Learn myths about motivation and ways you can encourage youth to achieve their goals.
3 Things You Can Do to Actually Motivate Youth and Teens
Three Reasons to Incorporate Culminating Experiences Into Arts Programming
Giving youth opportunities to showcase their work has HUGE benefits beyond the event itself.
The Spring Semester Guide to Helping Youth Prepare for College
Learn what high schoolers should be doing in the Winter and Spring to support their college goals.
Get Youth Writing With the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
November is NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month! Learn about free resources for young writers you can use afterschool.
Fall Checklists for College-Bound Teens
Learn what high schoolers should be doing in the Fall to support their college goals, from their Freshman to Senior year.
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.
6 Tips for Creating a Culture of Workforce Readiness
Six ways to incorporate Workforce Readiness programming and principles throughout your afterschool program.
NYOI 2021: The Club Experience During a Pandemic
Every year, we survey youth to learn about their Club Experience. Find out what we heard in 2021 and what questions it might raise for your Club in this new ClubX Blog post.
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.
Three Steps to Becoming a Youth Advocate
We are SO EXCITED for the 2020 National Virtual Keystone Conference! To get us motivated BGCA's Senior Director of Programs Val Killebrew is here to give us guidance on how to help youth take action about what they are passionate about. Youth of America are purpose driven and motivated to act on causes they believe... 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 →
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 →
10 Ways to Communicate Expectations
It's a new year, which is always a great opportunity to renew commitments to personal and professional goals, and to hit the reset button on the things that have been dragging us down. One of these areas at your Club might be behavioral expectations. When expectations are explained, reinforced, and followed, everything at the Club... 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 →
Setting SMART Goals
As youth development professionals, there is a LOT we want our young people to learn. We want them to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrate good character and citizenship, and live a healthy lifestyle. We want them to be kind and empathetic and explore their passions. We want them to... Continue Reading →
What Are High-Yield Activities?
Have you started using Program Basics? We'll be highlighting some of the best content from the suite here on the ClubX Blog. Visit BGCA.net/Programbasics to learn more about all the great resources! Boys & Girls Clubs do a LOT of things. If you made a list, it would go on and on and on and... Continue Reading →
Vaping: How to Have the Conversation With Youth
On recent surveys of Boys & Girls Club CEOs and Club Directors, when we asked what resources would be helpful, understanding and preventing the use of vaping came up over and over. BGCA's Youth Trends team has created a brand new guide to help Clubs learn about this phenomenon. What is Vaping? E-cigarettes were first... Continue Reading →
Helping Graduates Avoid the Summer Melt
It's graduation season! Read on for tips to prevent summer melt plus a FREE download from the new Diplomas to Degrees program guide! This week I got three graduation announcements in the mail from some special teens in my life! Yep, it’s graduation season and soon we’ll see a flood of cap and gown pictures... Continue Reading →
National College Signing Day: 9 Ways to Celebrate Seniors and Their Next Steps
It's SIGNING SEASON Y'ALL! Read on as we welcome first-time ClubX Blog contributor Stacy Ruff for ideas to celebrate your graduating seniors making decisions about their next steps. As graduating seniors get ready to step into the realities of “adulting”, one of the biggest decisions they start off with is “where do I go from... Continue Reading →
THAT’S SO META. A Metacognition Primer!
Metacognition is a very big and impressive sounding word. But what is it, why is it important, and how can we encourage it at the Boys & Girls Club? Metacognition is the ability to think about your thoughts with the aim of improving learning. This article from Edutopia gives a helpful metaphor- learning metacognition strategies... Continue Reading →
STEM Challenge Winners! Plus 3 Renewable Energy Activity Ideas
On February 11th, in honor of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we issued a challenge – a great, big, STEM Challenge! In line with this year’s theme of Inclusive Green Growth, we asked Clubs to create a car powered by renewable energy. There were no limitations to size, shape, color, or number... Continue Reading →
16 Books and Movies Featuring Women in STEM – With Discussion Questions!
We are celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on the ClubX Blog! Be sure to read Part 1 of this series for information on the BGCA STEM Challenge. Get those prizes! STEM can be intimidating for adults, let alone young girls. But when it’s presented in an approachable way, it’s much... Continue Reading →
Girls in STEM – New Research & Posters, PLUS Introducing the BGCA STEM Challenge!
Read on to learn more about the STEM challenge and how your Club can win amazing prizes PLUS be featured right here on the ClubX Blog! Check out Part 2 of this series for books and movies that prominently feature women in STEM roles. When you hear the word “scientist,” there’s a certain image that... Continue Reading →
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service: Tips and Ideas for a Successful Service Project
"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Inspire your Club members to transform Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s teachings into community action. Join us on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as we celebrate one man's dream to make the world a better place. This is a great time to engage in youth-led... Continue Reading →
Incentivizing Skill Building in Boston: With FREE “Karate Belt” Reward System Download!
Through my friendship with the Music & Youth Initiative, I learned about an incredible skill-building incentive system developed by Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston staff member Anders Olson. Read on to learn more about how he uses guitar picks to encourage youth and get a FREE download of his plan! We always start with... Continue Reading →
Registering Youth to Vote: A State-By-State Guide *UPDATED for 2020!
"To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." In the United States, one of the best ways that we can be citizens is by exercising our right to vote. Unfortunately, younger adults, including Millennials and post-Millennials, are the least likely of all... Continue Reading →
Club Story: Read All About It! Achieving Great Outcomes Through Newspaper Club
Today's Club Story comes from Tiffanie Panagakos at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. When I found out she ran a Newspaper Club, I HAD to learn more. Turns out she is doing all kinds of amazing things in Maine, so this won't be the last time you hear from her! First, can you... Continue Reading →
Keystone Story: MAKE Your MOVE!
Today's guest post is one of a two-part series for the 2018 National Keystone Conference. For the other post, click here! Hi, my name is Vanesa and I am part of this year’s Keystone Conference Steering Committee. It is time for the 51st Keystone Conference. This year’s conference is going to be epic and one... Continue Reading →
YOUnited Towards Emotional Wellness- Be the Change You Want to See in Our World!
Today's guest post is one of a two-part series for the 2018 National Keystone Conference. For the other post, written by a member of the Keystone Conference Steering Committee, click here! Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate... Continue Reading →
Are Your Club Bathrooms Beautiful? LOTS of Photo Ideas!
Something that comes up over and over is making sure that our Club spaces are clean, fresh, and beautifully designed. I know in my Club, we were required to change out our bulletin board displays and other decor several times a year. But I've found that public spaces, like hallways, offices, and bathrooms tend to... Continue Reading →
Webinar: Social Justice Activities From Teaching Tolerance
I've featured one of my favorite sites, Teaching Tolerance, on the ClubX Blog before. They are a project of The Southern Poverty Law Center, and they design training and resources for classroom educators. A lot of their stuff is easily and directly applicable to the Club context, including a great webinar they did last month.... Continue Reading →
Club Story: WAKANDA FOREVER! Taking Teens to See Black Panther
A couple of weeks ago, I asked around to find out what Clubs did to celebrate the release of Black Panther. The answer is A LOT! I am thrilled to share my conversation with Lauren Avey, Unit Director from the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County about how her Club integrated meaningful programming with... Continue Reading →
In My Club We. . . Use Class Dojo!
Today's guest post kicks off a new series on the ClubX Blog- "In My Club We..."! Mikayla Cope of Boys & Girls Club of the Gila Valley shares a free behavior management tool that has been a HUGE help at her Club. Read on to learn more about Class Dojo! Class Dojo is a behavior... Continue Reading →
High-Quality Activity Ideas from Models of Excellence
Today’s guest post is from Valerie Heron-Duranti, Director of Innovation & Creativity at BGCA. Models of Excellence: The Center for High Quality Student Work is a collaborative project between Expeditionary Learning Schools and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It is a curated, open source collection of incredible high-quality Pre K-12th grade student projects to inspire... Continue Reading →
Free Printable STEM Posters
Looking for some new art for your program areas? One of my favorite websites, A Mighty Girl, has free printable posters celebrating pioneering women in Science. They are absolutely beautiful, and include NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, keynote speaker at BGCA's 2017 National Conference! A Mighty Girl not only links to the posters, but gives a... Continue Reading →
Club Story: Cooking Up Success!
Boys & Girls Clubs offer unique opportunities for our members to be successful. Today I bring you a conversation I had with Heather Peterson from Boys & Girls Clubs of Lac Courte Orielles, one of the first Boys & Girls Clubs on a Native American Reservation. One of their members recently won a national Boys... Continue Reading →
Inspiration Board: Infinite Potential
A little inspiration never goes unappreciated. 🙂 To find out how I used beautifully designed quotes in the Club, check out this post. Source What are your favorite quotes? Email them to us at ClubXBlog@bgca.org!
Club Story: A Vision of Family
I am thrilled to bring you a conversation I recently had with Floretta Robinson, Club Director at THE PLAYERS Championship Unit of Boys & Girls Clubs of North Florida, located in wonderful, glorious St. Augustine. (Which, full disclosure, holds a VERY SPECIAL place in my heart as I graduated from Flagler College and then worked... Continue Reading →
12 Read-Aloud Books for Teaching Growth Mindset
Do you read books aloud in your Club? The benefits of read-alouds are well-documented, even for older youth. And beyond these reasons, they can be used as a great activity-starter for any area of your Club. In the education room or learning center, you could have youth write another story on the theme of the... Continue Reading →
Club Story: The Importance of Inclusion
Today's guest post is from BGCA's own Katie Lee, and is from her time as Director of the Samuel L. Jones Club of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Have you ever had a parent tell you they didn’t want you to meet their child until after they had the chance to talk... Continue Reading →
Visualizing Goal Tracking
I am not an artsy person. I know it's hard to believe what with this amazing blog and all (wink wink), but I am just not. One of my least favorite things both in my classroom when I was teaching and in my program area at the Club was creating bulletin boards. Luckily, there are... Continue Reading →
