Deja Martyr’s journey from a quiet child navigating family upheaval to managing citywide youth programmes highlights the vital role of well-funded, inclusive after-school initiatives in fostering resilience and social skills among young people, especially amid pandemic challenges.
Deja Martyr says her path into youth development began with a family crisis and an after-school programme that gave her more than supervision. Growing up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, and navigating her parents’ divorce as a fourth-grader, she and her brother were enrolled by their mother in ACES Afterschool, run by New York Junior Tennis & Learning at P.S. 219. What started as a practical childcare arrangement became, in her telling, a formative experience that helped shape her confidence, social skills and sense of what her future could be.
Martyr describes herself as a quiet child who preferred a sketchbook to the spotlight, and says the programme helped her branch out through tennis, chess and fitness activities, while also offering steady routines during a difficult family transition. NYJTL says ACES operates from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 33 sites across New York City and combines tennis instruction with academic support, healthy living and character education. The nonprofit says evaluations from 2014 and 2015 showed that nearly 60% of participants improved in both English and maths, an early sign that the programme’s value extended beyond recreation.
Her account also underscores a broader case for after-school programmes at a time when many families are grappling with pandemic fallout, screen-heavy childhoods and rising concern about young people’s mental health. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says out-of-school-time programmes can support academic achievement and social development, particularly when they are designed to strengthen personal and social skills. NYJTL says it has adapted ACES in recent years with social-emotional learning curricula, part-time social workers at participating schools and Mental Health First Aid training for staff. According to the organisation, more than eight in 10 participants showed strong pro-social skills, while stress management and emotional awareness improved on pre- and post-programme surveys.
Martyr also points to a programme culture that made room for children whose needs and backgrounds differed widely. She recalls a Venezuelan student who initially struggled to settle in before finding a sense of belonging through tennis and eventually earning recognition for self-esteem. NYJTL’s broader model, highlighted in reporting by CBS News and local outlets, has often used unconventional spaces such as hallways, cafeterias and auditoriums to make tennis accessible across the city, while the Bronx Times reported that the programme expanded its mental health component in 2022. The organisation now says it serves thousands of children citywide at no cost to families.
For Martyr, the lesson is personal as well as policy-driven. She says her early experience with ACES led her into other youth programmes, then back to NYJTL, where she advanced through multiple roles and now manages after-school programming across New York City. That journey mirrors the argument she makes in her essay: when after-school programmes are well funded and staffed, they can do far more than fill the hours after class. They can help children build resilience, practise responsibility and imagine futures that feel larger than the circumstances they were born into.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
