The Program

At least 8 million children are left alone each day in the hours after school. For many, the hours after school can be dangerous. Between the hours of 2 and 8p.m., children are the most likely to use alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs, and more likely to experiment with sex. All of these risks greatly increase for low-income children in urban communities.

For other children, the afternoon hours are simply wasted; time spent watching television or doing nothing could be used instead to participate in positive activities, connecting with responsible adults.

Research indicates that children who attend high quality after-school programs have better peer relations, emotional adjustment, conflict resolution skills, grades, and behavior in school than peers who are not in after-school programs. Students who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities are 49% less likely to use drugs and 37% less likely to become teen parents than students who do not participate.

Despite a perception of sports and recreation programs as expendable or even frivolous, sports programs provide an important mechanism to reach large numbers of children and youth and engage them in healthy and positive activities during non-school hours. More children and youth chose to take part in sports programs than in any other after-school activity. An estimated 38 million young people participate in youth sports programs in the United States. Sports programs have the potential to promote physical health as well as healthy childhood and youth development.

Sports programs can help address the growing problems of inactivity and obesity among American children and youth. Today, there are nearly twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980.

A lack of physical activity has contributed to this sharp rise in obesity. A recent Surgeon General’s report warns that physical fitness declines sharply between the ages of 6 and 18; activity among boys decreases by 24% and girls by at least 36%.8 More than one third of young people in grades 9-12 do not regularly engage in vigorous physical activity. Girls are even less likely to be physically active. In fact, 45% of girls, as compared to 13% of boys, spend no leisure time on sports.

Sports programs can also promote healthy development. Examples abound of successful sports programs that build character, responsibility and leadership skills, help children and youth improve school performance, and nurture relationships with adult mentors.

Girls particularly benefit from playing sports. Research indicates that two hours a week of exercise can substantially lower a teenage girl’s lifetime risk of breast cancer, and adolescent girls who exercise regularly can reduce their risk for obesity, coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. Participation in sports is also linked to an increase in self-esteem, positive body image, self-confidence, and sense of competence, as well as a decreased incidence of depression, pregnancy, and smoking.

Yet children and youth in low-income urban areas, particularly girls and minorities, are less likely to participate in sports and recreation programs after school. In the suburbs, rates of participation in sports programs fall between 80 and 90%, while rates in cities reach only about 10 to 20%. For reasons as varied as insufficient funding, deteriorating facilities and equipment, inadequate transportation, and social or cultural barriers, too many children and youth in low income urban communities do not have the same opportunities as other young people.

School districts all over the United States are cutting physical fitness and health education programs. The effects of these cuts are broad. Ultimately, the result is that children attending these schools do not have the opportunity to participate in activities that will greatly improve their health.

Obesity in kids is now an epidemic in the United States. The number of children who are overweight has almost tripled in the last two to three decades; currently one child in five is overweight. The increase is in both young children and adolescents, and in all age, race and gender groups. Additionally, obese children now have diseases like type-two diabetes that used to only occur in adults. Overweight kids tend to become overweight adults, continuing to put them at greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

It is well documented that childhood and adolescent obesity are linked to a lack of physical activity. More and more kids lead inactive lifestyles, choosing to spend time watching television, sitting at the computer, or playing video games. What is more, reliable outlets such as school PE and intramurals are being eliminated from school districts across the country. Ultimately, this is sending the wrong message to our children, that being physically active is not important. The reality is that we must educate children on the importance of being well-rounded, healthy individuals.

Behaviors involving physical activity and nutrition are the cornerstone of preventing obesity in children and adolescents. Teaching healthy behaviors at a young age is vital since changing bad habits becomes more difficult with age. Therefore, it is critical that we educate children at a young age.

It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days per week. Even greater amounts of physical activity may be necessary for the prevention of weight gain, for weight loss, or for sustaining weight loss. After school sports programs provide healthy, non-competitive activities that enable children and adolescents to become more active and fill in where schools and school districts fall short.

Active4Youth intends to re-invent the after school sports programs so many of us used to enjoy. With your help, this can become a reality and we can make a difference in the lives our children.

Twenty-eight million children have parents who work outside the home. Many of these children do not have access to affordable, quality care during the hours after school or when school is not in session. Therefore, a majority of these children are left unsupervised during non-school hours. Juvenile crime triples when the school bell rings at the end of the day.

Moreover, children are at four times the risk of being the victim of a victim crime (for example, murder, violent sex offense, robbery, and assault) during the hours after school. For young people, ages 6 to 17, this risk peaks at 3:00 p.m., the end of the school day. Studies also show that adolescents that are unsupervised for 11 or more hours per week experience twice the risk of substance abuse as those who are under some form of adult supervision.

Absent a meaningful attachment to a positive role-group, kids are drawn to mischievous conduct. Children, especially adolescents, crave excitement and group activity. If they can't find it in programs organized by responsible adults, they become far more likely to find it in gangs. Too many children today have too little access to structured activity with positive role models.

After school sports programs keep our children safe and provide them with much needed, supervised, structured activity that will deter delinquency and encourage healthy lifestyles. Studies around the nation have proven that children attending Programs:

• Are two times less likely to use drugs.
• Are one-third less likely to become teen parents.
• Have improved school attendance and do their homework more often and better.
• Learn to respect people who are different from themselves and develop better conflict resolution and social skills.
• Make new friends and build relationships with caring mentors and adults.
• Lessen the worries of parents who cannot be with their children after school or when school is not in session.
• Develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to adopt and maintain a physically active lifestyle.
• Emphasize enjoyable participation in lifetime physical activities such as walking, running and other sports.
• Involve entire communities in the enrichment of children