Make a positive impact on youth through music programming with these five key components.
Five Key Ingredients to an Impactful Music Program
5 Tips For Starting an Esports Program Afterschool
Get in the game with these tips for starting esports at your Club.
Fresh Visions for the Club Experience: Good Words for the New Year
BGC Parkersburg CEO Lynn Reins invites us to view the new year as a blank canvas for great experiences.
Keeping Art Inclusive and Responsive
Integrating arts with positive self-identity, youth voice, social justice, and wellness makes for powerful creative expression.
What We Are Thankful For in 2022
Hear what Club staff are grateful for as they look back on 2022, plus three low-prep activity ideas from TikTok for Thanksgiving week.
How We Built a Relationship-Based Tutoring Program
Learn what makes Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Tennessee's tutoring program so successful and how all Clubs can access free tutoring training.
Advice for New Youth Development Professionals
Learn from the best with these tips for new afterschool staff from Boys & Girls Club professionals
The Magic Recipe for High-Quality Arts Programs
Learn the ingredients for a high-quality afterschool arts program from Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay.
Supporting Youth Who Lost a Parent to COVID
Learn the statistics on youth who have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID, and get resources to help support their grieving process.
Adulting Day: Life Hacks for “Almost” Grownups
Learn more about Adulting Day, the Boys & Girls Club of Vernon's powerhouse annual event for 12th graders
Bringing Club Voice to Congress
Hear stories from BGCA's 2022 National Days of Advocacy plus get leadership and service resources you can use with youth
Inspire Change Town Hall: Justice For All
Learn more about events on MyFuture, including the recent town hall sponsored by the NFL
Seven COVID-Friendly Ideas for Summer Fun
Ideas from Clubs for field trips or special events that are COVID-friendly for summer programming
Developing a Staff Training Plan That Deepens Impact and Reduces Burnout
Tips for building a staff training infrastructure that is effective, efficient, and builds high-quality practice in your youth development program.
Courage, Friends: Good Words for the New Year
Words of encouragement for youth development professionals from Justin Clark, Executive Director of The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Charleston
Making Financial Literacy FUN With Money Matters
Hear Boys & Girls Clubs of Milwaukee staff Nancy K.'s top four tips for running Money Matters with teens in this new ClubX Blog post.
Club Stories: What We Are Thankful For in 2021
Because it's always good to hear the good, I recently asked Boys & Girls Club staff across the country what they are thankful for this year.
Creatively Using Tech to Solve Real-World Problems With Youth
See youth-designed apps that could solve big problems, and learn more about how technology can be used for good.
Keeping Teens Safe on the Road
More than 2,000 teens aged 16–19 lost their lives in car crashes in 2019. Learn more about keeping teens safe on the road from the BGCA UPS Road Code National Ambassadors!
Compassion Fatigue: What Is It and What Can We Do?
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.
How a Little Free Library Can Promote Literacy
Read how one Club is putting books in their community's hands and how you can start a Little Free Library through your afterschool program.
Five Ways to Enhance Your Passport to Manhood Program
Find ideas on making your programming more dynamic and relevant than ever, including two new Passport to Manhood resources.
The Four Things Rhode Island Boys & Girls Clubs Are Focused On In 2021
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.
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.
More Ideas for Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Month
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Month! Use this list of activities and resources for building empathy to celebrate with youth.
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!
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.
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!
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
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 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 →
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 →
Chilling Out in the Smoky Mountains
Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains Club Director Monika Keenan sent me photos of a new space in her Club, and without missing a beat I said "you should write another blog post." So she did! Read on for tips on how to create a safe, calm space even without a huge budget.... Continue Reading →
Why Teen Voice Matters
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 →
Active Games for Social Distancing
If you are reading this in the future, it is now July 2020, and we have been in a global pandemic for what feels like 18 years now. It's exhausting. Hopefully from your view in the future you are like "Hang in there, it's almost over and then all this great stuff happens!" But for... Continue Reading →
Teens Take the Lead on Safe Driving
At Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we offer many Targeted Programs to support our three Priority Outcome Areas of Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. Programs like Summer Brain Gain, Keystone, and Triple Play. One of my personal favorites? UPS Road Code! If you aren't familiar, UPS Rode Code is BGCA's... Continue Reading →
Club Story: Staying Connected to Teens
Beethoven Felix is a Senior Director of Teen Services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. BGCA's own Laurie Rodriguez chatted with Beethoven about how he has stayed connected with his teens during this pandemic. Beethoven’s Keystone Club (Barker Interact Keystone Club) received the highest honor a Keystone Club can receive at the... Continue Reading →
Developing Out of This World Problem Solvers
BGCA's Lesa Sexton is back and with these space themed activities she is shining a light on the total eclipse that is my heart. <3 It’s my firm belief that astronauts are about as superhuman as they come. I mean, you’d have to be superhuman to get through a rigorous application process in which you’re... Continue Reading →
Learning Through Making and Tinkering
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 →
Club Story: Project Crane
At the 2019 Keystone Conference, we met the teens from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam Youth Center in Hawai'i, and learned about their Project Crane. To say we were moved is an understatement, and today I'm absolutely honored to bring you their story, written by the teens themselves. An origami paper crane flapped its... Continue Reading →
3 Games Teens Love
BGCA sunset the Year of the Teen Director’s App to consolidate practices, tips, and all other content in the YD Toolbox app and here on the Club Experience Blog. We will be featuring some of the articles that appeared in the app here (with updates!), as well as content just for staff who work with... Continue Reading →
Club Stories: What We Are Thankful For
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 →
Club Story: Night Out & Night In
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 →
Club Story: Responding to a Community Need in Michigan
One of the greatest strengths of Boys & Girls Clubs are how embedded we are in local communities. This is why we were so excited to hear about the Summer Migrant Program at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Holland! It is a wonderful example of a Club organization 1) identifying a local community need, 2) figuring out... Continue Reading →
Spooky Scary Halloween Ideas
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 →
Club Story: Finding the Right Equation in Green Bay
It's National Arts in Education Week! Today's Club Story comes from Craig Knitt, Visual Arts Director at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Green Bay. I heard a statement early in my teaching career that has stuck with me. I heard it from more than one instructor so I knew it was true. They said:... Continue Reading →
