jazz Exchange
before it was even the Jazz Exchange, you know, we
were just very involved with the community, being hosting live music,
going into different coffee shops, having live jazz. And then
we decided to actually, once we got married, we taught
for one year at Loretto Academy as music teachers for
(01:46):
general music, and then my husband got accepted for his
masters at William Patterson University in New Jersey. So we
decided to move to the East Coast, you know, thinking
that we were probably just gonna live there for like
wary five years, and we ended up living there for
ten years in the East Coast, in the New Jersey,
New York area, and we got some really cool opportunities,
(02:09):
you know. I think one of the reasons why we
stayed was because we got to work with some really
great I got to work with some really great nonprofits
in the East Coast and in New York that were
all music education, specifically towards jazz because New York and
New Jersey they're kind of like the mecca of jazz
over there, and obviously it's a bigger city, so there's
definitely a lot of funding and a lot of programs
(02:32):
and options for jazz education on the East Coast. And
then my husband got to work with you know, the
nonprofit as well as a faculty member, and we just
kind of really got into the scene in the East Coast.
And every time we'd come back to a pass so
you know, we'd visit family during the holidays. You know,
every time we'd come, we'd be like, where's jazz? Like,
(02:54):
you know, when we were growing up here, we just
had a lot of opportunities to go play jazz. And granted,
I mean I grew up a musical family. My mom
and my dad were involved in a local band called
Asuka that were you know that bad has been around
for many years, over fifty years, so you know, growing
up in a musical family, I got to be around
(03:16):
musicians and have that opportunity. But still, you know, every
time we'd come back, I was like, man, this scene
was was definitely a lot bigger. There was a lot
more things happening, and unfortunately, you know, those nonprofits that
used to be in all pass so kind of died
off or didn't continue doing what they were doing, one
of them being the Alpasso Jazz the Apastle Friends of
(03:38):
Jazz excuse me. And so, you know, I think that
was one of the reasons. You know, after being in
the New York City area and doing our careers in
our professional stuff in that area, you know, every time
I just be like, I feel like we got to
go back and support our community. Like we've just learned
so much over here that now we can kind of
(03:59):
just come over here and uplift our community. Why not,
you know. So that's kind of what we did, you know,
in a nutshell. Obviously some ups and downs and obstacles
that got us through, but you know, now we're happy
to be here. We've already been here for about three
years in al Paso, and the Jazz Exchange is a
registered local nonprofit here in al Paso, Texas, and so
(04:20):
you know, I got to really experience and be a
director and be an artist Laison, and you know, obviously
running your own nonprofit is different, and you got to
learn some things that you didn't realize as an owner
executive director. But with mentors and people that have helped
and people that also have showed interest in, you know,
(04:41):
supporting the community. It's like we're our mission statement and
is building communities through music. And I think that's one
of the biggest things that we were trying to build here.
There wasn't really there was a lot of things happening,
and yes there was live jazz unless yes there's great musicians,
there wasn't really like a community that was getting together.
So that's kind of how we started some of our
(05:02):
programs with our Jazz around Town music series, and then
we decided to start like an afterschool program which is
year round, and also do a summer camp for kids
ages eleven through eighteen through our Jazz Academy program. So yeah,
there's a lot going on and we've had several programs
and just different things and ideas that you know, we
(05:22):
also just kind of connected with Watts too, since my
husband's from Wattas you know, there's so much connection and
unity that is happening, you know, through music more than
what people think, you know, so music really can unite
us and not divide us really, So that's kind of
where we stand with music. Very powerful in many ways.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Oh yeah, definitely. Different genres of music have their dedicated
listening base, you know, even down to artists who got
your swifties and then countries its own entity with its
own you know, all the genres have different subcultures. So,
like you're saying with jazz, I mean I've listened to jazz,
I took a jazz class in college, but I'm not
familiar with like you know, I'm sure you guys have
your own language and stuff like that. So it's very
cool that you're bringing that from what you learned from
(06:03):
the East Coast, bringing it to al Paso and having
that culture, not just the you know, playing at the
clubs and being able to go see a jazz band,
but having that culture here where people can go and
relate and talk. Now, one of my questions for you
is what is one of the big or what are
some of the biggest differences you've seen in the jazz
scene in the East Coast versus here in al Paso.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Well, I mean, obviously, the East Coast you know, has
a history. You know, there's there's you know, jazz legends
that have played you know, you know John Coltrane, Miles Davis,
you know, jazz clubs that were you know around. You know,
there's just so much history to jazz, you know when
we talk to kids about it, or when we talk
to when we go and visit schools and recruit people,
(06:46):
and a lot of people sometimes just don't know. But
jazz is the only American art form that was born
and created here in the United States. It's the only
music art form that was born and created here in
the United States.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
So it's our.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Music, it's our history, you know, it's where it comes from.
It's part of what our culture is, you know, the
American art form, and so being part of that really
does give some kind of history to people saying, oh,
jazz music has been around, you know now, I think
jazz music has been around for a little over then
(07:22):
one hundred years, and you know some of the founders
and you know, icons and legends. Lewis Armstrong. You know,
everybody knows who Louis Armstrong is. You know, he's one
of the exactly exactly, he's one of the people that
changed the history of jazz music. You know, he started
scat singing he started playing, you know, the trump in
(07:43):
a different way and swinging the music, and then big
band era came along, and then bebop came along, and
so all the music we hear today, country, rap, blues,
soul funk stems from the root of jazz music. And
so that's something that we really teach people and students
especially that are kind of new to coming into jazz
(08:05):
in the Academy program. But it's also very interesting that
a lot of adults too kind of just don't understand
or have never been told the history of what jazz
music is. You know, Yeah, and a lot of people,
you know, there's different styles of jazz, and some jazz
is for certain people, and some jazz isn't. You know,
there's smooth jazz, there's bebop, there's swing, there's big band jazz.
(08:25):
You know, there's groovy, soulful funk. You know kind of jazz.
It all stems from the blues. It all stems from
from that music. So, you know, knowing where it comes
from is probably the biggest and the most important thing
to understand jazz. Right we kind of tell people, you know,
you don't listen to Mariaci music and not go to Mexico,
you know, or know that it's from Mexico, right born.
(08:48):
And you don't listen to salsa music and not know
that it's from you know, Puerto Rico, you know, or Bahata,
you know, Panama. Like different cities have different sub you know,
their genres of music. And so jazz is the American
art form, and so it's really cool to you know,
tell students and teach people about, you know, what jazz
(09:08):
is about.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
And I feel like if people know a little bit
more about the history of the music, they feel more
connected to it, they appreciate it more.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
So.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
It sounds that jazz is kind of like the ballet,
because I love dance, so it's like the ballet of dance,
because if you know ballet, you can pretty much do
all other sorts of dance, you know. And if you're
just if you're just joining us. I have Candace Reyes,
founder and director of the Jazz Exchange, Building Communities through Music. Now, Candace,
(09:35):
let's talk a little bit more about the events. People
wanting to be a part of this experience, people wanting
to learn more about jazz, play an instrument, Maybe they
have a child that's interested in that can you tell
us a little bit more about some of the programs
that you have.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, of course, so we have a Jazz a Candiey
program that has been running now for the past three years.
We have two kind of programs that we do with
the Academy program and this is all music education. So
we have a year round program that runs from October
all the way up until early June. So right now
(10:10):
we're kind of at the end of our spring semester.
We'll be having our spring concert this coming up Sunday,
June eighth at the Garrison, and so you get to
hear some of our students through our year round program
that do this after school. This is kind of extraricular
after school students who are invested in want to do
(10:31):
it and want to learn more. You know, they only
get so much time in school with their band directors
or their teachers. No forty five minute class, you can't
really teach a lot of that extended skill and technique.
And so that's where the students kind of have the
opportunity to come and be part of the Jazz Academy.
And through the Jazz Academy program, we have our artistic
(10:52):
director who's my husband, Able met Elis who plays tenor sacks.
And then our newest faculty member is doctor Christian just
who's a bass player also a music educator at Brown
Middle School, he's the orchestra teacher. So we have really
you know, amazing musicians who are professional musicians, who have
(11:13):
lived as musicians, you know, like as a living. They
do this professionally. But then also our educators. And so
my husband's now the new jazz band director at UTEP,
so he gets to work with college kids, and then
he gets to work with like young kids, you know,
middle school and high school school. And so our academy
program is for students ages eleven through eighteen. They at
(11:37):
least have to have one year of band or experience
in playing music. Maybe they're with private teachers, that's fine too.
And then once we finish our school year, we do
a two week summer workshop that happens at the last
two weeks of June. So that's an annual summer workshop.
(11:57):
It's a two week intensive summer workshop where students get
an opportunity to come and play and learn about the music,
really understand what's going on on a more extensive level. Right,
it's more of a understanding the improvisation of jazz, you know,
(12:18):
I think that's one of the beautiful things, you know,
talking earlier, we give students the confidence to express themselves
through their instrument and you know, so understanding a little
bit more about the jazz history, the culture, you know,
and then we do some jam sessions and then we
have you know, some tech classes where they get to
learn about their technique.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
You also have the Jazz around Town music series, you
have the Alpasso Jazz Festival. If you want more information
on those, you can go to the Jazz Exchange dot org.
But there is one event that we have a few
more minutes to talk about, and it is called It's
actually a fundraising event that's going the part of the
profits are going to the Jazz Exchange. This sounds really cool.
I believe this is the second and will Brew Battle
(13:01):
Pillow Fight being presented by the Buzzed podcast. Those guys
are really cool. Joko unfortunately could make the interview today,
but it sounds like a lot of fun. So this
Brew Battle Pillow Fight is going to be Saturday, June fourteenth,
So as of the airing of this episode, it's going
to be this Saturday at the Sagi Vessel one, one, three,
five five Pelicano. The patio is going to open up
(13:24):
at four The fight the pillow fights start at five pm,
and actually my husband is going to be one of
the fighters who's going to be UH against a fallow biker.
The MC is going to be my buddy Mike Tipton,
Great MC, and then it the main event is going
to be Grizz from Kiss FM and Dario from one
to four point three Delicious Dario The Delicious one fifteen
(13:48):
dollars for adults, five dollars four through three and five
and under I think, and then.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Under five dollars for kids, six dollars for kids, and
then under five is free.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Oh okay, okay, So if you want more information on
that event, you can go to the Buzzed podcast. And yeah,
it looks like a pretty cool lineup. I don't know
how they're gonna do it with the pillow fights or what.
All I know is my husband is super excited and
I'm going to get there a little later in the evening.
But Candice, before we leave, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
No, I just you know, thank you for coming. Out
and supporting. We're really excited that Buzzed Podcasts chose us
as a nonprofit. You know, as a nonprofit, we do
rely on funds and community support, and so by you
coming out to this pillow fight that they host annually,
you're not only just supporting the nonprofit, but you're just
supporting local businesses and supporting all the people who are
(14:43):
doing local stuff and really changing the local scene through
the radios podcast You know, even you know the people
who are sponsoring, you know, the event. You know, there's
a lot of people in invested into the time of
this event. So it's gonna be fun, it's going to
be outdoors. The Jazz Exchange Academy program will be performing
(15:04):
at four kpm and at seven pm, so you guys
will really get an idea of you know, where where
your donations and where that money is going towards the
future of generations of jazz musicians here and I'll pass.
Speaker 6 (15:17):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So I hope to catch the seven pm performance. I
do have an event that day, but I will be
there right afterward. And so again, if you want more information,
the Jazz Exchange dot org. You can also find them
on Facebook and Instagram, the Jazz Exchange, and of course
on par one to two point one Sunday, ninety nine
point nine and ninety six point three k Country, I
will be posting all of this information and again the
Buzzed podcast That's Buzzed. Find them on Instagram. You can
(15:41):
see the fly, you can see the lineup. Go choose
your favorite and why is it going to be rigs?
But Candace, thank you so much for talking with us today.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Thank you. And just one last thing. You can buy
your tickets online for the pillow Fight at the Jazz
Exchange dot org. So there are tickets all available online
as well.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Oh there you go, so buy them now. Even if
you can't make it, that money is going to the
Jazz Exchange. So thank you so much, Candice, thank you.
So the audio in this next interview is just an
example of real life happening. There was a huge accident
on it and I ended up having to do the
(16:18):
interview over the phone. But my guest was very gracious,
very kind, very very flexible, which I appreciate. So I
apologize in advance for the audio quality on my end.
But again, this is real life happening and it's a
very good interview.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
So enjoy, welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
I am your host, Amberbanda, and today we have Endrique Garcia.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
He is from the Boost Network, a part of United Way.
Speaker 6 (16:45):
Endrique, can you please tell the audience your title and
also thank you for being here with me today.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
I am Bertie. A pleasure to be here. Actually, yes.
So this is a program at the United World Passo
County funded by the Paso not the Health Foundation. And
the whole idea and the whole premise of this project
is to increase access to after school prog children and
the youth of our community. We work with different after
(17:12):
school program providers throughout the year to provide them with training,
connect them with different resources, created some networking opportunities and
collaboration making between them. And this is a tri state effort,
so we work in southern New Mexico Apasso and what
is so this is kind of like this binational effort
(17:32):
that we work in tandem amongst each other. But currently
we're working on a summer campaign. I don't know if
I can share a little bit more about it.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
We'll get us into that in a little bit. But
my question for you, would you say you work in
tandem with different schools. How do you choose the schools that.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
You work with? Are they like low income or are
they chosen at random? How does that work?
Speaker 5 (17:52):
Actually after school after school programming, we don't yes, yes, yes,
we don't work with with schools directly work with the
after school program problem.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Okay, See when I hear after school, I always can
I always think, you know.
Speaker 6 (18:04):
It's after school but at a school, but it's just
you know, no, no, no, it's afterwards.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Okay, right, right, that's exactly I mean, you're exactly right. Right.
For parents and members of our community, oftentimes it's trying
to like find that opportunity to have their kids continue
to be busy whenever they're finished with the school the
school day, right, And oftentimes some schools actually have that
(18:30):
opportunity within their campus and within their properties. But when
they're not, they work with organizations that we work with,
most of them being nonprofits. And these are like small
organizations throughout the region. But you're also your well known
established long term like you're why why w u c A,
(18:52):
y m c A, your Boys and Girls Club, your
boy Scouts, your girls so all these type of different
organizations across the region we work with them, and then
we just tried to promote a bit bit more access
into those programs.
Speaker 6 (19:07):
That is a big help for the parents. And so
what we're going to talk about now since most of
the kids are getting out of school for summer. I
know mine, right, you know she she's already out of school.
Can yes, can you tell us a little bit more
about the programs that you're going to help make available
and help promote for the kids to do during the
summer and save the parents a little bit of their sanity.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Yes, yes, yes, absolutely, I mean one of those things
that again, parents are busy, continue to work, right where
the kids continue to be.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Life goes on in the summer too.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Right, right, and then there's kids. What are you going
to do with the kids? Like there for the summer
for a couple of months, and I'll continue to work
and Grandpa or Grandma's not at home or like you
know what, like you just well to your kids, continue
to learn, to continue to foster, continue to right, get
out there. I had to get out there getting consoles.
(19:57):
So like what we do with these programs that we
work with, we received their information for their summer camps
creating pictured as a one stop shop, meaning through our
boost website. The boostnetwork dot org is where you find
a summer catalog for many of these organizations that we
(20:20):
work with. We work with more than one hundred different organizations.
So the cool thing about it this is a like
a stop like a one stop shop for parents to
find a little bit of everything and for ages five seventeen.
So it's a wide range, wide array of age range.
Activities can go from your traditional outdoor activities like hiking
(20:42):
and biking and stuff like that, to club activities on
at some of these organizations, sports music, you named it right,
there's a little bit of everything for everybody.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
So I was actually trying to do this last year
on a ninety six point three ky Country Monday through
Friday through the seven Shameless plug.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
What I was trying to find somewhere where.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
I could just get all of those summer camps and
kind of list them on.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
KHA dot com. And I couldn't find anything.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
And so I'm so glad that I now know about
you and about the Boost Network.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
So the website is the boostnetwork dot org.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
Now, can you tell us a little bit about some
of the local camps that you might know of is
that case might be interested in.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Yeah. I mean the cool thing about it and I'm
glad you did this plug is I like, the more
people know about Let's resource, the better. These are nonprofit
organizations for the most part, and they some of them
receive funding from our resources that we connect them with,
so like oftentimes the camps that they are offering are
(21:47):
have low cost or are entirely free for them for
the kid. It's that's a good little part to have
right there. Oh yeah, right. The other cool component about
our website and our and the members of our network
and their camps is, as I was sharing with you,
we train and continue to to pour these organizations throughout
(22:10):
the year so that parents can have the certainty. Parents
can have the certainty that if they enroll a camp
of their enroll their kids in some of our our
programs camps, that he will be safe, there will be better.
They have some degree of structure already that we continue
to support, so there'll be quality camps for sure.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
And when they go online to the Boost network dot
org are the camps?
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Can they search them.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
Like through different filters, like maybe through ages or anything
like that.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
Yes, so we try to make life easier for everybody
and right, so the good thing is like our website
allows since this is a binational effort too and attracts
to the effort. One of the things that we can
see to support is, you know, like some of the kids,
so obviously you finish their school here and then they
(23:05):
google to grandma and what is and for the summer.
But once they're with grad mine what is, they're not
doing anything? So what might as well just enrolled in
the camp over there.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
So the website allows you to filter by location, by yeah, yeah,
by location, by h range, by type of activity, and by.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
And like a full map of it. So like it's
connected to Google Maps. So if you want to find
something that is close to your home or something that
is close to your work, you can put your address
in that website and then it will throw the different
options that you can find around there.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
Oh wow, that's amazing. And is there a cost to this?
Speaker 5 (23:56):
No, are the cost of the programs and maybe the
Petskagen because it's their own programs we're promoting, but a
coup for them to use our resources. This is entirely
free for the community to use.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Absolutely and if you're just joining us, we have Endrika
Garcia Enrica. Can you tell the audience your title? And
he is from the Boost Network of United Way.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Yes, I'm the Healthy Kids Directors yet the United World,
Pazit County and we are the ones that coordinate the
efforts for the Boost Network, which is this out of
school time network supporting different enough to school programs.
Speaker 6 (24:36):
Now the United Way is that the same organization that
has the Family Resiliency Center?
Speaker 5 (24:42):
That is correct? So through Boost, Yes, through Boost there's
other opportunities.
Speaker 8 (24:47):
Right.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
We also have a program called Parents Teachers. The program
called Parents's Teachers work the kids that are five and under.
So this program teaches parents how to be the first
teacher at home, like increase their motor skills and increase
everything too, and for parents to ensure there's a healthy
development of their children. So through United Way, you like,
(25:10):
the families can find different resources from zero age to
rect assistance, to after school programming, to the Parents's Teachers
programming to volunteer opportunities. So and through our Boost Network
website you can find the different avenues to connect to
these resources as well.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
Oh wow, so the Boostnetwork Dot org again and if
there are parents that maybe are wondering what is what
what could a child gain or what could the value
be of having my child in one.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Of these various camps.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
First of all, there are so many different camps and
all pass so there's you know, if the child likes
to play with animals, or if they like to cook,
or if they like to you know, they're interested in
robotics or art.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Now, can you speak to those parents and just tell them.
Speaker 6 (25:58):
What the value is of their kids even doing one
week or a few days out of the summer, what
that can do for them and their family.
Speaker 5 (26:05):
Remember you said you said this, right, I mean like
the wide array of the activity oftentimes tends to be
a secondary thing. Right. You try to foster the interest
of your kids and and obviously engage them and things
that they like. But the long term, I guess benefit
from being involved in after school programming In the summer camp,
(26:29):
kids develop their sub skills better. Like they tend to
make friends, which is a little bit harder nowadays when
they're attached to a screen. There they they make friends
very enhance their social modern cognitive skills. Kids learn what
and reinforce what they're not learning in school. Academics and
schools can do like a little like they do a
(26:50):
lot right for our kids. But this is this is
the space where kids can be kids and and this
is the value that after school programming brings because this
allows like a healthy development of a youth. And there's
a bunch of research that shows that a kid that
is involved in after scoopromium in a summer camp tends
(27:11):
to develop better and perform better as an adult than
the counterparts that don't. Really it's yes, yes, like a
few revers and again, some of that research you can
also find in our website.
Speaker 6 (27:24):
The boost network dot org. Again, if you want resources,
like again I wish.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
That I had had this last year, you go there.
Speaker 6 (27:31):
It's your one staff shop to find various summer camps
for your kids.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
You know the camps.
Speaker 6 (27:36):
Of course, like you said, you work with various nonprofits,
so the camps can be their low cost, no costs,
or some have a cost. But you know, for if
you're able to afford it, and you're able to send
them to as many as possible, I think that's great,
not just to inundate them to keep learning and keep
doing homework, but just to expose them to a lot
of different things that they can't during the school year exactly.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
I mean like the better the merrier, right, I mean
you might not know that. You may say, you know what,
my kid is great at sports, but you because he's
always been doing sports, so she's always sports. But what
if you have an artist in the make and you
don't really know because you haven't had the time to
get that kid explore those activities at one point. So
(28:16):
this is the opportunity also for parents to discover some
hidden talents and some hitting gyms that their kids may have,
and some hidden interest that even the kid himself can say,
you know what, I love playing football, but maybe I
am really good at biking or making music or something.
Speaker 8 (28:37):
Like that, you know, uh, being on k with my
work there, there's a lot of country artists that had
a sports background and they ended up making it really
big in the music industry.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
So that's true.
Speaker 6 (28:49):
You might have a sports sports star that you know,
turned art or either where they find the love for both.
So again, the Boost network dot org, you're basically one
stop shop for all things summer camps. Enrique, is there
anything else that you would like to tell the listening audience?
Speaker 5 (29:03):
Yes, another that you touch about the country. I mean,
there's a handful of renowned personalities on our website that
share the testimony of being involved in after school programs
kind of like enhance how they are doing and why
there are great adults in the make. I mean there's
somebody that is a mural is somebody that is a
(29:25):
business owner, somebody that's a renowned musician. Uh So there's
like for parents and and even for kids themselves too
to find that inspiration like out there. It's tangible, it's
it's something that they can reach for their stars and
and and start young. The other thing that I would
like to share this is an ever expanding list are
(29:47):
summer camps. And because we work in the Stristate region,
our summer camps tend to start at different dates and
different uh because schools ends in different cycles and depending
on the state and in the country. So this is
an ever growing list. If there's any afterscript program provider
that wants to join the list and you take advantage
(30:09):
of the platform and be part of this resource for
our community. This is a favorite resource for the community.
We invite any organizations so that it's doing summer KMT
to contact us to be part of this resource as well.
Speaker 6 (30:22):
That's amazing. And again, the BOOST Network a part of
the United Way of al Paso and the UNIWA does
so many great free things for the community, and there's
just one more thing to add to the list. So
and think, is there any sponsors or any nonprofits organizations
that you want to give a shout out before we finish?
Speaker 5 (30:40):
Yeah, I mean the parts or not. The Health Foundation
has been funded this initiative since since exception, So I
mean this is a tandem effort between the Foundation and
in any way since twenty fifteen. So I give credit
to both leadership too.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
Well.
Speaker 6 (30:55):
Enka, thank you so much for being a part of
this show and for letting the community know about this resource.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Thank you so much for talking with me today.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
No, well, thank you, thank you, Amberta. I appreciate the opportunity.
I mean, the more people know about this or like resource,
the better. There's a handful of opportunities out there. It
just depends on the interest of the kids and and
if we have a surplus of themanth and and not
enough supplies, that justifies our efforts to continue to find
(31:26):
resources to bring back to our community, to continue to
expand this this this opportunity.
Speaker 6 (31:31):
For our kids exactly. Please take advantage of these opportunities.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
They're here for you, a passle, They here for your
kids and parents, there for your sanity.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
Grandparents is there for your sanity. It'll help your kids grow,
it will help.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Your kids thrive. So again, Arika, thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Amber, I appreciate you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You've been listening to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio l Passo. If you, your
organization or event would like to be featured on an
upcoming program, please email to ep Forum at iHeartMedia Dot
or call us at nine one five three five one
five four zero zero. Tune in again next week for
(32:06):
another additional of El Paso Public Forum. The preceding program
was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio El Paso
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