It's a new year, which is always a great opportunity to renew commitments to personal and professional goals, and to hit the reset button on the things that have been dragging us down. One of these areas at your Club might be behavioral expectations. When expectations are explained, reinforced, and followed, everything at the Club... Continue Reading →
2019 brought us so many gifts. From Lizzo to the chicken sandwich war, "Sorry to this man" to Baby Yoda. Even if you weren't a VSCO girl, 2019 was a great year, and that also rings true for the ClubX Blog. We had a blast, and since we LOVE data at BGCA, we've got the... Continue Reading →
On the ClubX Blog, we love inclusion, diversity, reading, and celebrations. All of these come together in Multicultural Children's Book Day! To help you bring it to your youth, I'm serving bulleted list realness. First observed in 2012, the mission of Multicultural Children's Book Day is to raise awareness for Children's Literature that celebrate diversity,... Continue Reading →
So I knew I wanted to do a Link Roundup for today, because I have VERY CLEAR MEMORIES of trying to program plan in December when we were open all day and I was tired and my youth were tired and we were all. just. tired. And cold. And tired. And then I realized HOLD... Continue Reading →
I recently asked Club staff across the country what they are thankful for this year. Here are some of their responses. I am thankful for our wonderful staff. They really value the ability they have to impact our Club members and see each day as an opportunity to change lives! - Michael from Boys &... Continue Reading →
Have you seen the latest Program Basics Playbook? It's the Gym & Field Playbook and it is WONDERFUL!!!!!!! The Gym & Field Playbook helps you prepare safe and effective programs in the gym and on the field. It provides ideas of how to program for the Sports & Recreation area, prep and run activities, recognize... Continue Reading →
I recently came across an article that asked teachers whether it is ok to use sarcasm in the classroom. Some argued that it is an essential part of their communication style, while others said it had no place. The article didn't come down on an answer one way or another, but there is an answer,... 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 →
It's September, which means IT'S TIME TO START PLANNING FOR HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Halloween is the best holiday to celebrate with young people. You can go all out and be silly and ridiculous and it is just accepted. I love it! To put together this post, I asked the foremost experts on fun- Boys & Girls Club... Continue Reading →
As youth development professionals who work afterschool, we know what the shift from the school day to the Club day can be like. Transitions are something we all do multiple times a day, and they can either smoothly help us experience the richness of the full Club program, or they can be a breakdown that... Continue Reading →
This high-yield activity was created by Club staff at Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains over 8 years ago! It is a great way to get young people moving while promoting fitness. (What's a high-yield activity?) Lateral Ball Objective: To have fun and get youth in the habit of daily fitness Ages: 6-18... 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 →
Have you started using Program Basics? We'll be highlighting some of the best content from the suite here on the ClubX Blog. Visit BGCA.net/Programbasics to learn more about all the great resources! Boys & Girls Clubs do a LOT of things. If you made a list, it would go on and on and on and... Continue Reading →
So I'll confess. I still haven't watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix or read her book or even thought too much about her because I know I'll want to organize everything in my life and it is OVERWHELMING and I DO NOT HAVE TIME. I'll get to it eventually. Maybe. But having a... 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 →
On recent surveys of Boys & Girls Club CEOs and Club Directors, when we asked what resources would be helpful, understanding and preventing the use of vaping came up over and over. BGCA's Youth Trends team has created a brand new guide to help Clubs learn about this phenomenon. What is Vaping? E-cigarettes were first... Continue Reading →
When school is out, Boys & Girls Clubs are IN, and in most of the country, summer programming is well underway. Summertime at the Club is such an awesome time for programming, because the longer days mean more flexibility and more *time* to do the kinds of fun, intensive activities we can't get to during... Continue Reading →
So, we all know I very much hate winter. But I'll be honest. It is already REAL HOT here in the South! I know, I can't have it both ways. And ultimately, I'll take the scorching heat of the sun over the icy throes of winter any day. Warm weather also means something else exciting-... Continue Reading →
Metacognition is a very big and impressive sounding word. But what is it, why is it important, and how can we encourage it at the Boys & Girls Club? Metacognition is the ability to think about your thoughts with the aim of improving learning. This article from Edutopia gives a helpful metaphor- learning metacognition strategies... Continue Reading →
Spring has sprung! (Well, for some of us. I have cousins in Minneapolis and it is still very snowy there so I send my most genuine condolences and warmest wishes to everyone still fighting Jack Frost. Love, Very Southern Sarah) After all the cold and rain we've experienced, I bet a lot of you and... Continue Reading →
Sitting here in my cubicle in Atlanta, I just had a flashback to programming at the Club on Valentine's Day. SO MUCH INSANITY AND SUGAR AND ENERGY AND AHHHHHHHH Holidays are always a fun time at the Club because youth are so excited about their amazing days at school and eager to keep having fun.... Continue Reading →
Welcome to 2019! Here on the ClubX Blog we LOVE holidays and awareness weeks and months. They are an easy way to ignite ideas for activities and special events, and help to keep things fresh. Special holidays are also good opportunities to highlight wonderful differences and bring diversity into programming. January is Braille Literacy Month,... Continue Reading →
2018! WHAT A YEAR! It has been a GREAT year for Boys & Girls Clubs across the Movement, and it has been an INCREDIBLE year for the ClubX Blog! This is our first full calendar year, and I've been so excited for all the support. So how did the year end up looking? I MADE... Continue Reading →
The end of the year is upon us, which is absolute insanity. I mean, this has been both the fastest year ever and the longest year ever, RIGHT? December at the Boys & Girls Club can be an intense month, with holiday events and gift-making for volunteers and donors and for many sites, full-day hours... Continue Reading →
We here on the Youth Development team at BGCA are SO EXCITED to be rolling out the brand new Program Basics suite! If you haven't heard, Program Basics is a collection of resources to support youth development professionals, program directors, and site directors in planning and delivering high-quality programming in their Clubs. We've partnered with... Continue Reading →
November is CHOCK-FULL of awareness campaigns, but one of them is of particular note for Boys & Girls Club staff. National Runaway Prevention Month is a good time (though it shouldn't be the only time!) to stop and learn about the issue of youth who run away from home, and how Clubs can play an... Continue Reading →
One of the most popular ClubX Blog posts is this one about a creative icebreaker challenge. Since I'm ALL ABOUT delivering what the people want, I went on the hunt for another great opening activity that would work in Boys & Girls Clubs. And GOOD NEWS! I found one! This engineering challenge called Can You Save... Continue Reading →
I recently came across this article about the fact that in just about every developed country, girls are reading more than boys. Some key points: Boys dedicate less than than girls to processing words, are more prone to skipping passages or entire sections, and frequently choose books beneath their reading levels. Girls are more likely to... Continue Reading →
November 13 is World Kindness Day! Kindness is one of the character traits that we all hope to cultivate in the youth we serve. But how do we teach kindness? Today on the ClubX Blog we've got a roundup of some of the best ideas for activity plans from around the web. This video is... Continue Reading →
We mark a lot of different occasions here at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, but in this humble blog's opinion, one stands above the rest- Native Heritage Month! Every November, BGCA's Native Services team puts together some amazing resources. It's a time of year to reflect on what indigenous heritage means and to share... Continue Reading →
Today I'm excited to be sharing one of my FAVORITE online resources that I used both as a middle school history teacher and in the Education room with my tweens and teens at the Club- iCivics. Since there is a ton of media coverage right now on civic engagement with the election right around the... Continue Reading →
We are all about the random fun celebrations here on the ClubX Blog, so when I saw National Color Day on the list, I couldn't resist. I reached out to Rebecca Brown, Director of Arts Programs here at BGCA, and we made a list of some of our favorite colorful activities that you can use... Continue Reading →
At Boys & Girls Clubs, one of our greatest strengths is being able to expose our members to all kinds of opportunities through creative programming. I had the opportunity to visit the Music Clubhouse at the A. Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club, part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. (My first... Continue Reading →
When I shared the first two posts in our recent Party Ideas series (Easy Party Food Ideas That AREN’T Pizza and Activity Ideas for Parties INSTEAD of Food) with a group of Club professionals, they DELIVERED with even more great ideas! Even better, a lot of these ideas are on the healthier side of the food spectrum.... Continue Reading →
At my Club and in my former life as a classroom teacher, I was always looking for fun themes to help spark my creative flow. Once I had a theme in mind, I worked to adapt games or activities we were already going to do, or had done before, to the theme to keep things... Continue Reading →
We recently featured a post with easy party food ideas that AREN'T pizza, and it was a hit! Today the ClubX Blog is bringing you part two, which will give lots of activity ideas for parties or celebrations INSTEAD of food. As a reminder, these ideas aren't necessarily for big blow-out events. (You can get... Continue Reading →
WE MADE IT THROUGH ANOTHER SUMMERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! We did it, and our members had a great time. Now we are all back into the rhythm of the school year, which gives us time to breathe and to put all the extra energy we have into planning Club programming! (And also maybe our families and self care... Continue Reading →
Today's Club Story comes from Ericha Clary, Unit Director at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River's newest unit, Fort Mohave. Keen readers of the ClubX Blog will recognize that organization, as they've been featured on the blog TWICE already! (Here and here!)Â Before the start of summer 2018 here at our local Club... Continue Reading →
"To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." In the United States, one of the best ways that we can be citizens is by exercising our right to vote. Unfortunately, younger adults, including Millennials and post-Millennials, are the least likely of all... Continue Reading →
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 →
Bulletin 3 in the Promising Practices for Managing Club Staff bulletin series is finally here! If you haven't taken a look at these bulletins yet, you are in for A TREAT. They highlight Club promising staff management practices that help build a high-quality Club Experience, and are based on extensive research and so. many. phone... Continue Reading →
One of the greatest strengths of Boys & Girls Club staff is our creativity with unconventional and affordable materials. I know at my Club I was always thinking about how I could do the most with the least. As we are now in the downward slope of summer, stores will begin to clear out their... Continue Reading →
This past Spring, I facilitated BGCA's Club Director's Academy in San Antonio. It was a BLAST! (If you haven't been to a CDA yet, what are you doing with your life? Learn more on BGCA.net.) We cover so much great stuff in this three-day training, but there is one particular reflection activity I knew I... Continue Reading →
YAY SUMMER!!!!!!!!! Summer at the Club is one of the busiest and BEST times of year. The extra time means we can get really creative with programming and activities. It also means a PACKED daily schedule with no down time. Here on the ClubX Blog we understand that this season is a crazy (good!) one,... Continue Reading →
One of the categories we ask youth about on the NYOI is whether or not they feel a sense of belonging at their Club. When young people feel that they belong, they know that they are welcome, and they feel that they fit in and are accepted. There are many ways to encourage a sense... Continue Reading →
Something that comes up over and over is making sure that our Club spaces are clean, fresh, and beautifully designed. I know in my Club, we were required to change out our bulletin board displays and other decor several times a year. But I've found that public spaces, like hallways, offices, and bathrooms tend to... Continue Reading →
BREAKING NEWS!! The BGCA Youth Development team now has a Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/BGCAYouthDevelopment/ We will use this page to post all new Club Experience Blog posts, plus lots more from the Youth Development team at BGCA. That will include new resources and tools on BGCA.net, links to training opportunities, and exclusive giveaways! Why Facebook? We... Continue Reading →
We've brought back one of our OG programs- The Ultimate Journey! Read on to learn more and get a FREE sample download! One of BGCA's most valuable services to the Movement is the creation of programs and toolkits for Clubs to use throughout the year. We've got programs for academic success, athletics, health, arts, and... Continue Reading →
It is that time of year when we are planning parties and celebrations and end of the school year FUN (and real talk there may be some trying to hang on until summer starts happening too)! That makes it the perfect time to try out a new game that is SURE to be a hit... Continue Reading →
I've featured one of my favorite sites, Teaching Tolerance, on the ClubX Blog before. They are a project of The Southern Poverty Law Center, and they design training and resources for classroom educators. A lot of their stuff is easily and directly applicable to the Club context, including a great webinar they did last month.... Continue Reading →
