A Youth Development Resource From Boys & Girls Clubs of America
This week we are celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day on the ClubX Blog! Today's post is written by BGCA Youth Trends Intern Sam Williams. Click here for Part 2! The Super Bowl may have just passed, but there’s another important sports event on the horizon… On February 6, 2019, join BGCA in... Continue Reading →
"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 →
Welcome to 2019! Here on the ClubX Blog we LOVE holidays and awareness weeks and months. They are an easy way to ignite ideas for activities and special events, and help to keep things fresh. Special holidays are also good opportunities to highlight wonderful differences and bring diversity into programming. January is Braille Literacy Month,... Continue Reading →
The ClubX Blog is celebrating Native Heritage Month all November long! For today’s post, I chatted with Adam Ortiz, Pascua Yaqui Clubhouse Director at Boys & Girls Club of Tuscon, about the importance of cultural programming and an exciting partnership that brought the latest technology to their members. The first question is always the same-... Continue Reading →
I recently came across this article about the fact that in just about every developed country, girls are reading more than boys. Some key points: Boys dedicate less than than girls to processing words, are more prone to skipping passages or entire sections, and frequently choose books beneath their reading levels. Girls are more likely to... Continue Reading →
Today I'm excited to be sharing one of my FAVORITE online resources that I used both as a middle school history teacher and in the Education room with my tweens and teens at the Club- iCivics. Since there is a ton of media coverage right now on civic engagement with the election right around the... Continue Reading →
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 →
At Boys & Girls Clubs, one of our greatest strengths is being able to expose our members to all kinds of opportunities through creative programming. I had the opportunity to visit the Music Clubhouse at the A. Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club, part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. (My first... Continue Reading →
Today's guest post is from Susan Ciavolino, Director of Youth Development Programs here at BGCA. Read on for 4!!! Club approved chemistry activity plans! The holidays are coming! Which is your favorite? Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah? Well, there’s another good one coming soon. National Chemistry Week is October 21-27!! Granted, it’s probably not the holiday... Continue Reading →
"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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Today's post comes from BGCA's Youth Program Design & Trends Team. June is for warm weather, summer Club activities and LGBTQ Pride Month! In celebrating Pride Month, we are thrilled to partner with GLSEN in supporting the 16% of Club teens who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, or Questioning (LGBTQ). GLSEN is the leading... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, we heard from the Laughlin Unit of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River. Today we hear from their another Unit in their organization- the Bullhead Unit! This Club, led by Unit Director Heather Baxter, has created strong community partnerships to expand their reach and offer creative programming opportunities. Read... Continue Reading →
We've brought back one of our OG programs- The Ultimate Journey! Read on to learn more and get a FREE sample download! One of BGCA's most valuable services to the Movement is the creation of programs and toolkits for Clubs to use throughout the year. We've got programs for academic success, athletics, health, arts, and... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
This post is adapted from The School Walkout: An Adult Ally Guide by Youth Era. In the wake of recent tragedies such as the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, youth have quickly become leaders in the discussion around gun control legislation. On March 24, youth and families will take the streets of Washington DC... Continue Reading →
UPDATE to this post! Check out this Club Story to find out how one Club used Black Panther in their programming. I know I am in the MAJORITY here when I say that I am SO PUMPED FOR BLACK PANTHER!!!!!!!! It is going to be incredible. INCREDIBLE! I've already got my ticket. So I had... Continue Reading →
Today's Club Member Story comes from a young man who truly understands the power of the Club Experience, because he lived it. Read on to see how the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County inspired Christopher to fulfill his potential. When I was a kid, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome,... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
Today's guest post is from Valerie Heron-Duranti, Director of Innovation & Creativity at BGCA. In 2012, The Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropy group whose mission is to improve learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children and the vitality of the arts for everyone, commissioned a study to understand how to support urban youth’s participation in the... Continue Reading →
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!
DID YOU KNOW that November 8 is National STEM Day? This is a great opportunity to do activities or host a special event that highlights Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math at your Club! We know that STEM careers are growing at double the rate of non-STEM careers, and that they pay nearly 30 percent more.... Continue Reading →
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 →
This guest post is by Jennifer Davide from the Cheney Family Branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound. When you add a whole bunch of kids, sunshine, and passionate staff, what do you get?? A pretty darn good summer. Now add a Color Run with a water slide and you’ve got memories to... Continue Reading →
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 →
TED Talks are short, powerful speeches, delivered without the use of notes, with the goal of spreading ideas. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, but now the talks cover a wide variety of topics. They are generally 20 minutes or less, and are GREAT tools to use whether with youth or with staff or... Continue Reading →
