The Georgia Afterschool Investment Council (GAIC) in partnership with the Georgia Department of Human Resources developed and piloted the first state model in the U.S. of the Afterschool Academies in July of 2008.

What is the Afterschool Academies?
The Afterschool Academies is a national model developed by the C.S. Mott Foundation in partnership with a group of high-level training specialists in the youth development and afterschool/out-of-school time fields, including the Community Network for Youth Development (CNYD), Education Youth Development Center (EDC)/Youth Learn), Center for Afterschool Education (CACE) at Foundations Inc., Citizen Schools, and Gary and Eve Moody.
 
The Afterschool Academy model is set up as an intensive, multi-day institute that equips participants with skills, knowledge, and take-home-and-do techniques for effective afterschool education. Topics addressed include: understanding afterschool teaching, youth development principles, linking to research and school day content, project-based learning and active teaching, and planning for deliberate learning. The Academy is designed for supervisors, directors, trainers, and front-line workers, as well as others shaping afterschool teaching, to take programs to the next level of afterschool/youth development programming.
 
Examples of topics that may be covered in an Afterschool Academies style-training include:

Understanding multiple intelligences and learning styles with the assets of afterschool to reach more young people in creative ways
Understanding project-based, experiential, independent learning
Identifying community resources to enrich programs
Integrating the arts, creative media, and technology in programming
Understanding the role of afterschool in student success
Making reading and writing come alive after school
Maximizing learning in homework time
Supporting English language learners in afterschool programming
Demonstrating learning and progress
Learning techniques to recruit, hire, train, and retain quality staff
Engaging in reflective practice to further professional development
Developing trainer expertise in facilitating technical assistance with other providers
   
Goals for the Georgia Afterschool Institute:

• To be the primary vehicle to bring about the needed change in afterschool programs in GA
• To transform afterschool staff into champions for youth
• To create fresh ideas and energy that acknowledges multiple intelligence theories.