A relational climate exists in the after-school programs which informs youths’ experiences of authority. Respect emerges as an important construct which influences youths’ perceptions of relations to adult authority. Youth differentiate respecting rules from respecting people and highlight the importance of bidirectional respect. The findings from the study suggest that as educators and youth practitioners attempt to balance adolescents’ needs for autonomy with adults’ needs for authority, they should be cognizant of how respect can work to enhance authority. Authority is an important component of adult-youth relations. Understanding how authority operates in adult-youth relationships outside of families may enable researchers and practitioners to identify effective strategies for balancing youth autonomy, adult authority, and relational connections between adults and youth in settings that serve adolescents. This article examines youths’ experiences of authority in after-school programs, compares those with their report of authority relations at school, and explores how adult-youth relationships in these settings influence those experiences. Findings are consolidated from two studies examining development in after-school programs. References