Teen Pay & Stipends Page — Are you on track to get paid this summer? Find out with our new Teen Pay and Stipends page. Access your personal page by logging into the After School Matters application using your Application ID Number. Once logged in, you can navigate to the Teen Pay and Stipends Page (Step 7) to see if you are on track to be paid! Learn more.
CTA Funding Support — We will help you get to programs on CTA buses and trains for the first two weeks of summer programs (June 25 – July 6). After School Matters will pay for the difference between CTA’s full fare and what the student fare amount would be by directly loading money onto your Ventra card.To be eligible for this transit support, please provide your Ventra card number (19 digits) and expiration date in the application by June 7, 2018. Learn more.
NEW Program Acknowledgment, Consent, and Release (PACR) Form — After School Matters is rolling out a new Program Acknowledgment, Consent, and Release (PACR) Form for Summer 2018. All teens AND their parent/guardian must sign the new PACR as part of the online application process for summer programs. Parents/guardians can either sign a paper copy and submit it to program instructors, or they can e-sign the Program Acknowledgment, Consent, and Release (PACR) for their child. (Please note that unaccompanied youth (youth who are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian) who are 18 or older may sign the forms on their own behalf). ALL TEENS in an apprenticeship program—whether returning to After School Matters or new to programs—must complete this process and have their parent/guardian sign the new form in order to participate and be eligible to receive a stipend. This is true for returning teens who already have a PACR on file.
Application Features
You asked and we delivered. Our application is designed to make it easy for you to find the best program to help you find your future. Features include:
Interactive maps let you browse program options in your neighborhood, at your school and all across the city of Chicago.
Search function so you can search for programs based on location, content area and program name.
Icons help show a program’s content area, skill level and any additional requirements like a portfolio or audition.
Navigation bar to keep track of your progress and go back and forth between application steps.
Mobile-friendly so you can now apply on your smartphone.
WATCH our Application Tutorial video for a step-by-step guide to completing your After School Matters application.
Getting Started
Applications for the Summer 2018 program session are now OPEN.
Click ‘Start a new SUMMER application.’ Find programs nearby using the ‘At my School,’ ‘At or Near my School’ or ‘Zip Code’ search filters. Find advanced apprenticeship programs downtown at the Gallery 37 Center for the Arts by selecting the ‘Downtown’ search filter.
You can apply to interview for up to three programs but can only participate in one.
Once you’ve submitted an application for the maximum amount of programs, you are unable to go back and change anything. Teens who are not yet enrolled in an After School Matters program are offered the choice of applying to one additional program a few weeks before programs start. Once teens are notified about this, you will be able to log back into the application.
You must complete the online application, and then interview or audition in order to be accepted into a program. Not all teens who apply will be interviewed or auditioned, and not all teens who interview or audition will be accepted.
If you are selected to interview or audition for a program, the instructor will contact you.
PLEASE NOTE: Current Chicago public high school students who are Chicago residents, including rising freshmen and just-graduated seniors, are eligible. Some spots are available to non-CPS high school students.
When and Where?
The After School Matters teen application is entirely online!
Applications for our Summer 2018 program session are currently open.
After School Matters programs are offered at community organizations, parks, high schools and libraries throughout Chicago, as well as downtown at the Gallery 37 Center for the Arts (66 East Randolph).
Why should I apply?
Thousands of opportunities are available at no cost. In addition, After School Matters teens will be eligible to earn a monetary stipend for their participation in programs.
Develop your skills in the arts, communications, science, sports and technology.
Learn career readiness skills to help prepare you for life after high school.
Work with professional instructors who are among the best in their fields.
Make new friends in your community and throughout Chicago, and
Have fun!
When will I know?
Instructors will be communicating directly with teens as they finalize their program rosters throughout the recruitment period – from now up until the first day of programs. ALL teens who apply to our programs will receive a status notification via email. This email will let you know whether or not you have been placed in each program to which you applied. Teens who are not placed in programs at that point will be encouraged to apply for additional programs.
**Current Chicago public high school students who are Chicago residents, including rising freshmen and just-graduated seniors, are eligible. Some spots are available to non-CPS high school students.
For inquiries related to the teen application please call 312-742-4182 or email [email protected].
