Air dry clay is paintable, super lightweight, and dries on its own, making it a great choice for summer crafts. Get 10 project ideas in this ClubX Blog post!
Get Squishy With Air Dry Clay!
Five Issues Teens Care About in 2021
Five topics that today's teens told us they care about and why, plus how afterschool can cultivate youth voice.
Mental Health: Spotting the Warning Signs in Youth
Warning signs that a young person may need some extra support with their mental health, featuring resources for afterschool staff
Tips for Retaining Tweens
One strategy for increasing teen membership afterschool is to invest in tween members now. Learn about four areas to keep in mind as you develop a tween strategy in this new ClubX Blog post.
How MyFuture Fits Into Your Program Plans
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.
Club Story: Engaging Families in East Tennessee
Hear how one Club stays connected to member's families and get the new Family and Caregiver Engagement Guide in this ClubX Blog post.
Talking With Youth About Mental Health
Fourteen questions to help youth open up about their life and start a conversation about mental health.
Juneteenth: Ideas for Celebrating Black Liberation, Culture, Connection, and Joy!
As Juneteenth is becoming more widely known, get ideas for learning more and sparking creativity with youth.
21 Holidays and Events With Fun Activity Ideas for the Summer
Twenty-one holidays or historical events in June, July, and August to spark fun and creative activity ideas afterschool.
More Ideas for Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Month
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Month! Use this list of activities and resources for building empathy to celebrate with youth.
A Summer of Superheroes
Just in time for National Superhero Day, a peek at the newest Summer Brain Gain Modules with ideas for programming throughout the Club.
Program Quality, Virtual Spaces, CQI and YOU
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.
Supporting Trans and Nonbinary Youth Amidst Anti-Trans Legislation
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.
Supporting Youth When Police Violence Is In the News
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 Know About Military-Connected Youth in Your Club
Five things to keep in mind about military-connected youth, and ideas to meet some of their unique needs
What Afterschool Can Do to Keep Youth Safe Online
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.
From the Front Desk to the National Office: Four Leadership Lessons I Learned Along the Way
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.
Beyond Empathy: Combating Racism Against Asian Americans
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.
Being Great Without Being Perfect
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!
How Can I Be An Advocate For Youth?
Four ways you can get involved in BGCA's national efforts and be a strong advocate for youth.
17 MORE Holidays and Events With Fun Activity Ideas
Seventeen holidays or historical events in March, April, and May to spark fun and creative activity ideas
Reacting vs. Responding When Hateful Words Are Said
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.
Ideas for Women’s History Month
Activity and décor ideas you can use around the Club for Women's History Month
Prioritizing Equity Through Behavior Support in Portland
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.
How to Get Your Teens Engaged in Programming
Learn more about how to get teens excited and engaged afterschool, with tips from six Teen Centers!
“The Hill We Climb”: Youth Voice Shining Bright
Video and text of the poem performed by the National Youth Poet Laureate at the Presidential Inauguration
Ideas for Black History Month
Ideas you can use around the Club for Black History Month
Among Us STEAM Adventure
Free download of STEAM activities based on the hit online game Among Us, created by local Boys & Girls Club staff
Maintaining Resilience When Democracy is Tested
Resources to help guide youth through tough conversations about the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021
13 Holidays and Events to Spark FUN Activity Ideas
Thirteen holidays or historical events in January and February to spark fun and creative activity ideas
2020 Year In Review
A countdown of the top 5 new posts in 2020 on the ClubX Blog from Boys & Girls Clubs of America
What is Behavior, Really?
Learn more about what youth behavior is actually saying and how we can respond, featuring BGCA's newest digital resource, the Behavior Support Toolkit,
Teens, Emotional Health, and What We Can Do
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.
4 Resources to Set Your Club Up for Success in 2021
Four of BGCA's best resources to help your Club or Youth Center programming staff to be successful in 2021.
Club Stories: What We Are Thankful For in 2020
What Boys & Girls Club staff across the country are grateful for during this challenging yet rewarding year.
5 Ways to Engage Families and Caregivers Afterschool
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 →
Fun and Easy Ideas for Brain Breaks
With so many young people still having school online, some Boys & Girls Clubs and Youth Centers are transformed into Learning Support Centers during the school day. But even for those who are still doing more traditional programming or for when COVID is OVER (speak it into existence!), having some ideas quick at hand for... Continue Reading →
Activities to Inspire Gratitude
Heading into the holiday season, especially with everything that has happened in 2020, I think it is a good time to reflect on what we are grateful for. And what better way to do that than alongside the youth we serve? The Ancient Roman statesman Cicero is quoted as saying Gratitude is not only the... Continue Reading →
How to Stay Non-Partisan When Talking About Elections With Youth
Tips on how to talk about elections and politics with young people without crossing ethical or legal lines.
Helpful Tips for Learning Support Centers
BGCA’s Director of Academic Success Lesa Sexton has TONS of great tips from your colleagues on Learning Support Centers! So your Club or Youth Center is now a Learning Support Center and you feel like your job description just went from “Site Director” to "Principal"? Not exactly sure how to navigate this new environment and set of responsibilities? https://giphy.com/gifs/shocked-what-stunned-doJrCO8kCAgNy It sure... Continue Reading →
4 Ways to Support Youth Who Learn Differently
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 →
Building Resilience When Dealing With Racism
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 →
5 Ways to Bring Workforce Readiness Online
Today we are joined by Kate Buechner, member of the Workforce Development team here at BGCA, to learn more about how career programming doesn't have to stop even if we can't be physically together. In youth development, we talk a lot about meeting youth where they are. So, what do we do when where they are isn’t at... Continue Reading →
Here’s Your Sign: National Preparedness Month 2020
BGCA's Child Safety & Quality Assurance team is BACK with this special post for National Preparedness Month! Today Alan C. Mogridge, CQSA Director for the Northeast Region, tells us more about how to get ready and stay ready. Well, if 2020 isn’t a sign for why emergency preparedness, planning, and review should be a top... Continue Reading →
Learning How to Handle BIG! EMOTIONS!
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 →
Halloween 2020
Halloween is one of the best times of years to be in afterschool. When this whole pandemic began, I don’t think many of us expected we would still be dealing with it after this long. But? Here we are. And? WE REFUSE TO LET IT STEAL THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN! https://giphy.com/gifs/halloween-psychedelic-spooky-mBH9e8yz4oNIIq6X3D It is unfortunately true... Continue Reading →
It’s Election Season! Ideas for Teens, Youth, and More
The 2020 Election is inescapable, which means that it is also looming large in the lives of youth. Elections are a great opportunity to introduce young people to one of the most important and powerful rights we have as Americans, the right to vote. https://giphy.com/gifs/GoVote-vota-go-vote-l0MYP0xoNtuPTilhe It can be hard to navigate these discussions when the... Continue Reading →
Racial Trauma, Healing, and Youth Advocacy
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 →
6 Emotional Wellness Practices You Can Use With Youth
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 →
Back to School 2020
Back to WHAT?!?! BGCA's Director of Youth Development Programs Susan Ciavolino is here to HELP! What's that sound? Yep, that’s the school bell ringing. Soon! Lots of communities still don’t know if that’s a virtual bell or a real one. But it will be ringing. Very Soon. Or maybe it already happened in your community.... Continue Reading →
