After School Kids Program (ASK)
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The After School Kids (ASK) Program serves at-potential teens in the DC metropolitan area who are making positive strides in their lives and striving to be catalysts for change in their communities. Our youth are adversely impacted by the school/cradle to confinement pathway and may experience obstacles to obtaining their high school diploma, exploring careers, and/or advancing their postsecondary education. It is not uncommon for our youth to experience chronic trauma exposure and involvement in the court system. Additionally, many youth face the dual pressures of being adultified while also remaining under-credited, therefore having their efforts go unrecognized. Despite obstacles, our youth envision a brighter future through education, social action, and wellness. ASK provides support to help them realize and achieve their goals through culturally responsive mentoring and tutoring practices with a social justice lens and a specific focus on youth justice – all with the overarching goal of disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline.
To support the resiliency of our youth, the ASK Program:
- utilizes a near-peer mentoring model, which pairs Georgetown University undergraduate students as tutors and mentors with DC youth;
- provides exposure to the college experience through workshops and community days at Georgetown University’s campus;
- provides personalized, one-on-one academic tutoring, homework help, and standardized test preparation for GED and ACT/SAT;
- promotes skills and behaviors that support lifelong-learning
- provides socio-emotional learning skills and activities; and
- supports social-justice education and our youth’s critical analysis of how they want to contribute to the formation of a just society
Summer 2023
ASK Summer: Mentor and tutor with the After School Kids (ASK) Program, which serves youth in the DC metropolitan area through both academic and social-emotional support. ASK offers a supportive team environment with multiple scheduling options, Mondays through Fridays. Find additional information about ASK and sign up here. Volunteer and Federal Work-Study (FWS) positions are available. Sign-up forms are accepted on a rolling basis with priority consideration given to sign-ups received by June 5, 2023. Contact CSJ Assistant Director for Youth Justice Programs, LaMaria Glass, at askprogram@georgetown.edu with questions.
ASK40 Summer: Serve in-person this summer with the After School Kids (ASK) Program’s ASK40 position. In this position, students will participate in youth-justice initiatives that specifically affect youth in the DC metropolitan area. This position is ~30-40 hours/week during the summer. Find additional information about the program and apply online. Volunteer and Federal Work-Study (FWS) positions are available. Summer housing and a summer meal plan are available with ASK40 positions. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of April 14, 2023. Contact CSJ Assistant Director for Youth Justice Programs, LaMaria Glass, at askprogram@georgetown.edu with questions.
Current Programming
Mentoring
Our mentoring program supports youth with their academic work and long-term personal and educational goals. Youth attend tutoring 1-2 times per week and work one-to-one with their Georgetown mentors. In addition to improving academic performance, emphasis is placed on socioe-motional learning and the importance of educational attainment. Our mentors work with youth in DC across core areas and grade levels, starting in middle school. Currently, Hoyas can serve at the Social Justice School on either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.
History
The ASK Program was created in 1987 when juvenile probation officers and the Honorable Justice Ricardo Urbina, then presiding judge of the Family Branch of the DC Superior Court, approached Georgetown University’s Father Harold Bradley, SJ seeking mentors for adjudicated youth. ASK’s first tutor was Dr. Daniel Porterfield (C ’83), who eventually became Georgetown University’s Senior Vice President for Strategic Development, then became the President of Franklin and Marshall College, and now serves as the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. Under Dr. Porterfield’s direction, the ASK Program sought to empower adjudicated youth in the District of Columbia to make positive changes in their lives by challenging them with new learning opportunities and teaching them the necessary skills to successfully meet those challenges.
To learn more about the ASK Program and how to get involved, email askprogram@georgetown.edu.
The After School Kids Program falls under Georgetown University’s Protection of Minors policy.