Although it sounds basic, a warm and welcoming environment is a building block for afterschool and expanded learning programs, especially if youth are to succeed academically and personally. Research has demonstrated the connection between a positive climate (e.g., youth sense of belonging and feeling secure in a program) and improved academic performance, increased levels of motivation, a strong willingness to learn, and decreased behavior problems (Faircloth & Hamm, 2005; Kauh, 2011; Marzano & Marzano, 2003).

Two things primarily influence the environment—the overall atmosphere you feel when you are there—of a program: the policies and structure of the program and the interactions among people within the program. The management section talks about policies and procedures. Take some time to review that section and think about how you can create organizational supports that can promote and foster positive youth development.

When you are working to build a positive environment within your program, it can be helpful to greet every youth who comes in the door by name—every time—and increase the number of one-to-one interactions among youth and between youth and the staff. Provide positive reinforcement for youth actions and ideas and offer specific positive feedback. For example, instead of always simply saying, “good job,” add more specific words, such as “Thank you for listening,” or “Great job cooperating with your classmates.” You also should show your enthusiasm. If you are excited, young people in your program will be too! Other strategies include varying your activities and instructional techniques. Or, when youth are absent for one or multiple days, make sure to let them know they were missed and that you were concerned about them. Follow up if they indicate that a larger issue is going on (e.g., family illness or stress). Keep youth engaged by providing variety, fostering feelings of progress, and offering challenges.

Respect and value youth. It is important to create an environment where youth feel not only safe but also respected and valued. In this environment, cultural and linguistic, as well as physical and psychological, differences are respected and integrated into activities, and youth are respected for their individuality and assets. All activities should consider the context of where youth live and attend school, along with their emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs. To promote activities that reflect culture and youth context, create activity and program names with which youth can identify. Even better, have youth name the program. Respect the languages and cultures of the families served. Ask community members, families, and youth what types of activities they want to see in the program. Be sure to include several of them in your program line-up. Find ways for youth to put a physical stamp on your program space—hang their artwork, post photographs of them engaged in activities, or paint a mural on a wall. Although many ways can be used to capture youth voice, creating a portfolio is a great way for young people to express themselves through another medium. See the management section for information and tools on creating portfolios.

A warm and welcoming program has procedures and plans in place to help youth resolve conflicts. It is important to create conflict resolution strategies with youth input so that everyone is comfortable with how to proceed when conflicts arise. It also is important for programs to foster a zero-tolerance policy toward bullying and aggression so that young people feel safe. When all youth know the policies and rules governing behavior in a program and have helped craft a set of guidelines for how to treat one another and how to handle problems when they occur, the climate of the program is more positive. Use Tool 65: Decision Wheel to help youth in the program practice the skills necessary to make informed decisions.

According to stopbullying.gov (n.d.), bullying is “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. There are many roles that kids can play. Kids can bully others, they can be bullied, or they may witness bullying. When kids are involved in bullying, they often play more than one role. It is important to understand the multiple roles kids play in order to effectively prevent and respond to bullying.”

You can do many things in your program to foster a safe environment where bullying isn’t tolerated. Creating a safe, caring, and welcoming environment where youth feel respected and valued will encourage them to show that same respect to others. Incorporating other positive youth development features, such as activities that foster positive relationships, team building, involving and engaging youth as equals, involving youth as active agents, and having a strengths-based or asset-based approach, also will help ensure an environment where youth feel safe and are less likely to bully or be bullied.

Some resources for bullying include the following: Educators for Social Responsibility, Community Action Planning, Hazelden Foundation Olweus Bullying Prevention Program , and the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention.

Encouraging staff members to develop positive relationships with youth is one of the most important elements of an effective afterschool and expanded learning program. But relationships should extend beyond the ones that exist between the staff and youth—relationships among staff members, relationships between staff members and families, and relationships among youth in the program are also critical in creating an atmosphere that is warm and caring, where all stakeholders feel supported. Use Tool 66: Activity Ideas for Creating a Warm and Welcoming Environment to encourage relationship building throughout your program.

Building Relationships With Youth
Youth are more compelled to attend programs when they feel as if they belong. Work hard to create an environment that fosters a feeling of connectedness among youth. Also, create a sense of membership for youth by allowing them to take ownership of the program. Connections often are made when your activities are done in a collaborative style so that youth feel that they are working with the adults rather than being instructed by them. For strong relationships to develop, adults in your program must be invested in each person’s growth. Volunteers should come regularly to the program and take an interest in youth progress. Adult leaders should have a desire to see youth succeed and should respond to youth needs accordingly. These relationships also must be characterized by integrity. Youth should be able to trust their leaders to be true to their word.

When fostering relationships with youth, it is important to know the names of all the youth in your program and say hello as they enter your program or activity. Ask them questions about school and their family; show an interest in getting to know them. Take it up a notch and ask youth open-ended questions and follow up with specific questions or responses. Show them that you are listening and that you care about what they think. Remember their birthdays and other special events, encourage and support them, and share positive feedback and reinforcement.

Encourage staff members to consider how they deal with issues of equality and tolerance in their interactions with youth and, if necessary, think about how to improve. One way to do this is by reflecting on the following 10 statements: (1) I help youth accept each other based on individual worth, regardless of gender, racial or ethnic background, religion, socioeconomic status, linguistic background, or disability status. (2) I help youth clearly recognize the basic similarities among all members of the human race and the uniqueness of every individual. (3) I help youth value the multicultural and multilingual character of our society and reject stereotypes, caricatures, and derogatory references to any segment of our community. (4) I help youth recognize prejudice as a wall that blocks communication, interaction, mutual understanding, and respect. (5) I help youth understand the influences and pressures (historical, contemporary, environmental, social, political, and economic) that have been instrumental in generating group differences, progress, and antagonism. (6) I help youth analyze intergroup tension and conflict with honesty and the will to resolve them. I seek resolution based on fairness and cooperation. (7) I help youth appreciate the contributions of all groups, including races, ethnicities, religions, social classes, nationalities, and people with disabilities. (8) I help motivate youth to uphold their responsibilities as good citizens by working and striving to achieve a democratic society with justice and equality. (9) I carefully evaluate all curricula and activity guides (books, websites, films, and other materials) to ensure fair and balanced treatments of all youth groups before using them. (10) I help youth learn the art of good human relations by providing a living model in my own treatment of people.

Building Strong Relationships Among Youth
In addition to improving relationships between the staff and youth, it is important to strengthen the relationships among youth in your program. These interactions can be the main reason many youth participate in afterschool and expanded learning programs in the first place, and the relationships fostered in the program can be the reason they keep coming back. Likewise, if they do not feel comfortable with their peers, youth may be less active participants or may leave the program altogether.

Although it may seem difficult, you can foster a strong sense of community among youth in your program through a variety of methods. Start by encouraging staff members to always show openness, fairness, and inclusiveness to all young people in the program. Find opportunities to bring youth together, perhaps by developing shared norms or behavior guidelines for the program. When everyone works together to create the environment they want, it promotes connection. Create opportunities for youth to work together in small groups or through collaborative projects. Run team-building activities at the beginning and end of your program day. Perhaps most importantly, be clear that in your program, everyone is welcome and an important part of the community. Do not tolerate any teasing or exclusion.

To create a sense of belonging, encourage staff members to set up the environment to promote membership in the program or club; ask youth to name the program, club, or activities; encourage mastery or personal improvement in youth—not comparison with others; urge staff members to show how happy they are that youth are there. You should avoid activities that have one person performing as everyone else watches (instead, have youth take turns performing or presenting to the group); and avoid competitions where winners get rewarded or youth are forced to compare themselves with others or creating teams by choosing teammates where some youth may be picked last or feel left out.

Strengthening Relationships Among Staff Members
In most cases, the adults in your program need the same things the young people do: to feel that they belong, are valued, and are connected to the people around them. Establishing practices to strengthen the relationships among staff members in your program not only ensures that they get along with each other but also builds a support system that ultimately strengthens the daily operations of the program. Staff members are a vital resource; they each have their own experiences to share that others can learn from. When everyone is on the same page, the program operates more smoothly and consistently.

Strategies for strengthening relationships among staff members include activities such as a forum for sharing ideas (this can be as simple as a bulletin board or an online group with a discussion board; Google offers these services for free!) or monthly staff get-togethers. Keep it nonwork related. Even if funds are low, set aside a time when everyone can sit and talk. If you have full-time staff members, invite them to bring their lunch and sit together. Have a get-together at one person’s house. Set up a gathering at a local park.

During staff meetings, open with an activity that allows staff members to get to know each other. Just like you should do with youth at the start of their program, invite your staff members to share something about their day, their personal lives, a hobby, or a favorite vacation spot. Use Tool 67: Community-Building Activities for Staff Members for inspiration and fun ideas. Remember: Program staff members include more than group or activity leaders. Your staff likely includes a range of people—particularly if you are based in a school—who make the program work, from the program leader to the nurse, the receptionist, the security staff, the custodial staff, and the bus drivers. All adults that youth encounter have an opportunity to build relationships and model critical skills, so it is important for everyone to understand that responsibility and build their own relationships with youth in the program.

Relationships With Family, School, and Community
The relationships between the program and schools, family members, and the community are critical assets for afterschool and expanded learning programs. Ongoing outreach, continued communication, and support on the part of the program are very important elements for developing and maintaining these relationships, and these relationship-building tasks can be accomplished in many ways.

Probably the most common request for training we get and the most often cited challenge we hear is dealing with behavior management. Anytime you are working with large numbers of young people, the issue of how to create structure and keep things under control will arise. This section highlights strategies for promoting positive behaviors and responding to misbehavior when it occurs. First and foremost (and we know this can be a challenge!) it is important to reframe how you think about managing a large group of youth. Instead of thinking of behavior as something to manage and control, we encourage you to think about building a community that supports collective norm (rule and behavior) setting. All the examples we present here are intended to be collectively activated by staff members and youth and should be transparent to the program community. A program that fosters a positive climate of youth ownership and mutual respect and support often eliminates the need for behavior management strategies.

The best way to prevent problems is to create a fun and engaging program where all youth understand and contribute to program rules and behavior guidelines and where supportive relationships, inclusiveness, and community characterize the environment. It is important to develop clear rules and guidelines at the beginning of the program, with input from youth. (See the program design section for more information.) Agree to the rules, determine the consequences as a group, and follow through with them at all times. Use Tool 12: Making Rules as a Team to use those ideas. It also helps to have youth and staff members discuss the importance of responsibility at the beginning of the year (or program). Youth will benefit greatly if they learn the importance of identifying the cause(s) of their own behavior and develop proactive plans to improve their behavior. You also can try working with young people to create a recipe for success (Tool 68: Recipe for Success), which will involve them in the process of setting behavior expectations and help gain their buy-in.

Lead a discussion with your group about positive decision making. Role-play instances where youth may not be responsible for the circumstances they find themselves in but are responsible for their response (i.e., behavior) and how they act in those circumstances. Teaching responsibility is an effective way to foster positive behavior solutions. When youth are empowered to own their choices regarding their behavior and begin thinking about and practicing how to handle situations proactively, they will have the tools to take ownership of their actions. Refer to Tool 65: Decision Wheel to think of ways to help youth take ownership of the choices they make.

When sharing information with family members about behavior, start the conversation with introductions and framing. Make sure to open with general positive comments related to the young person and his or her experience in the program. For example, you may comment on what a good friend the young person has been to a shy participant or mention that you have noticed his or her artistic interest blossom. Next, state clearly the purpose of the meeting. Be clear and nonjudgmental. Describe the situation (the behavior) you want to focus on and talk about that. If appropriate, have the young person participate in the conversation and encourage him or her to openly discuss the situation and potential solutions with you and the family. Bringing up multiple issues in one conversation confuses the situation and may diminish your chances of directly solving the problem. Give exact, factual information, which will make it easier to discuss the behavior on a practical level. Ask family members how they handle behavior situations at home and ask them for general problem-solving advice.

Always stay calm and remain positive. If it appears that family members need time to digest the information or are not ready to hear you, readdress the situation later and allow families to bring trusted advocates if these people make them feel more comfortable. Remember, don’t contact families only for bad things. Also let them know when their child is doing well. You can ask older youth to help you in e-mailing or writing to their families about their accomplishments. The following are some strategies for supporting positive behavior: (1) Staff members should clearly and firmly state what needs to be done and consistently enforce rules with all youth. Staff members should treat youth with respect and explain consequences. (2) Staff members should implement policies that allow youth to communicate (written or verbal) frustration or issues (private or as a group) before an issue escalates (anger, frustration, or unreasonable conflict). (3) Staff members should work with youth to develop a set of behavior guidelines, rules, or norms that promote ownership and help young people feel responsible for their actions. (4) Staff members should periodically ask youth how they are feeling throughout an activity or their time in the program (e.g., Do you all understand? Was that clear? Who is interested? Thumbs up or thumbs down?). (5) Staff members should consistently reinforce or support positive behavior by complimenting youth behavior (e.g., praise board or incentive strategies). (6) Staff members should work with youth calmly to understand what caused an issue. Then they can work with the individual or group to discuss, reflect on, and resolve the issue so that it does not reoccur. (7) When issues develop, staff members should have youth work quietly and individually. Providing space for youth to regroup helps with short-term problem solving. (8) Staff members should lead youth through breathing exercises and other coping strategies to help the group or individuals self-regulate. (9) Staff members should quickly change the focus of attention on the inappropriate behavior by shifting gears and introducing an energizer activity (e.g.., shake it out, relay race, or ice breakers) and then continue with the regularly scheduled activity with more focus. (10) Staff should hold youth responsible for their actions but provide guided help to rectify the harm caused by their action. If the result of a young person’s action is that physical property is damaged, the individual or group helps fix it or clean it up. If a personal consequence results from an action (causing someone else harm), young people should engage in some type of communication activity to resolve the situation (e.g., mediation, restorative circle, or a service learning project). (11) Staff members should involve youth in setting norms and expectations and use various strategies to communicate expectations (rules, norms, schedule) broadly, clearly, and in multiple ways. Staff also can reduce idle time by having well-planned activities that promote active youth engagement and by always having a backup plan if activities take less time than expected.