March 25, 2026

New on AB Studios: A Course That Helps Students Feel Like They Belong

There’s a difference between greeting a student by name and helping them feel like their presence in the room actually matters. Most afterschool programs are already good at the first part. The second part is harder, and it’s the one that can impact how students show up.

As John R. Miles, author of You Matter, Luma, put it during a recent conversation with our team: 

“Think about the schoolyard and a game of kickball. You get a sense of belonging by being selected for a team. But mattering is different. It’s being shown that your presence on that team actually matters to the people around you.”

Some students show it differently. One never raises their hand. Another shrugs when you ask what they want to do. Another shows up but never quite settles in.

That’s exactly why we built the Matteringverse experience.

The Story Behind The Course

We worked with John R. Miles, best-selling author and host of the Passion Struck podcast, to turn his new children’s book into a fully animated course on AB Studios. 

John wrote You Matter, Luma after his own childhood experience left him wanting to disappear, and years later watching his own children navigate similar feelings. 

Schools and afterschool programs are already bringing the Matteringverse to their students. For many, it’s solving a familiar problem: they want to build belonging and social-emotional skills into their program, but they don’t have the time, training or materials to do it from scratch. 

The Matteringverse gives them a ready-to-run experience that does it through story, instead of adding another curriculum to manage.

What’s Inside

Six animated episodes follow Luma and five of her woodland friends across a single day in the forest. Each episode centers on a specific challenge students face every day, from feeling small and losing confidence to managing big emotions and finding the courage to show up. 

The episodes ripple into one another, but each one also stands alone, with a paired lesson guide and worksheet, ready to run.

What’s Inside the Bundle: 

• Fully animated You Matter, Luma course (exclusive to AB Studios)
• You Matter, Luma book + Parent and Teacher guide
• Ripple Kindness Challenge + Character Quiz
• Activity guides + printable Every Ripple Matters poster
• Access to the AB Studios platform with AI lesson planning, scheduling, and a growing course library
• Guided onboarding and implementation support
• Recognition as a Partner School

See how the Matteringverse works in your program. Schedule a demo to walk through the course, meet the characters, and talk through how it fits your afternoon.