Almost half of all young people currently do not participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity most days of the week (USDHHS, 1996). For a large percentage of children between the ages 5 to 14, day care centers are a primary source of care (Casper et al., 1994). In many out-of-school programs, recreation is the key that attracts children to become involved (Baker & Witt, 1996). Competitive youth sports or recreational youth activities are the most likely source of physical activity during childhood (Malina, 1996; Katzmarzyk & Malina, 1998). Few studies have examined the benefits of out-of-school physical activity programs (Katzmarzyk & Malina, 1998) and no studies have examined the differences between structured and unstructured out-of-school programs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if there were differences between physical activity levels of youth in structured versus unstructured out-of-school summer activity programs. Youth 9-to-12-years-old in either an unstructured activity program (N=29) or a structured (N=17) activity program participated in the study. Data were collected across six consecutive weekdays. Physical activity (e.g., number of steps taken) was assessed using a Yamax pedometer. A 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA (Gender x Structure) indicated that significantly more steps were taken by youth in the structured program as compared to youth in the unstructured program, F(1)=156.20, p <.001. Boys in the structured program accrued more steps than girls in either the structured or unstructured programs, F(1)=24.58, p < .001. It is evident from this study that structured out-of-school physical activity programs can positively contribute to the overall physical activity level of youth, and that gender does play a role in the amount of physical activity in which a child participates. Future studies should continue to examine the impact of gender and structure on physical activity to better facilitate physical activity levels of youth.