Our Impact

For every child in an afterschool program in Virginia, four are waiting to get in.

There’s a rising demand for greater access to afterschool and summer programs helping youth:

  • Engage in positive activities that align with their personal interests and help them explore potential career paths
  • Improve self-confidence and self-efficacy
  • Increase attendance rates, graduation rates, and positive feelings about school
  • Connect with peers, mentors, and community leaders
Richmond youth raising their hands in a cheer together in their afterschool programs at Richmond Public Schools

NextUp's Role

NextUp is an intermediary organization that equips and mobilizes a network of 140+ youth development organizations. We embed our partners’ afterschool and summer programs in Richmond Middle Schools and across Richmond through the city’s Positive Youth Development initiative.

Impacts on Our Community

80% of young people’s time is spent outside of school.

Despite the abundance of data and proof of effectiveness, quality out of school time (OST) and extended-learning programs remain out of reach for many families. Richmond youth aged 11 – 19 need opportunities to engage in positive activities during after school hours (3 – 6 pm) and school breaks.

The investment in out-of-school time continues to show positive outcomes across Richmond, including a 65% drop in youth gun violence incidents since 2017–a decline the city attributed to out-of-school time programs.

Program Feedback from Youth

96%

say their programs helps them feel more confident about themselves.

96%

say programs help them feel more confident about trying new things, even if they look hard.

84%

believe their afterschool and summer activities help them do better in school.

Program Feedback from Parents

93%

say afterschool gives them peace of mind while they are at work.

88%

believe afterschool programs help excite their child(ren) about learning.

Outcomes We Seek

Access

Every young person in Richmond will have access to robust expanded-learning programs.

Informed

Richmond families will be informed about OST offerings.

Experiences

Youth will have meaningful expanded learning experiences, whether in school buildings or in community settings.

Reliable Data

Richmond OST partners will have reliable data to inform decision-making, evaluate impact and understand the supply and demand of services.

Priority

Quality OST and expanded learning will be a citywide and regional priority, recognized as a necessary part of each student’s education.

Demographics

BY GRADE (PERCENTAGE)

 

BY GENDER (PERCENTAGE)

 

BY RACE (PERCENTAGE)

 

Youth Outcomes

behavioral outcomes
academic outcomes
62%

of youth improved or maintained positive attendance

 

44%

of youth had positive school attendance (attended school 95% of the time or more). 

 

72%

of youth improved or maintained positive behavior (decrease or zero behavior infractions).

 

78%

of youth had fewer than 2 behavior infractions.

 

Positive Youth Development Outcomes (Summer 2022)

Graduation Cohort Data (2022)

*Excludes students who transferred out of RPS after middle school. NextUp youth that did not drop out or graduate on-time in 2022 are still in school and set to graduate in 2023 or 2024.

 

Reports and Studies

View NextUp’s Annual and Impact Reports in addition to the latest studies and findings on Richmond’s out-of-school time landscape.