By Avery Reisinger, member of the 2023 class of Afterschool Youth Ambassadors.
March 24 to 28, 2025 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from Emeritus Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and their communities. This blog was originally published on March 27, 2023.
Afterschool programs have many benefits to students and young people! From hearing stories from my peers and experiencing afterschool programs myself, I have a better understanding of how these programs can positively impact students. As a youth ambassador for Afterschool Alliance, I have been able to get exposed to other kids who have also been in afterschool programs from across the U.S. Hearing them tell these stories with so much love and compassion, you can tell that because of these programs they have had a chance to truly be themselves.
As a military child, moving from one state to another every three years is difficult. It’s hard to make proper friendships and be able to really get involved with the community. Another problem I had to deal with, that many other military children could relate to, is trying to find a place where I feel like I belong. When other kids in class have been friends since kindergarten and the whole town knows one another, it’s difficult to really feel like you fit in. Walking into school the first time after a move is scary, thinking to myself, “Will they like me? Will I have friends? What if I don’t fit in?”
But every time I moved, I was able to feel like I belonged and was able to be myself. That was only possible because I joined local afterschool programs. I have been part of so many afterschool programs, and one program that stands out from the rest is Kids Rank. This afterschool program really is about having military children feeling like they have a safe space to come, make friends, and have people to relate to. Having a place to feel comfortable, I was able to get rid of the nerves and be my bubbly, silly self. Walking through the doors the first day, I felt lost, but by the end of the program, I had made many lifelong friends.
From my experience as a military child, I really had to struggle with the difficulty of trying to be myself. But for all children across the country, we have faced the same challenge as we grow up. Having an afterschool program can get kids out of their comfort zone and make new friends. Meeting people in these programs not only feels great but also allows students to show their true self. Overall, comfort is truly key to being able to be yourself and when students are exposed to afterschool programs, it’s a way to unlock that.