Afterschool

Neutral Zone

During non-school time, there is a tremendous opportunity to expose kids to activities that not only complement what’s learned in school, but also prepare them for meaningful work in the future and spark a journey towards becoming curious, fulfilled and well-rounded adults.

Grantee Spotlight

STEM 2035 grantee – Neutral Zone

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Special Highlights

With Youth For Youth

Generator Z

About With Youth For Youth (WYFY)

Coordinated by Youthprise and funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, With Youth for Youth (WYFY) is a transformational initiative that flips traditional grantmaking by empowering young people to redesign afterschool programming from the ground up.

WYFY builds upon two earlier efforts, the Generator Z project, funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and the Powered by Youth Voice project, funded by the Mott Foundation. Both projects aimed to uplift the voices of young people by promoting more channels for youth to contribute to decisions about afterschool program activities and practice leadership. Through collaborative design thinking sessions and paid youth participation, WYFY centers young people as creators and leaders of their own learning experiences. The goal is to develop blueprints from each partner site that will help afterschool systems amplify youth voices seeking to transform their educational opportunities.

Southeast Michigan WYFY Western New York WYFY

About Generator Z

In 2020, 1,000 teens ages 13–18 from across Western New York and Southeast Michigan participated in Generator Z, an innovative afterschool grantmaking initiative of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. Over three phases of engagement, they shared their personal stories and ideas to reimagine the future of afterschool. The “Generators” received up to $1,000 for their participation, recognizing them as the ultimate experts in their own lives. In early 2021, afterschool providers from Western New York and Southeast Michigan were invited to apply for grants to bring the ideas of these Generators to life. Generator Z awarded more than $4 million in grants – ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 - to over 90 organizations that turned teen insight into action, ultimately fueling the development of new afterschool opportunities driven by and for young people. Learn more about the Generators and Grantees at Generator-Z.org.

BACKGROUND

Generator Z asked "Gen Z" to be the voice of their own afterschool experience. Generator Z was born from the Foundation's data collection effort - Teen Opinions Count - which aimed to better understand what teens wanted during their time outside of school and to better support the afterschool organizations who served teens every day. From this data exploration, 10 themes were recognized as areas that teens were interested in:

Mental, Social & Emotional Health
Identity & Acceptance
Growth & Wellness
Friends & Community
Excellence in Learning
Jobs & Careers
Creative Arts & Culture
Fun & Games
Play & Sports
Life Skills & Balance

Driven by teens and powered by Lakeshore Connections with the support of RCWJRF, Generator Z flipped the script on traditional grantmaking by inviting teens to lead the conversation on afterschool and inviting afterschool providers to turn ideas into action.