Chicago's After School Matters Gives Students Apprenticeships

Chicago's first lady Maggie Daley recognizes the importance of introducing young people to hobbies and opportunities outside of the classroom. In 1991, she established After School Matters, a program that provides out-of-school activities and apprenticeships for Chicago teenagers.

The program was profiled on the "Making A Difference" segment of NBC Nightly News and features an interview from Daley.

Students that participate with After School Matters are two-and-a-half times as likely to graduate as those who don't. As an additional incentive to show up, students are introduced to new activities and trades, and are even set up with jobs in those fields after the program has ended. It's a productive and positive path out of the streets for many underprivileged urban youth.

As The Chicago Sun-Times reported in 2008, revenue for After School Matters grew from $5.3 million to $18.2 million from 2003 to 2006.

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P.S. Looking to make an Impact on your productivity? After School Matters has a game section where you can play Pong, Simon or Sudoku.

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