High School Programs

CHAMPIONS provides arts enrichment programs, alternative sports programs, academic support services, job training, and a huge range of skill building clubs specific to a high school audience. Twelve comprehensive programs in Southern California are funded through 21st Century grants, two are funded by charter school boards and dozens of other after school providers and schools supplement their existing after school calendar with our unique GOALS Club, a series of leadership development workshops that use adventure sports as the teaching tool. This proven model has been selected for the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Center High School Best Practices Project and was presented at the 2009 Best of Out of School Time (BOOST) conference during a panel highlighting high quality district/provider partnership models.

Our comprehensive programs exceed attendance goals through the early development and use of Youth Leadership Councils. These councils are responsible for the design of the program and the implementation of outreach strategies whereby the youth are attracting their own peers to the program.

CHAMPIONS employs a full-time, highly educated site director who is intimately connected to the local community. This addresses the school day to after school bridging issues, allows CHAMPIONS to develop a strong relationship with school site leaders, work closely with classroom teachers and counselors to identify students in need of support and provide information regarding available afterschool resources. The Director and Assistant Director ensure that the programs are well attended, in compliance with grant, school and community goals, and use a business model to after school funding that ensures money is not wasted on programs with poor quality and low attendance.

Special events and school wide activities are also part of the package CHAMPIONS delivers.

As part of a comprehensive approach we design and facilitate 8th grade orientations, weekend movie nights and dances, camping trips focused on leadership skills, family picnics, anti-violence and anti-smoking events and so much more. School and afterschool providers capitalize on the success of our GOALS Club> in developing student leaders by contracting us to provide the WOW Factor! for their programs. We supplement their daily calendar with weekly, monthly or annual workshops designed to train young people using adventure sports such as rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, skate boarding and camping as a forum for discussing current teen issues, giving young leaders concrete skills and teaching them to use their voice for positive social change.