A Youth Development Resource From Boys & Girls Clubs of America
One of the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development is recognition. We know that when staff acknowledge young people’s innate strengths and talents, members feel validated and recognized. We can positively reinforce member’s efforts and persistence through authentic gestures and words of praise, and celebrate their progress and successes. We can recognize youth for a… Continue Reading →
If you’ve been to a Club Director’s Academy or a Youth Development Institute, then you will know (and love!) today’s writer, Issa Prescott. I’ve been hounding him for a blog post because I know he is full of SO MANY good ideas! I was delivering a training recently where we were discussing the power of… Continue Reading →
Learn more about creating safe afterschool environments where trans youth can thrive PLUS learn how Tier 2 National Trainers can be entered to win $500 for completing the new LGTBQ+ specialization.
BGCA’s NEW National Virtual Club puts the best high-yield activities from Club staff across the country on your tv or device.
Learn the six components necessary to make a YDPs first 90 days a success plus learn about the all new Youth Development Professional Onboarding Guide from BGCA.
The online design tool Canva is useful for a TON of projects in your afterschool program. Learn five of our favorites in this post!
Every year, we survey youth to learn about their Club Experience. Find out what we heard in 2021 and what questions it might raise for your Club in this new ClubX Blog post.
After two years of extraordinary circumstances, many of us are feeling tired. Learn more about compassion fatigue and tips to manage it, both in yourself and for your staff.
MyFuture is the THE destination for high-quality activities and digital engagement, but how does it fit into your Club’s programming? Learn how to structure a session with a MyFuture activity in this new post.
Just in time for National Superhero Day, a peek at the newest Summer Brain Gain Modules with ideas for programming throughout the Club.
BGCA’s Lesa Sexton is back with tips on getting families and caregivers engaged in your program, and be sure to grab the details for an upcoming webinar at the end of this post! There are a lot of pithy sayings that just ring true. Don’t judge a book by its cover. An ounce of prevention… Continue Reading →
One of the results of the recent protests over racial injustice is a growing awareness of Juneteenth. In case you aren’t familiar with Juneteenth, it marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when the last group of enslaved Texans learned that they were free – two months after the end of the Civil War and… Continue Reading →
It’s #MovementMonday! This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Michelle McQuiston, BGCA Director of Youth Development Editorial Projects. It started so innocently, with a delightful-sounding daily Lunchtime Doodle with Mo Willems … and progressed … to a !!SEVEN-DAY FREE TRIAL!! of a streaming yoga service, which I’ve used… Continue Reading →
This post is part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak. WELP. Two weeks ago when we posted our Preventing the Spread of Viruses blog, little did we know what situation we would find ourselves in today. Boys & Girls Clubs, schools, and other youth-serving organizations across the country are closed, and not only are… Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago we posted a list of free ways to recognize youth, but sometimes you have a little bit of budget and you want to do something more out of the ordinary. While physical gifts and treats should not be the only way we do recognition (they shouldn’t even really be the… Continue Reading →
I’m a huge awards season nerd. Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Oscars . . . these are my Super Bowls. I watch as many of the nominated shows and movies as I can, fill out my ballots, and tune in for the big events. January – February? MY TIME TO SHINE. I just love recognizing amazing… Continue Reading →
BGCA’s Lesa Sexton shared this great post with the Education Learning Community last month. Want more content like this, and to connect with other Club staff focused on Academic Success? Join the community! Are you sick and tired of playing Connect Four? Is your deck of Uno cards worn to shreds? Are all the tiles… Continue Reading →
I heard about an event that the staff at the Don Kromer Branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County puts on, and I absolutely had to hear more! Here’s my conversation with Branch Director LaCharles Green on how their Club does recognition in a special way. First, tell me a little bit… Continue Reading →
As youth development professionals, there is a LOT we want our young people to learn. We want them to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrate good character and citizenship, and live a healthy lifestyle. We want them to be kind and empathetic and explore their passions. We want them to… Continue Reading →
Summer is winding down (with some schools already back in session), and it is time to start thinking about switching up that decor! I always had a hard time coming up with ways to change my bulletin boards and decor in my Education Room at the Club. Its partly why I’ve been diligent about posting… Continue Reading →
When I think of the average Boys & Girls Club, my mind goes straight to the Gamesroom. Often the heart of the Clubhouse. Loud, chaotic, busy, and fun! The next thing my mind goes to? How 8 year old Sarah would have HATEDDDDDDD the Gamesroom. The reason? 8 year old me was (and 30-something year… Continue Reading →
Did you know that it’s Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month? Get ready for a culturally rich ride in our two-part blog series! First up, we will explore the history behind the celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage month, how Clubs can incorporate recognition of the month into their Club day, and we will hear from one of… Continue Reading →
It’s SIGNING SEASON Y’ALL! Read on as we welcome first-time ClubX Blog contributor Stacy Ruff for ideas to celebrate your graduating seniors making decisions about their next steps. As graduating seniors get ready to step into the realities of “adulting”, one of the biggest decisions they start off with is “where do I go from… Continue Reading →
Today’s guest post is from Clarke Hill, Director of Quality Improvement at BGCA. Her team is known around the office as the KOALAS! 🙂 You might have heard of Continuous Quality Improvement or CQI. Maybe your Club is participating in a CQI process such as the Weikart Center’s Youth Program Quality Intervention, or maybe this… Continue Reading →
One of the building blocks of the Five Key Elements is Recognition. At Clubs and Youth Centers, we use authentic gestures and encouragement to positively reinforce the good decisions, efforts, and successes of our youth. Recently, I learned about a great recognition idea from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, so I chatted… Continue Reading →
Today’s guest post is from the staff team at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley’s Little Chute Elementary Unit. They hosted a data reveal party when this year’s NYOI data was released, and it was a blast! We will hear from two perspectives in this first-of-a-kind post, first from a staff member and… Continue Reading →
Today’s guest post, and third in our series on Pulse Checks, is from Max Fenster from Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, where Club staff have been piloting exit polls for a year. Read on to discover what they’ve learned!
A couple of weeks ago, Desirae O’Neill, Associate Director at the Glen Cove Boys & Girls Club, shared some of her best tips for administering surveys. We are THRILLED that she is back to share about the best part of NYOI- the celebration! Congratulations! You made it to the finish line. Not only did you make it… Continue Reading →
NYOI has officially started! National Youth Outcomes Initiative (NYOI) season is a very exciting time for us at Boys & Girls Clubs. As we kick off this year’s survey administration, we will have a series of posts in the Let’s Talk Data Series to give some background information as well as some ideas from Clubs… Continue Reading →
I am not an artsy person. I know it’s hard to believe what with this amazing blog and all (wink wink), but I am just not. One of my least favorite things both in my classroom when I was teaching and in my program area at the Club was creating bulletin boards. Luckily, there are… Continue Reading →
