🌞 NAA Has Quite a Bright Spotlight This Month
August 19 Webinar Explores Movement-Based Activities
Movement does more than support physical health, it can strengthen learning, improve behavior, and help young people build important character skills. Join the Collaborative for Advancing Healthy Experiences in OST (CAHE-OST) and Skillastics for Building Character & Academic Success Through Movement, a free virtual training to explore how movement-based activities can increase engagement, support academic success, and foster teamwork, perseverance, leadership, and responsibility.
The Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards, established by the National AfterSchool Association (NAA), offer a practical framework for creating environments that support healthy eating, physical activity, and positive youth development. Grounded in research and designed specifically for OST settings, the HEPA Standards help programs build on their existing strengths while promoting the physical, social, and emotional well-being of young people and staff.
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The summer 2026 issue of the Journal of Youth Development has been released. This issue brings together research and practice scholarship that examines how youth development programs, relationships, and learning environments contribute to positive outcomes across diverse populations and contexts. Collectively, the articles highlight strategies for strengthening inclusion, resilience, leadership, engagement, and learning while advancing understanding of how youth-serving organizations can better support thriving among all young people.
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For four decades, NAA has championed the professionals, programs, and partnerships that help young people learn, grow, and thrive beyond the school day. Throughout the coming year, we’ll look back at the people and moments that have shaped our history while celebrating the exciting future of the field.
You’ll also see this milestone reflected at NAA27, where we’ll honor four decades of impact with special anniversary celebrations woven throughout the Convention experience. Stay tuned for more details in the months ahead. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!