Matthew McConaughey started an after-school programme for underserved teens; it now serves more than 3,000 students across US cities | World News

Just Keep Livin Foundation was founded by Camila and Matthew McConaughey to support high school students through after-school programmes. According to its 2022 Impact Report, the non-profit served over 3,000 students through 43 programmes across 15 cities in 2022. The programmes operate in Title 1 schools and cover nutrition, fitness, wellness and community service. The report states that students performed more than 7,200 hours of community service during 2022. It also records the foundation’s work after the Uvalde shooting in May 2022, including a programme at Uvalde High School, a relief fund and a scholarship.

How did McConaughey start the programme

The foundation was founded by Camila and Matthew McConaughey with the mission of empowering high school students by giving them the tools to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future. The report describes the organisation as a non-profit that implements after-school fitness programmes in inner-city high schools. It states that participating students have a safe place to work with fitness coaches and health experts.The report names four pillars: nutrition, fitness, community service and wellness. The foundation operates in Title 1 schools, which have a large concentration of at-risk and low-income students. The report also states that more than 22,000 young people have been served since its inception.

​PC: 2022 Impact Report

How does the programme promote healthy eating

The nutrition component covers recipes for preparing healthy meals on a budget, outings to restaurants and farmers’ markets, cooking demonstrations with chefs, nutritionists and food banks, and healthy snacks and water at each meeting. The report states that 94% of students make healthier eating choices. For fitness, it lists learning to use weights and exercise equipment, setting safe and realistic goals, group sports and guided workouts such as yoga and Zumba. The report says 95% of students in the programme get more exercise, and it notes that 70% of high school students do not meet the recommended daily amount of physical activity.The report describes the wellness component as a gratitude circle, guest speakers, journals and peer connection, and states that 90% of students feel increased gratitude. In the community service component, the report lists beautifying schools with City Year, cleaning beaches with Heal The Bay, packing troop care packages with Operation Gratitude and packing holiday food boxes with regional food banks. According to the report, students performed more than 7,200 hours of service, and 94% showed increased participation in community service. Its curriculum sample for November sets out a four-week plan: a goal-setting lesson, a guest speaker, a nutrition tip and a closing reflection.

How many cities does it reach

The foundation reached 43 communities in 15 cities in 2022. It lists these as Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Uvalde, Longview and Houston in Texas and California, together with New Orleans, Nashville, Dublin in Georgia, Cleveland, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. The report notes that a new programme opened in Uvalde, Texas, which it identifies as Matthew McConaughey’s hometown.The report’s “2022 by the numbers” page lists 95 instructors, of whom 56 are female, 36 are male, and 3 chose not to identify. It also records 300 volunteers, 170 field trips, 400 game tickets provided and 120 hours of mentoring. The sample programme budget in the report totals $30,000, including $15,000 for personnel, $4,500 for supplies and materials, $3,000 for field trips and events, and $3,000 for operational costs. For fiscal year 2022, the report states that the foundation raised $4,780,000, including $2,900,000 from the Mack, Jack & McConaughey fundraiser. It reports expenditure of $4,349,000, of which $3,961,000 went on programme expenses, $294,000 on administration and business, and $95,000 on fundraising.

What impact has the programme had on students

The foundation stayed true to its commitment to evaluate the long-term impact of its programmes. Since students joined the programme, it reports that 75% improved their school attendance, 82% improved or maintained their grades, and 99% improved their school behaviour. It also reports that 93% developed more confidence, 100% of students stay in school, and 100% of 12th graders graduate. The report presents these figures alongside statements from students, including Kimberly Romero of Juan Navarro High School, who describes the programme’s weekly “Mental Health Monday” reflection time.The report states that the tenth anniversary of the Mack, Jack & McConaughey fundraiser raised more than $10 million to benefit the foundation and four other organisations: Cure Duchenne, Dell Children’s, HeartGift Foundation and The Rise School of Austin. In the letter from Camila and Matthew McConaughey, the foundation says that after the Uvalde shooting, which took the lives of 19 children and two teachers, the families it met asked it to “make the loss of these lives matter”. The foundation opened a programme at Uvalde High School, set up the Uvalde Relief Fund for grief counselling and other needs, and created the Uvalde Heart Scholarship with Converse for study at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.