Afterschool Alliance unveils equity statement

Our organization has always had a very straightforward mission:

“The Afterschool Alliance works to ensure that all youth have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs by engaging public will to increase public and private investment in afterschool program initiatives at the national, state, and local levels.”

Underlying our mission is the belief that in providing high quality afterschool programs to children and youth who don’t otherwise have access to them, we are helping to create opportunities, enhance education, and give more students a chance at success in all aspects of life. Equity in the form of access to high quality afterschool programs predicates all that we do. A large percentage of the children and youth in federally funded afterschool programs are those who have been disproportionately impacted by systemic inequities, including low-income children and children of color.  By advocating for access to high quality afterschool programs and working to raise public and private dollars for these programs, we are using our expertise to help ameliorate the impact of these inequities. Inherent in our work is the belief that in order to have high quality afterschool programs, children and youth must feel safe physically and mentally. We also believe that quality programs can help educate a generation of children and youth to be more accepting, reject bias, and embrace each other and our differences. 

I am thrilled that the Afterschool Alliance is putting our beliefs into practice, beginning with the publication of our equity statement that explicitly affirms the role we are committed to playing to bridge gaps created by systemic inequities.

“The Afterschool Alliance works to expand afterschool and summer opportunities wherever children live and learn, with respect for every child’s needs and identities--including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ability, age, native language, and faith.

Out-of-school time programs provide critical opportunities for children to reach their full potential.

We recognize that access to opportunity is not equal, and that afterschool programs work to bridge gaps across many of the interwoven systemic inequities that exist in our society--especially for historically marginalized communities.

We at the Afterschool Alliance commit to addressing inequity in our own work and within our organization, and we strive to advance the afterschool field's overall efforts to address inequities.

We also recognize that this is an ongoing process that will require intentional thought, education, and action. We will hold ourselves accountable for the work that we must put in to truly fulfill our mission of increasing access to afterschool programs for all children and families.

As we move forward to actively ensure that equity is intentionally and sustainably integrated into all that we do, the following values will be at the core of our work:

• Encouraging Sustainable Investments. We believe that quality afterschool and summer learning programs are essential for students to achieve their full potential in their academics, their future careers, and their lives. Public and private investments empower out-of-school time programs to keep students safe, inspire them to learn, and give their families peace of mind. Investments must be sufficient to ensure afterschool and youth work can be recognized as a professional workforce that requires a living wage, benefits, and professional pathways.
• Inspiring Holistic Youth Development. Our focus is to inspire thoughtful, responsive, protective, and comprehensive programming. We work to equip the field with the highest quality and most relevant resources possible by respecting and responding to the needs of each individual and community.
• Supporting Equitable Access. We are committed to making sure that every afterschool and summer learning program is equipped with the resources it needs to positively impact the health, academic success, and physical and emotional safety of each child it serves. We are especially responsive to the resource needs of programs receiving low levels of support and programs that serve a high percentage of students from vulnerable populations.
• Empowering Community Action. Our aim is to understand the varying needs of every community, the resources they may require, and the strengths they possess. With a diversity of voices as a priority, we provide students, families, community programs, stakeholders, and policy influencers with the tools and information they need to advocate on their own behalves.”

In addition to our equity statement, our Board of Directors has created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to make sure we hold ourselves accountable to this vision.

While the Afterschool Alliance has always addressed inequities through our work, we are striving to be more intentional and transparent to ensure we creating opportunities and resources for all children and youth.  We also want to make sure  our efforts are informed by the voices and experiences of marginalized communities.

Sadly, we are unveiling our statement at a time when growing inequities make our work more important than ever. The children and youth served by publicly funded afterschool programs are facing a host of hurdles, created or exacerbated by the pandemic: food insecurity, fear of eviction, lacking the resources to be able to learn virtually, and living in communities where family and friends are dying from COVID-19 because of inequitable access to health care and/or disproportionate risk of exposure at work. Our kids are scared and anxious.  They only need to turn on the TV or open the newspaper to see that there is a very real threat of violence directed toward them because of their skin color, ethnicity, or identity. It’s imperative that we do all we can to empower the diverse voices of the future that will lead our country, and afterschool is one space where we can and are working to do just that. 

Our children and youth are already inspiring us throughout this crisis and we are thrilled to be highlighting their voices in our blogs and in our presentations. They are why we do what we do and they keep us hopeful and optimistic. Most importantly, they remind us that our efforts matter and that when we succeed, we help reduce inequity on the ground and create a better world for all of us. This equity statement is another step in the Afterschool Alliance’s journey toward working to create that better world.