Nearly 200 teens participate in a peace march through the East Garfield Park neighborhood while carrying flags they created during summer 2018.
Since 1991, After School Matters has provided life-changing after-school and summer opportunities for teens in Chicago’s most under-resourced and underserved communities. All of our programs share the goal of helping our teens reach their full potential by providing opportunities to learn directly from positive mentors who are professionals in their fields.
After School Matters programs are proven to have four major outcomes for participating teens.
The average daily attendance rate for teens attending After School Matters programs was 93%, compared to the national average daily attendance rate of 75%.
84% of After School Matters teens reported gains in professional skills from the beginning to the end of their program. Skills include leadership, teamwork, problem solving, public speaking, and receiving constructive feedback. The largest improvements were in leadership, teamwork, and public speaking skills.
At After School Matters, we advocate on behalf of teenagers all across the city of Chicago. Our teens come from diverse backgrounds and care about many of the issues that impact their lives and our city.
We know that many teens in our programs have encountered violence in their communities. We continue to give youth a place to be safe and engaged after school and during the summer while empowering teens to create peace in their communities through our anti-violence initiative programs.
We’re committed to providing safe, accessible spaces for all teens, regardless of gender, ability, or citizenship status.
We empower teens to find their voice though our programs, and we want to help them speak about the issues that matter to them on the ballot.
Creating opportunities for teens to build skills, engage their community, reflect on changes, and realize their growth is the heart of what we do.
If you believe, like we do, that our teens are our future, we encourage you to advocate for Chicago’s youth by voicing your support for continued After School Matters program opportunities to your pastors and faith leaders, block clubs, community schools, and elected officials. Our goal is to prepare our young people for success during their high school years and beyond, and we must ensure sustained public funding and support to do so.
As an After School Matters Advocate, you will:
Use our sample script to tell your elected offical what After School Matters means to you.
66 East Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 742-4182
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