My program impacted my life by allowing me to grow and get to know my community more. It allowed me to be myself.
To achieve this, ASM’s Research and Evaluation team collects administrative and observational program data along with direct feedback from teens, instructors, and parents/guardians via surveys to better understand our community’s program experiences and address their needs each session.
ASM also partners with leading youth development researchers to evaluate the lived experiences of teens, the outcomes of teens participating in ASM programs, and the essential components of high-quality youth-serving systems.
ASM’s dedication to providing high-quality program opportunities across Chicago means investing in teens and their families, community partners, and Chicago’s neighborhoods. In Fiscal Year 2025, ASM ran 1,645 high-quality programs that provided 24,000+ opportunities to 17,000+ teens across the city. Check out this new Impact Report to learn more about our reach, impact, and community investment in Fiscal Year 2025.Â
Our data shows that ASM provides high-quality, meaningful youth development programming for teens across Chicago, including teens with disabilities. Participants in ASM programs designed specifically for teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities share that instructors foster a safe, supportive environment where teens build meaningful relationships while strengthening technical and critical life skills. Read our new Disabilities Program Spotlight Report to learn more about the programming and teens’ experiences.
Findings from this report suggest focusing on strengthening our foundations while thinking ahead to the future empowered instructors and staff to create supportive environments where 10,000+ teens gained new experiences, deepened relationships, and developed skills that will set them up for future success.
Our data shows that teens who have a greater sense of belonging in their programs also report higher levels of well-being and hope for the future, highlighting the importance of positive relationships and connections between peers and instructors may have on teens’ socio-emotional well-being.
My program impacted my life by allowing me to grow and get to know my community more. It allowed me to be myself.
After School Matters programs help make it easy for young adults to gain experience on how to apply and work at a real job. The programs are a great experience and allow teens to gain new skills they might focus on in their future career.