Episode 16: Afterschool for All Challenge 2012

11th Annual Afterschool for All Challenge – from left to right: Afterschool Champions Dr. Paul Sereno and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Texas Afterschool Youth Ambassador Yovanna Ortiz, Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant and Actor Kevin Sorbo at the “Breakfast of Champions”, May 9, 2012. This special episode was recorded live from the Afterschool Alliance’s Afterschool for All Challenge, held May 8-9, 2012 in Washington DC. This episode features an interview with Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant, along with highlights from the opening panel entitled “Afterschool Works: Understanding the Evidence and Transforming Research Into Action,” and the 11th annual Breakfast of Champions, which honored movers and shakers in the afterschool field and featured rousing speeches by elected officials who support afterschool. I also got to tag along with Julie Wild-Curry of Fairbanks, AK as she met with her senator and made the case for legislative support for afterschool programs. One of the highlights of the Challenge was a screening of the documentary film; Brooklyn Castle, which chronicles the afterschool chess powerhouse at New York City’s Middle School 318, home to the nation’s most winning chess team, and a series of deep budget cuts that threaten to undermine the afterschool program’s hard-won success. Brooklyn Castle recently won the Audience Award at the SxSW Film Festival. It’s getting all kinds of aclaim and is a great illustration of the power of afterschool. Learn more about the Alliance, the Challenge, or to get tools for advocating!