Learn the statistics on youth who have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID, and get resources to help support their grieving process.
Supporting Youth Who Lost a Parent to COVID
Seven COVID-Friendly Ideas for Summer Fun
Ideas from Clubs for field trips or special events that are COVID-friendly for summer programming
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.
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.
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.
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 →
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 →
It Came, We Saw, Together We Will Conquer
Exciting news! BGCA's Child & Club Safety team is officially in partnership with the ClubX Blog! I'm legit THRILLED because I love them and the work they do. We will be featuring regular content from the team on how to promote physical and emotional safety in afterschool, as well as highlighting awareness initiatives. You can... 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 →
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 →
Get Hip With Lower Body Stretches
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 →
10 Nighttime Routines for Better Sleep
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 →
Stretches For Deleting Tech Neck
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 →
7 Things to Consider About Teens and Virtual Club
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 →
Financial Planning During Tough Times
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 →
Take Four Calm Breaths
This post is part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak and contains a free activity download from our partners at the Michael Phelps Foundation. At Boys & Girls Clubs, we have a LOT of famous friends. I mean, we have DENZEL in our speed dial. Another one of our friends is the most successful... Continue Reading →
Letting the Light In
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 →
Everyday Movement
#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 →
Just Play Outside
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 →
Parenting During a Pandemic
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 →
Social Connecting While Social Distancing
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 →
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 →
We Are Grieving
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 →
Be A Coronavirus Myth Buster!
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 →
Supporting Academic Success During Shut-Down
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Lesa Sexton, BGCA Academic Success Director. This post goes out to all those who are trying to figure out how to keep kids learning while the world is topsy-turvy and schools are out on an extended spring break that never ends (and... Continue Reading →
Managing Stress Using Mindfulness
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Kate Endries, MSW, licensed social worker and BGCA Health & Wellness Director. If you are anything like me, these last few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. That emotional tornado that you are experiencing is perfectly normal, and valid. Every day seems to bring something... Continue Reading →
Finding Your New Normal
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Laura Gover, M.P.H. and BGCA Federal Grants Director. It’s the start of a new week, and while we all wish this meant the return to our normal way of life, for most it still means getting comfortable with a new way of... Continue Reading →
Workouts That Don’t Need Equipment
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. We've been posting ways to manage anxiety here on the ClubX Blog. But another way to deal with stress during this strange time is to literally lean into it! Exercising while you’re... Continue Reading →
Managing Stress Using Deep Breathing
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Kate Endries, MSW, licensed social worker and BGCA Health & Wellness Director. The new normal that the coronavirus has created in our lives can feel very scary. Unfortunately, we do not know what the future holds yet, and that can cause a... Continue Reading →
Managing Stress Using the Crisis Text Line
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Kate Endries, MSW, licensed social worker and BGCA Health & Wellness Director. In this awful, weird, and uncertain time of Coronavirus, there is a lot of loneliness, stress, and anxiety being felt across the world. The pandemic has impacted us in ways... Continue Reading →
Managing Stress During Coronavirus
This post, part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak, was written by Kate Endries, MSW, licensed social worker and BGCA Health & Wellness Director. The Coronavirus outbreak is sending shockwaves across the world, disrupting everything from health, to education, to finances and food security. Many of us are navigating completely unfamiliar territory, which... Continue Reading →
6 Things to Do While Shut Down for Coronavirus
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 →
Preventing the Spread of Viruses
The BGCA Youth Development team is committed to responding to what is happening in the lives of youth. Today, National Director of Youth Development Programs Danielle Morris is here with the latest on keeping Club staff and youth healthy. This post is part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak. I bet you’ve never... Continue Reading →
