By Marciene S. Mattleman, Philadelphia Inquirer

Kids playing squash and lacrosse in the suburbs is an everyday experience. Great sports! But how often have you seen kids in low-income city neighborhoods carrying squash rackets and lacrosse sticks?

You may be surprised to learn that all that is changing. In West Philadelphia, kids are learning to play squash through SquashSmarts, one of six programs nationally that teaches squash in addition to providing academic tutors and mentors. The program was developed by local squash enthusiasts and uses Drexel and Penn volunteers on Drexel's courts and in its classrooms.

Philadelphia Lacrosse for Youth was recently started by a former Germantown Academy athlete and businessman who's been nurturing the idea of teaching lacrosse on city streets. This summer, he operated six programs in the heart of North and West Philadelphia.

Starfinder, another new organization, founded by a former British soccer player teaming with a local athlete, has been teaching soccer and character-building to kids from five schools in Kensington. And Phillies great Garry Maddox has run a golf and academics program for years.

All of these programs take place after school, a dangerous time for kids. More than 60 percent of parents work outside the home, and a large number of kids are unsupervised 20 to 25 hours a week. That's when kids get into trouble and are victims. Experts say the peak hour for violent behavior is 3 to 4 p.m.

Children who stay home often spend their time snacking and watching TV, activities detrimental to health and fitness. With 14 percent of America's kids overweight, the physical well-being of youngsters is clearly imperiled.

Research shows that young people involved in after-school activities improve their school achievement and attendance. Those who participate are less likely to use drugs and alcohol or become pregnant at an early age.

These are the types of facts that provided the imperative for ASAP (After School Activities Partnership). The partnership was founded more than a year ago to increase the number of recreation programs citywide. It is a bare-bones initiative - low cost, high energy. Its staff are working in pro-bono space with computers dontated from IBM. They depend on contributed public service announcements and funding from foundations and corporations that believe in its mission and have confidence in its team.

Volunteers ran most of the 83 after-school clubs the partnership started in its first 13 months - 51 clubs during the school year and 32 during the summer. Basketball, knitting, choral music, model building, drama, Scrabble, Common Cents (money management), dance and book clubs are among the favorites.

The initiative has developed partnerships with Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis, the Philadelphia Dance Alliance, and Young Playwrights and has received additional support for yoga, chess, and Italian language clubs this year.

A few essentials are important to the initiative's success, including finding welcoming, safe schools, recreation centers and libraries; asking volunteers to share a hobby or a passion; locating the club in a site of the volunteer's choice (near home, work, family); and recruiting a partner for the volunteer (who on occasion will travel or have meetings) so the club can continue without disruption. The formula works!

Eighty percent of students in the city's public schools are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch - a reliable indicator of poverty - and don't have lots of opportunities. Though the city's Recreation Department, Police Athletic League, Boys and Girls Clubs, Inner City Games, Girl Scouts, and other multi-site programs are many and varied, the need far exceeds the availability.

Most parents are not aware of what's being offered or where programs are located. ASAP's Directory of After-School Recreation Programs - available in the Philadelphia Daily News, on www.phillyasap.org, and through its Tuesday evening hotline, 215-875-7024 - has been developed to find activities easily by zip code.

What can kids learn from recreation? New skills, respect for rules and guidelines, teamwork, discipline, and interests that can last a lifetime. As for the volunteers, they become mentors, advocates for kids and for public education.

Starting an initiative in these tough economic times has been difficult but exciting. Yet I know the kids and the volunteers take a lot away from the programs. Frankly, so do I.


Marciene S. Mattleman is executive director of After Schools Activities Partnership and an education reporter on KYW Newsradio.

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