Leadership Circle

The benefits of quality afterschool programs are clear: they keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families. Youth in afterschool programs do better in school and achieve higher levels of education.  They are less likely to get involved in crime, abuse drugs or become teen parents.  And, they have a chance to explore new worlds and interests.

In the U.S. today, 1 out of 4 children—14.3 million in all—are alone and unsupervised after school.  Our young people deserve better.  Our youth need strong champions to advocate for more quality afterschool programs.

The Afterschool Alliance is working to ensure that every child has access to a safe and stimulating afterschool program.  As the national voice of afterschool and the organizing body of the afterschool movement, the Afterschool Alliance counts among its partners the nation’s leading education and youth development organizations, along with 25,000 local afterschool programs.

To raise awareness of the critical need for more afterschool programs, the Afterschool Alliance has launched the

Leadership Circle, a program designed to honor a select group of high-profile individuals who have helped to promote or support afterschool programs, and who want to champion this cause.  Members of the Leadership Circle receive national recognition for their extraordinary commitment to afterschool programs and will be offered opportunities to help raise the profile of afterschool issues in the nation.

Individuals on the Leadership Circle are asked to commit to one afterschool-related event or activity per calendar year.  As needed, the Afterschool Alliance will work with each member of the Leadership Circle to identify an activity convenient for the member and which taps the member’s talents and strengths. 

 Examples of activities include but are not limited to:

• Speaking at a news conference
• Testifying before Congress or a state legislature
• Serving as emcee or moderator at an event
• Recording a satellite TV or radio feed
• Appearing in a print, radio or TV Public Service Announcement
• Participating in a Lights On Afterschool event (In 2007 more than 7,500 Lights On events took place throughout the country)
• Writing a personal letter to another national leader in support of afterschool
• Providing a quote for a news release
• Speaking with the media