Regional Afterschool Summits to Focus on Disadvantaged Youth

The NC Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP), with support from the James B. Hunt, Jr.  Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and NC Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, will be convening regional afterschool summits this fall to bring together organizations and state agencies working to support disadvantaged youth within the following four communities:  Health / Wellness, Dropout Prevention, Closing Performance Gaps, and Juvenile Crime Prevention.  While these communities are serving the same demographic, they often operate in silos. By fostering dialogue among the communities, NC CAP aims to foster cross-sector collaboration to open up more opportunities for disadvantaged youth, to make better use of funds and grant dollars, and to increase awareness about the need for afterschool.   

The events are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with lunch provided, at the following dates and locations:

Goldsboro City Hall, September 13 - CLOSED; Capacity has been reached for location

Durham/RTP Sheraton Imperial, September 21

Salisbury Historic Train Depot, October 15

Wilmington Coastline Convention Center, October 19

Asheville Civic Center, November 4

There is no fee to attend the summits.

NC CAP welcomes policymakers, business leaders, the philanthropic community, educators and school officials, local law enforcement, the faith-based community, and nonprofit leaders to attend.  At the summits, NC CAP will unveil tools for success and partnership-building as follows:

• Policymakers / State Leaders will learn about the latest research supporting high quality programs, cost-effective community-wide partnership efforts, as well as effective practices across the state and nation.
• Funders will help chart a common vision for increasing the supply and quality of afterschool programs, with the invitation to join a statewide Funders Committee on Quality & Access. 
• Afterschool / Direct Service Providers will learn how to maximize the impact of funding dollars and form local partnerships, as well as receive nationally renowned program standards, state agency funding criteria endorsed by NC state agencies funding afterschool, and staff competencies that outline the skills necessary to achieve outcomes for children and youth.  

NC CAP will also unveil a cross-sector data project that will identify a “Top 10” county list using high-risk indicators to identify the need for more services for disadvantaged youth, with the goal of building consensus around specific indicators and educating funders and other resource organizations about the needs.

The regional summits follow a successful December 2009 tri-state summit held in partnership with the Hunt Institute, and Georgia and South Carolina afterschool networks that explored efforts to expand access to out-of-school time programs.

For the September summits, please RSVP your attendance to Katie Biggerstaff before September 1, by calling (919) 781-6833 ext. 132, faxing (919) 781-6527, or emailing kbiggerstaff@ncforum.org.

For the October/November summits, please RSVP your attendance to Katie Biggerstaff before October 1, by calling (919) 781-6833 ext. 132, faxing (919) 781-6527, or emailing kbiggerstaff@ncforum.org.