The Importance of Afterschool Programs at Lights On Afterschool

Why are afterschool programs important to you?

“To stay active and energetic.”“Because we make new friends.”“It keeps me busy and keeps me from being stressed.”These are a few responses from YWCA members, youth and staff at the Lights On Afterschool event YWCA Midtown recently hosted. Our event was one of 8,000 Lights on Afterschool events that took place across the country, promoting the importance of afterschool programs.

Light on Afterschool Scavenger Hunt

The lobby was busy with YWCA members and youth participants who could learn about YWCA afterschool programs and complete a physical challenge to win a snack. The event celebrated the programs that YWCA Minneapolis offers across the city. You can read more about the event from our previous Our Voices Blog post and more about nationwide Lights On Afterschool events here.During Lights On Afterschool at YWCA Midtown, youth could complete a short scavenger hunt that encouraged physical activity to win a prize. The scavenger hunt went to the gym to complete a basketball challenge. Then participants went upstairs to Studio C and completed a coding or computer programming challenge on an iPad. The last challenge was asking anyone in the building “Why are afterschool programs important to you?” and bringing the answer back to the lobby and sharing for everyone to read. Below are a few more responses showing that afterschool is important to YWCA Minneapolis:“So that I can live a healthy lifestyle.”“Opportunity to learn outside of school.”“Helps kids be successful in life.”Thank you to everyone who participated, and thank you for supporting afterschool youth programming!