As for many members of the NAA Community, the summer camp months at my Boys & Girls Club are some of the most joyful, challenging and rewarding of our whole programmatic year.
Experts agree that a key ingredient in getting young people really engaged in afterschool or out-of-school time programs is giving youth opportunities to develop as leaders. Service is another key ingredient that's intimately linked to leadership—like two sides of a coin, the coin of self-efficacy.
Think back to your childhood: What are your fondest memories? Did you play outside? Did you use your imagination? Did you play in groups? How much time did you spend alone in front of a screen?
... It's a Professional Association and a Community
Many families look forward to an annual summer vacation. Yet for kids living in underserved communities, the excitement of leaving their city or town at all—let alone for a vacation—seems unfathomable.
What happens when a student eats fresh fruit in his or her school cafeteria—and then learns about the importance of consuming produce through nutrition education in their afterschool program?
This is a transcript of the keynote address delivered in March 2018 by NAA President, Gina Warner, in recognition and celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the National Afterschool Association. The theme of NAA's 30th Anniversary Convention was "Leading the Charge: Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Brilliant"
Those end-of-year events are sneaking up on schools with AP exams, proms and graduation right around the corner. What's next? Summer programs!
While the goals of social and emotional learning (SEL) and out-of-school time (OST) programming are well-aligned, relatively few OST programs focus primarily on developing SEL skills.
Most goal-setting experts and programs would tell youth to set realistic goals for their future, yet one company's programs are empowering the next generation of leaders by instructing them to shoot for the unrealistic.
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