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 →

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 →

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