News about the impact of social media, particularly Instagram, on the mental health of young people has recently made headlines. But what does it really mean, and how does it impact our work in afterschool?
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.
The three categories of youth behavior and ways afterschool professionals should respond, featuring BGCA's Behavioral Support Toolkit.
When Rhode Island Clubs surveyed youth statewide to find out how they were doing, the results were surprising. Learn more and what they will be focusing on in 2021.
Some reports suggest there may be a rise in self-harming behaviors in youth. Learn what self-harm is, why some engage in it, and what we can do to help.
Four new stats from the 2021 KIDS COUNT Data Book that can inform our work in out-of-school time, plus tools for putting that data into action.
Five topics that today's teens told us they care about and why, plus how afterschool can cultivate youth voice.
Warning signs that a young person may need some extra support with their mental health, featuring resources for afterschool staff
Fourteen questions to help youth open up about their life and start a conversation about mental health.
CQI is the perfect tool to get your team refocused, reenergized, and working together to improve the Club Experience for EVERYONE, both in your virtual and in-person programming.
A wave of state-level legislation around the rights of transgender youth is making headlines. Here's what is happening, why it is so important, and what we can do.
The high-profile violence against Black Americans during interactions with police continue to occur. Get resources to support the youth in your care, featuring the Passport to Manhood and NEW Smart Girls Growing Up Black Discussion Guides.
Five things to keep in mind about military-connected youth, and ideas to meet some of their unique needs
Learn more about online sexual exploitation, warning signs a young person might be being abused, and five ways to protect youth online in your afterschool program.
Four lessons on leadership Greg has learned through his wide-ranging career with Boys & Girls Clubs, plus four challenges you can use to reflect on your own leadership right where you are.
The rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans over the past year has rocked communities. In this ClubX Blog post, Michael from the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco shares his story.
Anna is warm, witty, and welcoming, and things sometimes aren't perfect as she leads programming at the Waltham Boys & Girls Club. But that just adds to the fun!
Four ways you can get involved in BGCA's national efforts and be a strong advocate for youth.
Advice from one Boys & Girls Club on responding to discriminatory speech in a way that teaches youth how to change their behavior and value diversity in out-of-school time spaces.
Learn how the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Portland Metro Area integrated the Behavior Support Toolkit into their Equity and Trauma Informed Approach to youth development.
Video and text of the poem performed by the National Youth Poet Laureate at the Presidential Inauguration
Resources to help guide youth through tough conversations about the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021
Learn more about what youth behavior is actually saying and how we can respond, featuring BGCA's newest digital resource, the Behavior Support Toolkit,
The latest research on teens and how they are coping with COVID-19 plus the new BGCA resource SMART Moves: Emotional Wellness Teen Expansion Pack that can help.
Tips on how to talk about elections and politics with young people without crossing ethical or legal lines.
BGCA's Chrissy Chen and Kat Adams partnered up to write this post, filled with interesting info, fascinating examples, and practical ideas! Let's dive in! Treating different things the same can generate as much inequality as treating the same things differently.Kimbleré Crenshaw I was recently stopped in my tracks by this quote from civil rights activist Kimberlé Crenshaw.... Continue Reading →
BGCA's Stacy Ruff, Director of College & Career Programs, is back on the ClubX Blog, with a free excerpt from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg's recent book, Building Resilience in Children and Teens. Childhood innocence is a beautiful and precious thing. Pillow forts, Fortnight, play wrestling, knock-knock jokes, and snuggle time... Continue Reading →
BGCA launched the brand new SMART Moves: Emotional Wellness resource earlier this month and we are SO EXCITED for you to check it out! Here to tell us about her Club's experience as part of the pilot test group for SMART Moves is Sarah Wilkerson, Executive Director of the Loudon County unit of the Boys... Continue Reading →
The high-profile violence against Black Americans during interactions with police continue to occur. When it occurs in our local communities, youth may be directly impacted. Increasingly, the trauma has expanded across the country with social media and news coverage. Either way, part of our role as supportive youth development professionals is to help youth to... Continue Reading →
Today's post is adapted from the Program Basics for COVID-19 resource. Emotional Safety and Wellness are always important, but provide unique challenges during this time. Emotional wellness relates to youth's ability to identify, communicate, and self-regulate their emotions. If youth do not feel emotionally safe, then they simply do not feel safe at all. Prioritizing... Continue Reading →
We are SO EXCITED for the 2020 National Virtual Keystone Conference! To get us motivated BGCA's Senior Director of Programs Val Killebrew is here to give us guidance on how to help youth take action about what they are passionate about. Youth of America are purpose driven and motivated to act on causes they believe... Continue Reading →
Tiffany Thornton, BGCA's Senior Director of Youth Development Services, brings a powerful story of lifting teen voice today. Our nation has been surrounded by images of protests, calls for change and an increased awareness of the prevalence of bias, injustice and systematic racism. The teens at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis in Oregon... Continue Reading →
BGCA's Director of Academic Success Lesa Sexton is BACK with some timely tips for this brave new world we are in. This virtual facilitation stuff is no joke. I think this YouTube video pretty much sums up the challenges and awkwardness that we’re all learning to navigate these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ Virtual facilitation is a new area for many... Continue Reading →
This post was written by BGCA staff Kate Endries and Clarke Hill, with contributions from Jennifer Bateman and Heather Campbell In the United States, June is well known as Pride Month and is dedicated to celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) identifying individuals. Parades, festivals, and celebrations across the nation are devoted to... Continue Reading →
This blog post was written by Stacy Ruff, BGCA's Director of College & Career Programs and includes a free excerpt on the traumatic impact of racism on young people from the American Academy of Pediatrics upcoming publication, Reaching Teens, 2nd Edition. I certainly can’t speak for everyone but for me last week, and particularly this... Continue Reading →
It is a difficult time in America right now. Following the killings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and George Floyd in Minnesota, on top of the national stress we are all feeling from the COVID pandemic, protests and demonstrations are occurring across the nation and social media is awash in horror... Continue Reading →
I LOVE PODCASTS. My obsessive adoration is genuinely a thing I'm known for. I have a queue I'll never get through. I routinely make personalized recommendation lists for my friends. Two years ago at a National staff conference I even did an Ignite talk about them wearing a shirt I own that says 100% PODCASTS.... Continue Reading →
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Kat Adams, M.P.H. and BGCA Director of Sports & Recreation. Upper bodies aren’t the only thing that can suffer from poor office ergonomics! Sitting all day, whether in front of a computer, a TV or eating at a table can do some... Continue Reading →
This blog post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was adapted from a post by our partners at Whil. Thank you to CEO Joe Burton (a Club alum!) and Whil for this content. The COVID-19 pandemic is another reminder that good sleep is the foundation of good health. According to the American Sleep Association,... Continue Reading →
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by BGCA staff Kat Adams, Director of Sports & Recreation, and Kate Buechner, Director of Youth Development Training. For most of us, working from home has not been our primary mode of operations until now, so we’re all scrambling to set up home... Continue Reading →
This post is part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak. One of the most common questions being asked about virtual programming right now is “What do I do with teens?” And there isn’t a simple answer. Teen programming has always been opt-in for many of our members, but that is true now more than ever. As you make your program plans,... Continue Reading →
This blog post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, includes information from our partners at Charles Schwab Foundation. Thank you to Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and Charles Schwab Foundation for this content. COVID-19 has brought about many changes to daily life, including social distancing, homeschooling, learning to cook, and adjusting to life at home.... Continue Reading →
This post is part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak. So I've been kind of putting off writing this post, because I know it is an important topic, and my blog buddy Kate said it was a great idea and I absolutely should write it, but I also feel a bit vulnerable and overwhelmed... Continue Reading →
#MovementMonday this week is so good, it is #TakingOverTuesday! This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Heather Campbell, BGCA Senior Director of Youth Development Programs and member of the Sports and Recreation team. Life for everyone is different these days, routines are off, gyms and public spaces we... 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, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Omar Guessous, BGCA National Director of Evaluation and Insights. A bad dad joke a day keeps the doctor away. Okay not really, but let’s try anyway. Today, my son asked "Can I have a book mark?" and I burst into tears. 11... Continue Reading →
This post is part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak. This whole thing is W I L D, y'all. I mean really, whoever is currently losing at Jumanji out there needs to CUT. IT. OUT. But until that happens, we are all social distancing together. For introverts like me, this feels a little... Continue Reading →
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Susan Ciavolino, BGCA Academic Success Director. What do our kids need right now? First and foremost they need connection—those 5 Key Elements for Positive Youth Development are even more crucial now than they were a few weeks ago when your Clubs were... Continue Reading →
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was co-written by BGCA’s own Brian Hill and Kate Endries, both members of the National Alliance for Grieving Children. The coronavirus pandemic has stopped the world in its tracks and required all of us to question the safety and security of things we once... Continue Reading →
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Danielle Morris, M.P.H. and BGCA National Director of Youth Development Programs. I don’t know about you, but my head is spinning! The media, a next-door neighbor, your best friend from high school, and a favorite coworker all claim to have the definitive... Continue Reading →
