Many middle school and high school youth recognize the value of participating in organized activities outside school, yet too often they limit their involvement because of busy schedules and family lives, disinterest in existing activity choices, lack of motivation to attend organized activities or the lure of freedom or relaxation over structured…

Fresh Youth Initiative (FYI) is a youth development organization based in the Washington Heights-Inwood section of Manhattan. The group's mission is to support and encourage the efforts of neighborhood young people and their families to design and carry out community service and social action projects, develop leadership skills, fulfill their…

Noting the renewed attention given to community efforts supporting after-school activities to promote social competence in its youth, this book examines the concepts of play and rites of passage for youth. The book also discusses the contributions of various types of activities on youth social competency, presents a variety of perspectives for…

In Las Milpas, a south Texas colonia, 39 children aged 7-12 participated for at least 6 months in an after-school health promotion program that included activities related to communication skills, behavior self-management, and cultural appreciation. Compared to a nonparticipant control group, participating children had higher self-esteem and more…

Paints a portrait of a 7-year-old girl, her mother, and their experience at a community-based, after-school youth program in a public housing development, demonstrating how stories taken from the field can illustrate the power of peer education and motivate community based organization staff toward more inspired educational after school…

Using research conducted at an urban youth theater program, this paper demonstrates how young artists play organizational roles and act with a sense of agency comparable to that of the corporate world. The paper helps those working in school- and community-based after-school programs see new partnerships and programs as both possible and…

The research and evaluation evidence is mounting: out-of-school-time (OST) programs can keep young people safe, support working families, and improve academic achievement and the civic and social development of young people. Indeed, according to recent polling data, 6.5 million children are enrolled in after-school programs nationwide and…

In regions of intractable conflicts, daily circumstances and overall reality allow very narrow opportunities to bring members of conflict groups together in order to modify their social relationships. Internet-based communications were the backbone of a three-month program designed to address the Jewish-Arab conflict between Israeli Jewish youth…

This book is about the Computer Clubhouse--the idea and the place--that inspires youth to think about themselves as competent, creative, and critical learners. So much of the social life of young people has moved online and participation in the digital public has become an essential part of youth identities. The Computer Clubhouse makes an…

Boys & Girls Clubs in New York City and Boston participated in a 3-year initiative to provide and enhance services to underserved teens. Researchers collected data via surveys of club members and staff; cost surveys of club administrators; interviews, focus groups, and observations at each club; and attendance information. Results indicated…

The non-school hours, often framed as periods of risk, idleness or remediation, in fact constitute a powerful opportunity for civic renewal, engagement and change. This commentary describes how out-of-school time programs make ideal contexts for nurturing civic engagement, exploring the issue from the practice, research and policy perspectives.…

This brief is the first in a series featuring promising practices in city-wide after-school initiatives, with a focus at the infrastructure level, focusing on the infrastructure representing the underlying elements or framework that hold a system or initiative together. The brief identifies practices to support the public relations function and…

Discusses the disparity in academic achievement between African American males and males and females from other ethnic groups, recommending after school programs to provide services for addressing and decreasing these disparities. Notes policy issues affecting the targeted population, presents four programs that have successfully improved academic…

At one urban family service agency, staff members have drawn a vital connection between community and literacy. Explains how this literacy program evolved from a basic tutoring opportunity into a curriculum using themes and information gleaned from the young participants' immediate community surroundings. Describes the program's history,…

In September 2005, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) launched the Out-of-School Time Programs for Youth (OST) initiative to provide young people throughout New York City with access to high-quality programming after school, on holidays, and during the summer at no cost to their families. Working closely with…