EduCon 2027

High school student participation lags behind elementary school student participation in town-run out of school time programs but giving high school students more autonomy in OST programs increased participation from 0% to 12% of overall registrations. How can educators capitalize on this growth in creating a “third space” for teens?

The Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth and Learning (OCYL) is a town department located in Cumberland, RI which runs out of school time (OST) programming for students ages K-12. Our STEAM and youth empowerment programs are purposefully designed to go beyond “enrichment.” While Cumberland High School offers a wide range of extracurricular activities, a gap still exists between what is offered and what makes high school students feel their voices are heard in an impactful way.

High school student participation in a new volunteer program at OCYL this summer was so positive that we invited our 17 volunteers to become commissioners on the town’s newly reconstituted Youth Commission. Eleven responded to the invitation and have begun attending monthly meetings. Additionally, students from a nearby Massachusetts high school have begun coaching our new robotics team.

At OCYL, we are discovering that the road to high school student participation in our programming is through autonomy. Rather than registering for programs as students, high schoolers are finding meaning first in offering and refining their services to younger students, and now in developing their voice and leadership to create meaningful experiences for others.