For over 20 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has proudly partnered with Native communities and tribal leaders to serve American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian youth. Today, BGCA is the largest nonprofit provider of services to Native youth, with some 180 Clubs around the country reaching over 80,000 Native youth a year.
Native youth face unique challenges. While the overall U.S. high school graduation rate is a less than sterling 81 percent, for American Indian youth it’s just 68 percent. And in a 2009 report by the Centers for Disease control, American Indian and Alaska Native populations were found to have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the United States. For these reasons and more, BGCA is committed to expanding services to Native youth and communities.
Recently, BGCA provided staff who serve Native youth with training in two vital areas: STEM programming and healthy nutrition. Six staff members from Native youth-serving Clubs visited BGCA headquarters in Atlanta for training on three key STEM programs for youth:
DIY STEM 2.0 – Engages youth in the “science of every day,” including energy, engineering design, food chemistry and robotics.
My.Futures Essentials – Provides Club members with foundational technology skills.
Stride Academy – Cross-platform adaptive learning solution for pre-k to high school youth accelerates learning with engaging curriculum.
All three programs use hands-on experiences to spur young people’s interest and build their confidence. Our goal is for kids to build their digital skill-set and engage with STEM areas, which will enable them to progressively gain a better understanding and greater independence in the learning process.
The six Club staff members, in turn, will use their newfound knowledge to train staff at Bureau of Indian Education residential schools to leverage mobile devices to guide students through hands-on STEM projects, and culturally relevant curriculums. Club staff will visit each school at least once a week to provide support.
Also, staff from BGCA recently traveled to Indian Country, where they provided 16 Boys & Girls Clubs with training on nutrition education so that they can equip Native youth with skills and information to work around resource constraints and eat healthily. The kids will learn basic cooking techniques, how to shop smart for groceries, and how to utilize community resources like traditional foods to make healthy meals for themselves and their families. As a result of this training, more Native youth can participate in Healthy Habits, BGCA’s outcome-driven nutrition education program.
These are just the most recent examples of enhancements to our services for Native youth. Next week, some 200 tribal leaders and Club professionals who serve Native youth will gather at the Pueblo of Pojoaque in New Mexico for our 2015 Native Summit. It will be my pleasure to join these inspiring leaders who are dedicated to providing Native youth with the opportunities they need to have great futures.
Native youth face unique challenges. While the overall U.S. high school graduation rate is a less than sterling 81 percent, for American Indian youth it’s just 68 percent. And in a 2009 report by the Centers for Disease control, American Indian and Alaska Native populations were found to have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the United States. For these reasons and more, BGCA is committed to expanding services to Native youth and communities.
Recently, BGCA provided staff who serve Native youth with training in two vital areas: STEM programming and healthy nutrition. Six staff members from Native youth-serving Clubs visited BGCA headquarters in Atlanta for training on three key STEM programs for youth:
All three programs use hands-on experiences to spur young people’s interest and build their confidence. Our goal is for kids to build their digital skill-set and engage with STEM areas, which will enable them to progressively gain a better understanding and greater independence in the learning process.
The six Club staff members, in turn, will use their newfound knowledge to train staff at Bureau of Indian Education residential schools to leverage mobile devices to guide students through hands-on STEM projects, and culturally relevant curriculums. Club staff will visit each school at least once a week to provide support.
Also, staff from BGCA recently traveled to Indian Country, where they provided 16 Boys & Girls Clubs with training on nutrition education so that they can equip Native youth with skills and information to work around resource constraints and eat healthily. The kids will learn basic cooking techniques, how to shop smart for groceries, and how to utilize community resources like traditional foods to make healthy meals for themselves and their families. As a result of this training, more Native youth can participate in Healthy Habits, BGCA’s outcome-driven nutrition education program.
These are just the most recent examples of enhancements to our services for Native youth. Next week, some 200 tribal leaders and Club professionals who serve Native youth will gather at the Pueblo of Pojoaque in New Mexico for our 2015 Native Summit. It will be my pleasure to join these inspiring leaders who are dedicated to providing Native youth with the opportunities they need to have great futures.