Working parents often have little time for after-school activities with their children, and that's posing a special challenge to organizations like the Boy Scouts. NY1's Erin Clarke filed the following report.
Life is coming full circle for 26-year-old Manny Piedra.
Growing up, he was a Boy Scout.
"Being in the scout program as a child gave me that sense of family," Piedra said. "It definitely did steer me in the right direction."
Now, a decade later, he's a scout leader imparting those same values to a new generation, helping boys stay off the streets and out of trouble, teaching them life skills, and helping them learn about potential career paths and their community.
"Anything that we can use to help our boys grow not just academically, but socially and emotionally, it just helps us with the whole job," said Joyce Coleman, principal at PS 21.
But Piedra isn't the typical scout leader, a parent volunteering his time. He's a paid leader in the Scoutreach program, which comes into schools like PS 21 in the Bronx. It's designed to fill the gap in urban areas where many working parents often can't commit time to volunteer.
"Some parents are working two to three jobs," said Scoutreach program district director Neisha Joseph. "Each program, it's about three hours a day. However, we do activities outside."
"It's not, 'Oh wow, what if somebody doesn't have the time to volunteer this week?' There's always somebody now," Piedra said.
Both leaders and scouts are gaining something from the Scoutreach program.
Most of the leaders, like Piedra, are studying education. Not only are they earning some money through Scoutreach, the program gives them practical experience working with children. Some are receiving college credits, too.
"It even helps me make my daily plans for when I do go into a teacher's aide or paraprofessional position," Piedra said.
The Scoutreach program isn't only a boys club. There are female leaders as well.
For more information about the program, visit scouting.org and search "Scoutreach."