When we introduced our Club’s Impact Model nearly a decade ago, it was a completely new way of serving youth in our afterschool program. Instead of the random assortment of activities we had been offering, we began separating our Club members into groups by grade level and providing them with a holistic set of structured daily rotations. Every day, each group rotated through the three components of academic reinforcement, physical fitness and social recreation, and enrichment opportunities.

The Impact Model was strategically-designed to help close the achievement gap and boost our members’ academic success by providing an additional 60 hours of learning each school year. It was an innovative change in programming that was created to serve our members’ best interests, and for that, our Club was nationally recognized as a leader in youth development.

In the years since, we have worked to continually improve our Impact Model on behalf of those we serve. We are always looking at ways to innovate and challenge the status quo so that our members have the skills, tools, and resources they need to pursue greatness in an ever-changing world. That’s why we recently launched the latest improvement: the Club Learning Experience, an organization-wide shift in the way we deliver afterschool programs and services to Club members.

Our new Club Learning Experience fosters curiosity and facilitates discovery for members we serve both in our Club locations and at our school partner sites. At the beginning of each month, members are introduced to a theme with strategic curriculum that helps them develop the skills, experiences, and competencies – the 40 Developmental Assets – needed to be successful in life. The monthly theme builds each week and concludes with a culminating event for members to showcase to their family members – and sometimes community members – what they’ve learned and created that month.

The new curriculum is experience-focused with hands-on activities that enable members to create, develop, and experiment through a variety of projects guided by our mentor professionals encouraging and fostering inquiry. It’s 21st century skill building at its best because it’s learning disguised as FUN!

Want to see our Club Learning Experience in action? We’d love to give you a tour. And stay tuned for opportunities to attend showcase events throughout the year.