Teens have a lot on their minds, including these five topics chosen by the 2023 Keystone Conference Steering Committee.
Five Issues Teens Care About in 2023
IT’S CORN! Activity Ideas From a Viral Video
Corntastic activity ideas to use in your Arts, STEM, and Culinary programs afterschool.
Five Issues Teens Care About in 2022
Teens have a lot on their minds, including these five topics chosen by the 2022 Keystone Conference Steering Committee.
Five Issues Teens Care About in 2021
Five topics that today's teens told us they care about and why, plus how afterschool can cultivate youth voice.
Five Things to Know About Military-Connected Youth in Your Club
Five things to keep in mind about military-connected youth, and ideas to meet some of their unique needs
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!
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
