Five things to keep in mind about military-connected youth, and ideas to meet some of their unique needs
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.
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 →
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 →
Supporting Black LGBTQ+ Youth
The below article is revised from a resource on TheTrevorProject.org by Dr. Tia Dole, the organization's Chief Clinical Operations Officer.For 160 years, the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of America has been to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. As we celebrate... Continue Reading →
Addressing Current Events
Tips for having conversations with youth about difficult topics in the news
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 →
Grieving the Death of a Celebrity
Please note: this post contains discussion of difficult topics. For immediate assistance during a crisis, call 911. You can also text CLUB to 741-741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line for free support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a celebrity passes away, it can create complicated feelings for young people. While this has always... Continue Reading →
Emotional Check-Ins Throughout the Club Day
Welcome back to “Emotions Matter”, with BGCA's own Kate Endries! In case you missed it, check out 5 Easy Emotional Check-Ins. TL;DR, here is what you need to know: Everyone feels a wide range of emotions every day. Emotions influence the way we interact with our environment and other people. Emotional check-ins are a way... Continue Reading →
Supporting Youth With Deployed Family Members
It's Military Family Appreciation Month! We are thrilled to welcome BGCA's Kat Adams, current Director of Sports & Recreation and (former) Navy brat back to the blog! For Military Family Appreciation Month, let's look at one of the most difficult parts about being a military brat - deployment. Deployment is when a member of the... Continue Reading →