ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships Email Format
Education Administration ProgramsUnited States11-50 Employees
Founded in 2002, ASAP is a leader in Philadelphia’s out-of-school time (OST) sector. Supported by strategic partnerships with city agencies, community organizations, and a broad network of stakeholders, ASAP has served more than 105,000 school-aged youth since inception. We coordinate four citywide initiatives that engage thousands of Philadelphia youth (grades K-12) each year in fun, enriching activities and experiences that develop critical academic, social, and emotional skills through structured programming and informal play: ASAP Chess: Develops students’ problem-solving and strategical skills through weekly club meetings, workshops with expert players, and citywide competitions. In addition to coordinating individual clubs, ASAP runs the Philadelphia Scholastic Chess League. ASAP Chess is truly an incubator for the local chess community—as of Spring 2025, 18% of registered US Chess Federation players in Pennsylvania are youth in ASAP Chess! ASAP Debate: Builds critical reading, research, and public speaking skills through weekly club meetings, analysis of topical issues, and citywide competitions. In addition to coordinating clubs, ASAP runs the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League. Highlights from this past year include an ASAP Debate pair placing third, and three pairs placing in the semi-finals, in Public Forum Debate at the 2025 Pennsylvania High School Speech League championships. ASAP Drama: Nurtures young people’s powers of expression, teamwork skills and cultural knowledge through weekly club meetings, group performances, and attendance at professional productions. ASAP Drama recruits Teaching Artists who mentor students and club leaders, while working as professional performing artists or theatre makers. ASAP Scrabble: Strengthens the essential building blocks of reading through weekly club play, literacy-building workshops, and citywide competitions. In addition to coordinating clubs, ASAP runs the Philadelphia Scholastic Scrabble League.