Annual Events

THANK A YOUTH WORKER DAY
Thank a Youth Worker Day is an international celebration of Youth Workers who make a difference in the lives of young people. Recognizing the hard work of Youth and Child Care Workers contributes to increased productivity, effective work, organizational loyalty, retention, recognition of youth-serving organizations, and, perhaps most importantly, to positive growth in the lives of children and youth and our communities.

In 2009, a group of youth work professionals in Indiana started Thank a Youth Worker Day as a way to help Youth Workers feel good about their profession and to raise awareness of the impact of the field on the lives of children and youth. Inspired by this effort to recognize the field of Child and Youth Care Work during the first week of May, ACYCP adopted the practice and took over sponsorship of Thank A Youth Worker Day in 2015.

LIGHTS ON AFTERSCHOOL 
Lights On Afterschool celebrates afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On Afterschool to draw attention to the many ways afterschool programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things—such as science, community service, robotics, Tae Kwon Do and poetry—and discover new skills.

GRASA hosts an annual Lights On celebration, and encourages all our community OST programs to join us or hold their own activities. The Afterschool Alliance provides free resources each year, including social media kits, representative letter templates and posters!