The social media app TikTok has been making headlines. What is it and why does it matter?
TikTok in the News: What Youth Development Needs to Know
Indoor Games That Incorporate Movement For Cold Days
Too cold to be outside? Here are games and activities that will get youth moving indoors when you don't have access to a Gym.
Talking Voting Rights With Teens
Get tips for helping teens understand the importance of using their vote and how they can get involved in the democratic process.
IT’S CORN! Activity Ideas From a Viral Video
Corntastic activity ideas to use in your Arts, STEM, and Culinary programs afterschool.
What is Quality? A Youth Perspective
Hear teens share what high-quality programming afterschool means to them, featuring our friends at VOX ATL
Ideas for Arab American Heritage Month
Ideas you can use to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month in April
Inspire Change Town Hall: Justice For All
Learn more about events on MyFuture, including the recent town hall sponsored by the NFL
Why You Should Be Watching Abbott Elementary
The new sitcom Abbott Elementary has some lessons for everyone who works with youth, plus laughs!
Exploring Career Opportunities Through Self-Discovery
Four ideas for helping youth follow their passions and explore career opportunities for National Careers Week
Ideas to Celebrate the Lunar New Year
Ideas for crafts, games, books, and more to help you celebrate the Lunar New Year in your afterschool programming.
How a Little Free Library Can Promote Literacy
Read how one Club is putting books in their community's hands and how you can start a Little Free Library through your afterschool program.
18 More Holidays and Events With Fun Activity Ideas
Eighteen holidays or historical events in September and October to spark fun and creative activity ideas afterschool.
21 Holidays and Events With Fun Activity Ideas for the Summer
Twenty-one holidays or historical events in June, July, and August to spark fun and creative activity ideas afterschool.
A Summer of Superheroes
Just in time for National Superhero Day, a peek at the newest Summer Brain Gain Modules with ideas for programming throughout the Club.
Being Great Without Being Perfect
Anna is warm, witty, and welcoming, and things sometimes aren't perfect as she leads programming at the Waltham Boys & Girls Club. But that just adds to the fun!
How Can I Be An Advocate For Youth?
Four ways you can get involved in BGCA's national efforts and be a strong advocate for youth.
“The Hill We Climb”: Youth Voice Shining Bright
Video and text of the poem performed by the National Youth Poet Laureate at the Presidential Inauguration
Ideas for Black History Month
Ideas you can use around the Club for Black History Month
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.
Club Stories: What We Are Thankful For in 2020
What Boys & Girls Club staff across the country are grateful for during this challenging yet rewarding year.
Fun and Easy Ideas for Brain Breaks
With so many young people still having school online, some Boys & Girls Clubs and Youth Centers are transformed into Learning Support Centers during the school day. But even for those who are still doing more traditional programming or for when COVID is OVER (speak it into existence!), having some ideas quick at hand for... Continue Reading →
Activities to Inspire Gratitude
Heading into the holiday season, especially with everything that has happened in 2020, I think it is a good time to reflect on what we are grateful for. And what better way to do that than alongside the youth we serve? The Ancient Roman statesman Cicero is quoted as saying Gratitude is not only the... Continue Reading →
5 Ways to Bring Workforce Readiness Online
Today we are joined by Kate Buechner, member of the Workforce Development team here at BGCA, to learn more about how career programming doesn't have to stop even if we can't be physically together. In youth development, we talk a lot about meeting youth where they are. So, what do we do when where they are isn’t at... Continue Reading →
Why Teen Voice Matters
Tiffany Thornton, BGCA's Senior Director of Youth Development Services, brings a powerful story of lifting teen voice today. Our nation has been surrounded by images of protests, calls for change and an increased awareness of the prevalence of bias, injustice and systematic racism. The teens at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis in Oregon... Continue Reading →
Active Games for Social Distancing
If you are reading this in the future, it is now July 2020, and we have been in a global pandemic for what feels like 18 years now. It's exhausting. Hopefully from your view in the future you are like "Hang in there, it's almost over and then all this great stuff happens!" But for... Continue Reading →
Four Low-Prep Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth
One of the results of the recent protests over racial injustice is a growing awareness of Juneteenth. In case you aren't familiar with Juneteenth, it marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when the last group of enslaved Texans learned that they were free - two months after the end of the Civil War and... 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 →
Developing Out of This World Problem Solvers
BGCA's Lesa Sexton is back and with these space themed activities she is shining a light on the total eclipse that is my heart. <3 It’s my firm belief that astronauts are about as superhuman as they come. I mean, you’d have to be superhuman to get through a rigorous application process in which you’re... Continue Reading →
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor” Discussion Guide
So I recently suggested that if you have some time, you should watch the Mister Rogers documentary "Won't You Be My Neighbor." And then I said "haha lol wouldn't it be funny if I made a discussion guide for it." Well, TURNS OUT I SUDDENLY HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO FILL. So I settled... Continue Reading →
6 Things to Do While Shut Down for Coronavirus
This post is part of our special series on the Coronavirus outbreak. WELP. Two weeks ago when we posted our Preventing the Spread of Viruses blog, little did we know what situation we would find ourselves in today. Boys & Girls Clubs, schools, and other youth-serving organizations across the country are closed, and not only are... Continue Reading →
Computer Science Education Week
Computer Science Education Week is December 9-15, 2019! Read on for three great ways to integrate it into your Club's programming from BGCA's Lesa Sexton. For better or for worse, computers have become an embedded part of our daily lives. They help us with everything from waking up on time and avoiding traffic to finding... Continue Reading →
13 More DIY Summer Music Activities!
The Music & Youth Initiative, which partners with Clubs around the country to help start and maintain music programming, has released an updated FREE summer activity guide for 2019. For more information about Music & Youth Initiative and last year's activity guide, click HERE! School’s out for SUMMER! Through their partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs across... Continue Reading →
Introducing the BGCA 2019 National Youth Talent Performers!
Next week is BGCA's 113th National Conference! Club staff from across the world (shout-out to Youth Centers on military installations!) will be gathering together to celebrate our accomplishments, learn all about the newest initiatives, and network with one another. One of the absolute best parts of National Conference are the INCREDIBLE youth performers that wow... 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 →
It’s World Kindness Day! Link Roundup
November 13 is World Kindness Day! Kindness is one of the character traits that we all hope to cultivate in the youth we serve. But how do we teach kindness? Today on the ClubX Blog we've got a roundup of some of the best ideas for activity plans from around the web. This video is... Continue Reading →
Ted Talk: How Do You Define Yourself?
Ted Talks are short speeches given on various topics, and many of them are really great jumping off points for discussions with youth. We will share some of our favorites here on the Club Experience Blog. Today, I bring you one of the most popular Ted Talks, "How do you define yourself" by Lizzie Velasquez.... Continue Reading →
Plan for National STEM Day!
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 →
“In Their Own Words”: NEW BGCA Video!
At Boys & Girls Clubs, our members are our HIGHEST priority. It is reflected in our mission: To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Our members are literally the reason that we exist. That is why it is *so important* that we... Continue Reading →
Ted Talk: Do Schools Kill Creativity?
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 →
