About The Discover Youth Book Drive
*Nominations End Sunday, April 26th, 2026*
Help us celebrate 150 professionals by April 26th
Why Support Afterschool Professionals?
Afterschool programs are essential to providing safe spaces, opportunities, and flexibility for busy families. They cultivate environments where young people feel seen and supported by friends, staff, and mentors who help them grow.
Parents say that kids in afterschool programs:1
-
Interact with peers and build social skills (91% of parents)
-
Gain life skills (78% of parents)
-
Connect with caring adults (79% of parents)
"Afterschool and summer programs play an essential role in supporting the healthy development of young people by serving as a safe space that fosters belonging, develops supportive relationships with peers and adult mentors, encourages healthy behaviors, and helps young people build and cultivate the skills necessary to navigate through the struggles and challenges they may come up against in life." 2
-Afterschool Alliance
How Does Discover Youth Advance This?
Discover Youth builds on these strengths by offering an evidence-based guide packed with practical tools for professionals to deepen these relationships and to foster growth and resilience in our youth.
Inside Discover Youth, you'll find:
-
50+ evidence-based tools and strategies.
-
Real-life stories and research-backed insights.
-
Practical applications for immediate impact.
-
A call to lead with empathy and intention.
"Youth benefit by developing positive relationships with the program's staff, who in turn model good behavior, actively promote student mastery of skills or concepts, listen attentively, provide feedback and guidance, and establish clear expectations for mature, respectful interactions with peers. Children who attend these well-supervised afterschool programs display better work habits, task persistence, social skills, pro-social behaviors, academic performance, and less aggressive behavior at the end of the school year." 3
- Amy Magin Wong, Harvard Graduate School of Education
About The Discover Youth Book Drive
*Nominations End Sunday, April 26th, 2026*
Help us celebrate 150 professionals by April 26th
Why Support Afterschool Professionals?
Afterschool programs are essential to providing safe spaces, opportunities, and flexibility for busy families. They cultivate environments where young people feel seen and supported by friends, staff, and mentors who help them grow.
Parents say that kids in afterschool programs:1
-
Interact with peers and build social skills (91% of parents)
-
Gain life skills (78% of parents)
-
Connect with caring adults (79% of parents)
"Afterschool and summer programs play an essential role in supporting the healthy development of young people by serving as a safe space that fosters belonging, develops supportive relationships with peers and adult mentors, encourages healthy behaviors, and helps young people build and cultivate the skills necessary to navigate through the struggles and challenges they may come up against in life." 2
-Afterschool Alliance
How Does Discover Youth Advance This?
Discover Youth builds on these strengths by offering an evidence-based guide packed with practical tools for professionals to deepen these relationships and to foster growth and resilience in our youth.
Inside Discover Youth, you'll find:
-
50+ evidence-based tools and strategies.
-
Real-life stories and research-backed insights.
-
Practical applications for immediate impact.
-
A call to lead with empathy and intention.
"Youth benefit by developing positive relationships with the program's staff, who in turn model good behavior, actively promote student mastery of skills or concepts, listen attentively, provide feedback and guidance, and establish clear expectations for mature, respectful interactions with peers. Children who attend these well-supervised afterschool programs display better work habits, task persistence, social skills, pro-social behaviors, academic performance, and less aggressive behavior at the end of the school year." 3
- Amy Magin Wong, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Discover Youth
"I would have loved to have Discover Youth as a guide when I began working with young people! Beverlee Wenzel weaves compelling, relevant stories from her decades of work with young people, the wisdom of a veteran practitioner, and tested positive youth development principles into an accessible, ready-to-use tool for anyone who works with youth. It moves beyond cookie-cutter curricula to the kind of dynamic, relationship-centered, strength-based approach that meets each young person where they are and walks with them on their journeys to become their best selves."
-Ben Houltberg, PhD, LMFT, President and CEO, Search Institute