I am excited and honored to join After School Matters as Chief Executive Officer during a time of great celebration and opportunity for the organization. In addition to commemorating After School Matters 20th Anniversary during the 2011 calendar year, we have also begun implementing several key tenets of an ongoing strategic planning process introduced in the After School Matters Advocate one year ago.

After School Matters embraced these occasions of our 20th Anniversary and strategic planning process to revisit and update our organizational Vision, Mission and Values Statement to align with this strategic direction, which will carry us into the future. This was achieved through a collaborative process that included participation from After School Matters Board, staff, program providers and teens.

Following is the result of those efforts: After School Matters new Vision, Mission and Values Statement.

VISION

"After School Matters provides teens with opportunities to discover their potential and find their path to a meaningful life."

MISSION

"To provide Chicago public high school teens opportunities to explore and develop their talents, while gaining critical skills for work, college and beyond."

After School Matters achieves this mission by:

• Designing and delivering high quality, hands-on, project-based apprenticeship programs in a variety of content areas, including the arts, science, sports, technology and communications.
• Engaging skilled professionals as instructors who support teens' growth and development in an intentional and meaningful way.
• Aligning and maximizing the resources of an extensive network of public-private partnerships to support coordinated and sustainable investment in youth development through school- and community-based programming.
• Focusing on continuous quality improvement, data-driven and cost-effective decisions, strengthening skills to encourage improved academic outcomes, and positive impacts for teens, schools and communities we serve.    
   

VALUES

At After School Matters, we strive to demonstrate and inspire the following professional values, both in our own work and in that of the teens we serve:

Excellence: After School Matters works to achieve excellence by advancing a culture of responsibility, accountability and sustainability as we continuously enhance both the quality of our program experience for the teens we serve and the efficiency of our operations.

Teamwork: After School Matters recognizes the value of teamwork among our teen participants and program providers, within our staff and with our extensive network of public and private partners.

Respect: After School Matters respects, supports and encourages the diversity, talent, creativity, energy and dedication of our teen participants, staff and program providers.

Commitment: After School Matters is committed to impacting and engaging our teen participants, staff and program providers with meaningful, hands-on opportunities for personal and professional growth, and to positively impacting the schools and communities we serve throughout Chicago.

Innovation: After School Matters demonstrates innovation and leadership by providing new opportunities and experiences to teens who participate in our programs, and by encouraging our staff and program providers to develop, share and implement best practices in out-of-school-time programming.

One of my favorite experiences at After School Matters has been attending our third annual Professional Development Conference in August. For those of you who aren’t familiar, this event gathers hundreds of After School Matters instructors for two days of workshops on a wide range of topics designed to enhance both the quality and impact of our work. I was thrilled to meet so many skilled professionals who have committed to sharing their time and talents with the Chicago public high school teens who participate in our programs. While they are already experts in their field and many have decades of youth program experience, they remain highly motivated and eager to learn new tools and share best practices because they understand the importance of continuous quality improvement. The event was an embodiment of our Vision, Mission and Values, and just one of many examples that make me excited to be part of the After School Matters team. This edition of the After School Matters Advocate contains a feature about the third annual Professional Development Conference that we hope you will enjoy.

This is an exciting time at After School Matters. I look forward to working with our Board, staff, program providers and supporters to continue to position our organization for sustainability and growth.

Sincerely,

Raymond Orozco
Chief Executive Officer, After School Matters

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