The Project's three sites – Chicago's After School Matters, Boston After School & Beyond, and the San Francisco Bay Area's Team-Up for Youth – have demonstrated a high level of commitment and achievement in expanding quality afterschool programs. Each city has a unique landscape of institutions and people with particular perspectives on developing and expanding local afterschool delivery systems.
After School Matters, Chicago
After School Matters, created in 2001, represents a unique partnership among City of Chicago sister agencies – Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Park District and the Chicago Public Library – and institutions from the nonprofit, corporate, and philanthropic sectors.
After School Matters focuses on apprenticeships and drop-in club activities. The apprenticeships are stipend-based, hands-on interactive programs where students work with skilled professionals in the areas of arts, sports, technology and communications. In the club program, teens can join any time and participate as often and in as many activities as they like.
Visit the After School Matters website at www.afterschoolmatters.org.
Boston After School & Beyond
Launched on March 29, 2005, Boston After School & Beyond (Boston Beyond) is the successor to two pioneering organizations in the city: the Mayor's 2:00 to 6:00 After-School Initiative, created by Mayor Menino in 1998 and Boston's After-School for All Partnership, the largest public/private partnership dedicated to children's issues in Boston's history.
Boston Beyond is a public/private partnership whose goal is to organize the many networks and organizations that make up the out-of-school time field into a coherent and comprehensive system to support young people in the non-school hours. Boston Beyond pursues its mission through strategic initiatives; knowledge management; communications; and resource development.
Visit Boston Beyond's website at www.bostonbeyond.org
Boston's After-School for All Partnership
In 2001, in response to recommendations from Mayor Menino's Task Force on After-School Time, a group of business and civic leaders launched their effort to create the largest public-private partnership dedicated to serving children in Boston's history. A total of $24.1 million in new commitments to afterschool came from 13 leading philanthropic, education, business and government institutions.
The Partnership developed a shared strategic focus to achieve three goals – expansion, learning and sustainable financing – over a five-year period. In addition to making direct investments in the afterschool sector in Boston, the Partnership pooled its resources to effect systemic change in community-based organizations, school-based sites and faith-based organizations.
On March 29th, 2005, the Partnership announced the launch of a new organization, Boston After School & Beyond, that represents a merger between the Partnership and the Mayor's 2:00 to 6:00 After-School Initiative (see above).
Visit the Partnership website at www.afterschoolforall.org.
Team-Up for Youth, San Francisco Bay Area
Team-Up aims to engage community volunteers and civic leaders in realizing the potential of afterschool sports. Through neighborhood partnerships, public policy work, training, providing technical assistance, and grants, Team-Up is working to:
- Level the playing field so that low-income kids and girls have equal opportunities to participate in afterschool sports and physical activities;
- Expand the field, increasing the number of Bay Area kids playing in quality programs;
- Strengthen the field, by working to improve the quality of youth sports and physical activity programs that promote healthy development.
Visit the Team-Up for Youth website at www.teamupforyouth.org.
