After School: Connecting Children at Risk with Responsible Adults to Help Reduce Youth Substance Abuse and Other Health-Compromising Behaviors--An RWJF National Program. Program Results Reports
Author: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Date: 2008-08-28
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: At Risk Students,After School Programs,Youth Programs,Health Behavior,At Risk Persons,Adults,Agency Cooperation,School Community Relationship,Local Government,Urban Areas,Adolescents,Obesity,Well Being,Physical Activities,Financial Support,Program Development,Mentors,Substance Abuse,Child Health,Child Safety,Program Effectiveness,Technical Assistance,Governance,Athletics

&quot;After School: Connecting Children at Risk With Responsible Adults to Help Reduce Youth Substance Abuse and Other Health-Compromising Behaviors (After School)&quot; helped develop intermediary organizations in Boston, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area in order to create citywide systems of after-school programs. The intermediaries--Boston After School &amp; Beyond, After School Matters in Chicago and Team-Up for Youth, headquartered in Oakland, California--are neutral, independent organizations capable of dedicating the necessary resources and focus to bring key players from many sectors to the table and generate broad community support. Key findings include: (1) Boston After School &amp; Beyond, After School Matters and Team-Up for Youth brought together key players from public and private organizations--schools, after-school providers (including community- and faith-based organizations), local government agencies and funders--to strengthen and coordinate after-school activities and to provide programming; (2) The intermediary organizations helped link more than 90,000 at-risk young people in urban neighborhoods to quality, adult-led programs in Boston, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area; (3) &quot;After School&quot; contributed to the recognition and growth of after-school intermediaries nationwide through reports about the program, and through sponsored meetings, which brought together after-school intermediaries, policy-makers, practitioners, researchers, funders and other stakeholders; (4) &quot;After School&quot; contributed to an emphasis on the after-school needs of teenagers. The consultants showcased After School Matters (Chicago)--which targeted teenagers--in reports and meetings. It also supported two meetings focused on teenagers. This led to an increase in after-school programs for teenagers, including the Teen Initiative in Boston; and (5) &quot;After School&quot; brought childhood obesity to the after-school field. Program staff raised the issue of obesity among American children--especially in low-income and minority communities--and brought representatives from the after-school and youth sports fields together to explore ways to increase after-school physical activities for urban youth. Team-Up for Youth (San Francisco Bay area), which focused on sports, served as a model. Appended are: (1) After School Project List; (2) Boston After School &amp; Beyond Funders (as of June 2007); (3) After School Matters Major Funders (2002 to June 2006); and (4) Team-Up for Youth Major Funders (1999 to 2006). A bibliography is included.