For SAFE program manager Dorinda Waldrop, Afterschool is about more than what happens with students each afternoon. It is about strengthening families, supporting working parents, and creating a place where kids can learn, move, create, and try again.

Kenyatta Congress has experienced CAMP from nearly every angle: Birmingham Summer Institute, Alabama Virtual Institute, ACT Prep, and now program management. Across every program, she found the same thing: students are supported, valued, and encouraged to see what is possible.

At Alabama Virtual Institute, checking in with a student's heart comes before any lesson. Director TraVonna Heard explains how AVI blends STEM and social-emotional learning, building the kind of trust that lets students open up, take on hard material like DNA structure, and use the Engineering Design Process to feel safe making mistakes along the way. See how this Afterschool program is teaching the whole child and proving a screen is no barrier to real connection.

In a world where AI can deliver answers in seconds, students still need time to wrestle with ideas, make mistakes, and experience the moment when learning finally clicks. This blog looks at how educators can embrace AI while still protecting the productive struggle that makes learning meaningful.