Programs

Our programs will give you hands-on experience with projects while working alongside skilled professionals who will help you develop job skills and expose you to rewarding careers. When you participate in an After School Matters program, you can increase your confidence, build skills, and professional values like excellence, leadership, teamwork, respect, commitment, and innovation. After School Matters strives to ensure that all programs are interesting, exciting, and relevant to the real world.

After School Matters offers more than 26,000 program opportunities to more than 18,000 unique teens across Chicago every year.

Programs are offered in four primary content areas:

Programs are categorized in the following ways:

Apprenticeships – Project-based programs led by industry experts that can provide a pathway to progress in skills development and independence. Final projects and showcases increase in complexity across the apprenticeship levels so teens have the opportunity to expand their skills. Teens must be at least 14 years old and are awarded a stipend for program completion.

• Pre-Apprenticeship – Introductory hands-on program that provides broad exposure to a specific content area and related careers.
• Apprenticeship – Hands-on program in which teens learn content-specific skills and work towards a culminating project or showcase.
• Advanced Apprenticeship – Advanced hands-on program in which teens refine their technical skills while producing a complex culminating project or showcase.

Assistantships – Opportunities for teens to participate in introductory workplace experiences alongside supportive After School Matters staff. Teens must be at least 16 years old and are paid $750. These opportunities range from program assistance to school-wide support for programming to outreach and engagement activities.

Internships – Industry-specific, entry-level professional experiences with external organizations and companies. Teens may be required to have participated in at least three previous After School Matters programs.  Teens must be at least 16 years old (some positions require the teen to be at least 18 years old) and are paid an hourly rate of $15/hour. Teens must be eligible for employment and complete i9 and W4 requirements. These opportunities include museum docent, camp counselor, corporate administration intern, and more.

Programs are offered during three program sessions:

• Summer: Early July — Mid-August
  Summer application opens mid-March
• Fall: Late September — Mid-December
  Fall application opens late July
• Spring: Late February — Mid-May
  Spring application opens in late November

Programs days are structured to benefit teens.

Instructors use several key best practices to guide their program flow. Instructors share learning goals at the beginning of each program day and post an agenda for teens to see. They lead a check-in or icebreaker activity and then engage teens in program content through hands-on, project-based activities. Our programs may include time for breaks so teens can eat a snack, stretch their legs, or take a “brain break.” Throughout the day, instructors encourage teens to recognize and use 21st-century skills like collaboration, verbal communication, and planning for success (more about these skills). At the end of the program day, teens reflect on what they have learned by discussing the day and checking out.

Teens in our programs earn stipends.

For teens who successfully meet certain program requirements (including attendance and participation), After School Matters provides them with a monetary stipend.

Stipends lower participation barriers reinforce the importance of dedicated participation and hard work in programs and make an economic impact on teens, their families, and communities. Providing stipends to our teens empowers them and reinforces the value of their time and efforts.

For inquiries related to teen stipends, please call our Teen Stipend Hotline at 312-768-5199 or email teenstipends@afterschoolmatters.org.