Why Participate in Extracurricular Activities ?
This website is meant to be a one stop shop for students who are looking for extra curricular programs outside of the traditional school programming. All students can benefit from participating in activities they enjoy outside of their regular comfort zone. By participating in activities that they would otherwise be unable to, they are able to develop social skills and sensibilities that do not come naturally to most students. Students who expand their horizon by seeking out programs that interest them develop character traits by following the example of mentors who they respect and admire.
The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities - What does the research say?
- ”Participation helps promote development and encourages engagement.” (Bruening, 87)
- “can provide opportunities for enjoyment and social and psychological rewards, affiliation with peers and mentors, healthier minds and bodies, and long-term physical, social, and psychological benefits.” (89)
- “ Participation correlated with higher levels of self-esteem, improved race relations, improvement in political/social activity in young adulthood, academic ability and grades in males, educational aspirations and attainments, feelings of control over one’s life, and lower delinquency rates.” (Holland and Andre, 437)
- “… during the teenage years, standard of acceptance are established by peers, and that participation in peer-valued activities is associated with greater peer approval and higher self-esteem.” (439)
- “The available research indicates the participation in extracurricular activities including both athletic and nonathletic activities, is positively correlated with desirable personality/social characteristics.” (447)
- “Structured after-school activities can provide youth with valuable supports for development.” (Kahne, 421)
- “Many emphasize the value of safe, structured, and enjoyable opportunities… unstructured afternoons, weekends, and early evenings are particularly risky times for youth.” (422)
- “Structured, safe and enjoyable contexts provide youth with more than encouragement to “just say no” to risky experiences—they provide something to which youth can “say yes”. “ (423)
- “Structured sctivities focusing on the arts, athletics, or community service […] can help youth develop a wide range of social, academic, athletic, civic, and artistic skills and commitments. Often youth are asked to take on challenging roles and meaningful responsibilities and make civic contributions.” (423)
- These programs create “contexts in which youth can form caring and supportive relationships that provide motivation, high expectations, help with problems, and mentoring. “ (423)
Subsidized Programming
Many programs offer subsidized programming to allow all students who are interested are able to participated. I wanted to look into the programs included on this site to see if they offered any assistance to students who are unable to afford their fees. Throughout this website the programs who offer subsidized programming are marked with *.