Report Highlights the Importance of Youth Engagement in Afterschool Programs

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) recently released a research update, Out-of-School Time Programs for Older Youth, that looks at the elements of out-of-school time (OST) programs that most successfully impact older youth. Successful strategies include those that provide leadership opportunities, offer incentives and flexibility to compete with or complement youth's outside obligations and those that leverage peer relationships to engage older youth. Communities that are exploring after-school opportunities to engage youth should also explore the HFRP OST database, which contains best practices and evaluation research.