When asked what ASAP’s Philadelphia Scholastic Chess League means to them, our chess students didn’t hesitate:
• “It would kill my drive for this club if I didn’t have the league.”
• “I wouldn’t be playing chess.”
• “My ambition would have died.”
A highlight of the ASAP Chess program, the league has eight tournaments annually for youth in grades K-12. By supporting the league, your gift helps hundreds of Philly public and charter students to:
💖 Build community with likeminded peers from across the city (“Through ASAP, I’ve also formed a lot of connections and met a lot of people I get along with. It’s also helped me a lot as these people have also supported me.”)
⚡ Explore their passions and discover what they’re capable of (“Everyone here wants to get better. Everyone here cares deeply about the game, spends a lot of time outside of club hours just playing on their own, researching, watching YouTube videos, reading whole books.”)
🌱 Cultivate a growth mindset (“The huge change from freshman year to now, it’s like a complete 180. We’re confident that we can play top ten individually, for at least three of our players, in the league. And that was a big change compared to freshman year where I’m not confident that we would have gotten top 15.”) 77% of ASAP students scored high in self-agency in our 2024-2025 year-end survey!
💪 Develop as leaders (“The exposure to the league and a whole different kind of league, that was the year where I was put more as the captain role and was able to more take charge with a little more ambition to this team.”)
Your Support Makes a Difference
When you support ASAP, you’re supporting the positive development, friendships, and JOY of hundreds of our Scholastic league players—and thousands more ASAP students throughout Philadelphia! Help us raise $80,000 this spring to ensure more of our kids have access to fun, high-quality after school & summer programs that spark a passion, boost career readiness, and provide a safe community.
Your donation supports our scholastic league and tournaments, training for club leaders, program curricula, and supplies—and with your support, we can reach even more kids who need a space to learn and play when that school bell rings.