The 2009 Georgia Afterschool Institute (GAI) brought together over 130 afterschool leaders for a powerful and dynamic afterschool professional development experience aimed at improving program quality and building the capacity of afterschool program leaders. The 2 ½ day event took place in Decatur, GA and brought together participants and afterschool and youth development experts from around the state and across the country.  The in-depth training designed and led by state and national experts provided afterschool-style, experiential learning techniques from youth development and leadership training to project-based learning. One of the national trainers from San Francisco commented that Georgia is “on the cutting edge” when it comes to professional development for out-of-school time staff.
 
98.7% of afterschool staff that took part in GAI 2009 thought their participation was useful and 98.8% of participants would recommend GAI to other afterschool providers. 93% of GAI participants believed they learned techniques that they would be able to take back and implement in their programs within the next month.  

Jennifer Campbell, an afterschool site coordinator from Fayette County remarked, "You gave me inspiration in a time I feel bogged down hearing so much of the negative stuff (i.e. tough economy, budget cuts, etc.).  Experiencing the Georgia Afterschool Institute taught me that even in these tough times I can make changes in my program right now with what I have and make real differences in kids' lives."
 
Executive Director of East Atlanta Kids Club, Jill Seider, whose program also attended the Afterschool Institute in July stated, “I have really enjoyed the sense of community created at the Georgia Afterschool Institute.  Many of us have small staffs and spend our time surrounded by kids and working hard to make our programs work.  You have created a space and an experience that allows us to take a breath, focus, and truly get to know and learn many valuable things from our colleagues (and new friends) in the afterschool field.” 

GAIC is using the Afterschool Institute as a vehicle for building high-quality in afterschool programs across the state. GAIC believes the Institute can be a primary driver in bringing about the needed change in afterschool programs in Georgia by institutionalizing a professional development effort that acknowledges multiple intelligences and the importance of afterschool style education.

The Georgia Afterschool Institute was generously funded by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the Georgia Office of Children and Families, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, the United Way of Fulton County, and Alston and Bird.