After School Matters Supporting Nearly 7,000 Chicago Teens this Fall with Paid Programs

October 7, 2022

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Teens can apply to more than 400 world-class program opportunities and learn skills in painting, singing, coding, civic engagement, finance, and more

CHICAGO—Applications are open for more than 400 world-class programs being offered this fall through After School Matters®. Program opportunities are free and are available for nearly 7,000 Chicago teens in the arts, communications, and leadership, sports, and STEM. The 11-week fall session begins the week of October 3. Interested teens can apply by visiting afterschoolmatters.org.

After School Matters will offer opportunities to teens this fall, allowing them to have fun, gain new skills, and explore with their peers. All fall programs are paid apprenticeships and internships, and participants will earn a stipend between $275-$750, depending on the length of time and level of expertise required for the program.

“It’s important to give our teens outlets to explore topics that interest them and allow them to express themselves in productive ways and also teach them skills they can apply in college and their future careers,” said After School Matters Chief Programs Officer Tony Diaz. “Our young people are still experiencing increased stress and mental health issues due to the pandemic and other issues they face in their day-to-day lives and we want to ensure they have safe spaces to learn and grow.”

Fall programs provide teens an opportunity to expand their subject-matter skills while developing critical thinking proficiencies in problem-solving, social awareness, collaboration, and more. Programs offer hands-on, project-based learning opportunities facilitated by highly skilled instructor-mentors. Teens who need access to technology will be able to acquire devices through After School Matters.

After School Matters programs have been an important part of helping teens deal with stress and mental health issues post-pandemic. Services offered to teens were tailored to meet youth and community needs, offering social-emotional supports, and filling the education gap with remote options. This year, results from a report in partnership between After School Matters and American Institutes for Research (AIR), found the importance of relationships teens develop with their peers and instructors, and that programs designed to create strong connections can improve a teens’ sense of well-being and hopefulness for the future, and reduce their stress. Read the full report on our website, afterschoolmatters.org/AIRreport.

A few of the exciting programs offered this fall include:

Advanced Culinary Arts

Teens will learn new culinary skills and perfect their basic techniques. Participants receive the training necessary to obtain jobs in the culinary hospitality industry or simply to prepare healthy and sustainable meals for themselves and their families. Teens also learn the arts and techniques of cake decorating, table setting, and catering for large groups.

Affirming You: Self-Love Bootcamp

Teens will participate in an integrative, social-emotional learning program led by holistic practitioners, artists, young people, and community leaders. Participants meet virtually and focus on inspiring topics that empower them in all aspects of their lives, using art therapy, journaling, group discussion, meditation, and more. The program concludes with a community mural designed by participants in collaboration with a local artist.

Astronomy & Space

Teens will learn about urban astronomy and celestial bodies by viewing and discussing space-themed films, conducting physics experiments, studying NASA and manned space travel/rocketry, as they learn about careers in the astronomy and space field. By the end of the session, teens will be prepared to present and display newly gained astronomical knowledge to their friends and their family.

Code Your Dreams

Teens will learn to build technical projects that make a difference in their communities. Participants will create their own mobile app developed using App Inventor and learn skills to continue solving big problems with code. The curriculum introduces teens to some of today’s fastest-growing roles in technology, including project management, user experience research and design, software development, and marketing.

Design.Build.Grow.Eat

Teens will explore the connections between people and nature and learn about the process of farming and the concept of whole food – strengthening their knowledge of the environment and their ability to make a positive impact on it to create peace and produce.

Game Design

Teens will learn the fundamental concepts of game design and development through play, analysis, and game making. Participants will play and analyze existing games (digital and analog) and then create new ones based on the knowledge they gathered in the program.

Les Enfants Dance

Teens will be exposed to dance as an art form, professional opportunity, and tool of expression. Participants will learn a variety of dance styles, foster personal artistic growth, and professional discipline through this program.

Yollocalli La Mesita: Radio & Live Stream

Teens will explore and narrate the stories of their communities through journalism, audio, and radio production. Participants learn production skills while gaining the tools necessary to be civic community journalists and storytellers. They work as a team to research a story, often interviewing community members, local artists and fellow teens in the process. Teen’s work is peer-edited and published in various media outlets. Collectively, participants produce a weekly radio show that is broadcast on FM airwaves through a partnership with a local radio station.

Teens can search and apply for in-person and remote fall 2022 programs at afterschoolmatters.org. All After School Matters programs are free and open to Chicago high school students who are at least 14 years old (16 years old for internships). As part of the application process, teens interview with program instructors to discuss their interests. Teens are encouraged to apply early, as program opportunities fill up quickly.

For questions about programs and applications, call 312-768-5200 or email applications@afterschoolmatters.org. Para mas información en Español llámenos al 312-846-7106 o mándenos un correo electrónico al espanol@afterschoolmatters.org.

For more information, visit www.afterschoolmatters.org.

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About After School Matters

After School Matters is a nonprofit organization that provides world class, after-school, and summer opportunities to Chicago public high school teens to explore their passions and develop their talents, while gaining critical skills for work, college, and beyond. After School Matters programs are project-based, led by industry experts, and provide a pathway to progress in skills development and independence. Teens earn a stipend while participating in programs in the arts, communications and leadership, sports, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Over the span of three decades, After School Matters has engaged more than 350,000 teens throughout the city of Chicago. www.afterschoolmatters.org

 

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