While their parents are in class, over 50 children and grandchildren of Odyssey students, ages newborn-18, participate in one of our four Odyssey Junior classrooms. Recognizing that breaking the cycle of generational poverty involves whole families, we piloted Odyssey Junior in 2015 to support children in self-discovery, literacy, and expression through a variety of forms, including writing, speaking, visual arts, music, movement, and theatre.
Check out the Odyssey Junior Oracle to see what students have been up to!
As Odyssey continues to grow, so does the need for our older Junior students to receive more personalized support as they make the transition to higher education. Check the link below often to find updates, resources, deadlines, and useful information. For one-on-one support, please reach out to our Odyssey Junior advisor, Leigh Button.
Baby Badgers
Ages 0-2
Explorers
Grades 1-5
Scouts
Ages 2-K
Adventurers
Grades 6-12
Odyssey Junior's impact
A recent evaluation found that Odyssey Junior has a positive impact on participants’ interest and confidence in reading and self-expression. Specific outcomes include:
- 74% of children indicated that Odyssey Junior helped them develop their love of reading. Students shared that “I like reading more, learning new words” and “[Odyssey Junior] reintroduced me to reading.”
- Across all age groups “was the sense that involvement in Odyssey Junior improved students’ writing ability.” One student shared, “we have book reports at school, it made me feel confident to read in front of my entire class, because we do it at Odyssey.”
- Odyssey Junior created a safe community for students to take risks and express themselves, which allowed for positive outcomes around self-efficacy, self-confidence, and self-expression.
- Participants reported that Odyssey Junior helped them to develop goals related to attending college. Students now talk about “when” rather than “if” they go to college.
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