
The report includes system-wide highlights from afterschool and summer programming, Youth In Action!, Nashville’s Vision for Holistic Youth Development, NAZA’s 10th Anniversary, professional development and capacity-building highlights, and more.

Based at the Nashville Public Library, NAZA’s mission is to strengthen free, high-quality expanded learning opportunities that prepare Nashville public school students to succeed in middle school and beyond.

NAZA's Mission
NAZA’s mission is to increase youths’ equitable access to out-of-school time learning experiences that help youth thrive and develop to their full potential. Launched in 2010 by Mayor Karl Dean, the Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA) is a partnership between the Nashville Public Library, Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Mayor’s Office, and over 20 youth development organizations all working collaboratively to improve the learning experiences of youth.
The need for NAZA is demonstrated by the following statistics:

NAZA’s mission is to increase equitable access to afterschool and summer learning experiences that help youth thrive and develop to their full potential. We do this by:
Investing funds in afterschool and summer programs citywide for middle school youth.
Capacity-building • Strengthening the capacity of the youth-serving community through professional development, evaluation services, and technical assistance to impact the learning experiences of youth.
Convening the larger youth-serving community in Nashville to strategically mobilize and leverage resources.
Advocating for increased investment in the holistic development of youth.
Empowering youth through initiatives that cultivate their leadership and life skills, connect them to positive relationships, and inspire their love for learning.