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The Meaning of RELAY

R
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Research - teaching kids good reading, study, writing and comprehension skills through having them do “research “ on the subject or person they are going to do a production about—using “research techniques and skills develops these habits.  Think of what you had to do in order to do ONE “RESEARCH PAPER” in college or what news reporters have to do before broadcasting a news story—the FACTS should be “researched and correct”.
E
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Education - RELAY positions itself as a “year round after school children/youth development program”; thus this allows the “educational process” to continue FAR BEYOND THE 4 WALLS OF A CLASSROOM—THE COMMUNITY, THE CITY, THE WORLD BECOMES THEIR CLASSROOM.  
And as an “EXTENTION TO” (NOT IN COMPETITION WITH) the SCHOOL SYSTEM; during a time period where many children are BORED or just “LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO GET INTO”
 
—RELAY(WE) fills that void with LEARNING or fostering programs and activities that extends the “theory or theoretical  teachings” of the “school classroom” into activities and skills that lend themselves to take the “class room theories into “practical applications”.  RELAY activities and
broadcast allows students to “witness” what they are reading about in class or “apply” their classroom learned knowledge to real life situations and circumstances.  Or as someone once said, “The BEST EDUCATION IN THE WORLD IS “LIFE”.
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Literacy - from the VERY BEGINNING RELAY has been ALL ABOUT LITERACY for there are ONLY 4 WAYS YOU CAN LEARN IN LIFE (Observation, Listening, Reading and Experience).  Of these methods, READING allows you to develop the quickest, the most efficiently and least costly, and expand ones knowledge base the most concerning a multitude of subjects.
Thus, it was no mere accident that during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when RELAY
could not afford the equipment to produce TV shows or provide computers
 
—RELAY forged a relationship with the Greensboro City Library which allowed RELAY to issue out official “library cards” that could be used immediately at any city library and RELAY prioritized by purchasing and distributing over 6,000 new books to children 3-14 years of age. 

Thereafter, at least ONCE A MONTH or every other week, RELAY invited children to appear on its TV telecast to give “BOOK REPORTS TO THE COMMUNITY”.  
 
The “L” is for LITERACY—which is the CORE of the RELAY Program; past and future.
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Assistance - via mentoring, tutorial, facilitating positive activities or needs, homework and testing assistance—these are ALL fundamental parts of the RELAY Program that speaks to providing a worry free healthy and safe environment for our students to “LEARN, DEVELOP AND PROGRESS”.  
 
This “assistance” is generally provided by parents, grand parents, adult volunteers, college students or in some cases advanced high school students—all of whom volunteer to spend time at various RELAY locations in order to work for the betterment and positive development of our children.
Y
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Youth - In the case of RELAY the “Y” in YOUTH is translated to mean at as EARLY AN AGE as possible.  As RELAY has ALWAYS been a “PRO-ACTIVE” PREVENTION oriented program—NOT AN “AFTER THE FACT” RE-ACTIVE PROGRAM.  We believe in the “positive and progressive development of our children/young people FROM THE START; rather than trying to “save” or “change” their
behavior once they become a “behavior problem” or a part of the criminal/penal statistic.  Thus we intentionally introduce children as young as 3 years old to the concept of book ownership and for care and maintenance of THEIR BOOK COLLECTIONS, etc.  
 
We introduce children as young as 6 years old to camcorders and other video production related
equipment as a means of them being held accountable and responsible for the maintenance, care and responsible usage of such equipment and the concepts of “sharing”, “working together ( to include networking) and listening (versus “hearing”); note taking; cooperation and assisting (versus competition) and many other life long developmental concepts, mannerisms and skills they will need far beyond their RELAY YEARS. THUS,is of the same mode of “functional acronyms”.
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