The Boys & Girls Club Story

5 quick tips: Here’s how adult allies can support youth advocacy

 

Today’s youth show promise as our future leaders, already serving as powerful catalysts for change on issues that are important to them.  Adult allies can support youth voice through advocacy and by offering long-term assistance as young people work to be heard and respected for their steps toward change.

At BGCA, safety is our number-one priority. Amidst national conversations on school violence, safety, and youth advocacy, we’re organizing with fellow youth-serving organizations to ensure the physical and emotional safety needs of young people are met.

We can’t do it alone. Here’s how you can help support and amplify the voices of the young people who will shape our world:

1. Amplify their voices, not yours.

Tell youth their voices matter—and mean it. As adult allies, it is essential that we create spaces for youth to use their voices. Remember that the steps we take to empower young people must be about boosting their skills and ability to convey their own authentic message, not ours.

When advocating for the perspectives of youth, one helpful approach is to remove your own agenda from the equation entirely, and instead ask thoughtful questions that help young people clarify their own messages and goals. Adult allies can also take a direct approach of inviting youth to participate at the table with other decision-makers who can assist in bringing about change.

Long-term, young people may feel discouraged if they don’t see the immediate impact of their efforts. You can encourage youth by noticing their efforts and acknowledging their impact on the community.

2. Broadcast your willingness to be a “helper.”

Youth voice dies in a vacuum. Organize with other adult allies (like parents, teachers, community members, church leaders, Club staff, etc.) to find ways to signal to students that you are available and willing to support their voice. It can be as simple as clicking “share” when a young person speaks up on social media or making your own social media posts that express interest in partnering with and advocating for youth.

You can also take a more direct approach by asking young people what you can do to help. Consider using the following question: “If you had a partner to help you organize, what would you ask them to help you with?” 

3. Acknowledge and assume competence among youth leadership.

When it comes to issues like school violence, many prevention and support tactics have been tried, but nothing thus far has brought a solution to the problem. It's time to acknowledge that the missing piece of this devastating puzzle might well be the students themselves. Following the leadership of students doesn’t mean you should never speak up or share your opinion, but try to maintain awareness of how your feedback can motivate or demotivate young people in their commitment to finding solutions to the issues that impact them.

Part of assuming competence means giving young people meaningful and respectful feedback when appropriate and providing a safety net when they make mistakes or their efforts don’t succeed. It’s also important to ensure that students understand the bigger picture when approaching complex subjects.

4. Don’t assume anything else.

It can be difficult to remember types of obstacles we faced as students and, let’s face it, most adults have never been forced to endure the level of fear that the threat of school violence presents in our current climate. When partnering with and working to empower young people, it’s important to acknowledge the following factors, both tactical and interpersonal:

• Scheduling: Youth schedules are different. 7 a.m. might be too early and 7 p.m. might not be too late. Ask youth what works for them.
• Transportation: Youth may need transportation support; offer to help coordinate transportation.
• Youth culture: Try to remain flexible and willing to adapt to the changing needs and interests of the young people you’ve partnered with.
• Group dynamics: Tailor your support tactics to suit the personalities of the youth you are partnering with; welcome humor when appropriate.

5. Be realistic about consequences.

Help youth to anticipate and understand how their advocacy may be perceived by others. Provide feedback, ask questions about how tactics and approaches fit into the bigger picture, and help students discuss and plan for how they will respond to negative and positive feedback.

It’s critical that adults inform students of potential consequences that may come from youth participation in advocacy tactics like school walkouts, marches, or other forms of peaceful protest. It’s also important that adults use our voices and influence to challenge those consequences when appropriate. Work to educate young people on their rights and equip them to navigate school and out-of-school settings.

Now is a powerful time for our nation. This upswell of youth advocacy presents an opportunity for adults to help youth voices be heard. Together, we can empower youth to be effective advocates, capable of making a meaningful difference on the issues that are important to them.

This guide has been adapted from resources from Youth ERA. To learn more, please visit youthera.org. Questions? Contact us at [email protected].

Leaders aren't born, they're made. Here's how to help foster the next generation of leaders in America.

First Lady Barbara Bush, a dedicated public servant and Boys & Girls Clubs supporter, plays pool at the East Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio in 1992 (image courtesy of San Antonio Express News)

Clubs help to build the next generation of leaders by providing a safe place where young people can explore and develop the skills they need to be the problem-solvers, innovators, and leaders who will shape our world. Just like our Youth of the Year Carlos P., teaching kids to dream big will encourage them to be leaders in their communities. Here are five ways you can help champion youth leadership:

1. Help youth develop the social and emotional skills that will equip them to be fearless, resilient leaders. As our world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, leadership skills such as communication, goal-setting and teamwork are essential for everyone – especially young people preparing to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood.
2. Create opportunities for hands-on service learning. Service learning is a powerful experience that puts youth at the center of their own learning – whether it’s discovering personal passions, identifying community needs, designing service projects, or engaging community members to create meaningful change. Studies show that young people who engage in service do better in school, maintain positive relationships with adults and avoid risky behaviors. An added bonus? Students get the satisfaction of helping to build a better world in their own backyard.
3. Provide mentorship to young people in your community. Young people flourish when they have access to engaged, caring adults who have an interest in the development and future. Research shows that not all mentoring programs are created equally. The most effective programs include best practices like mentor screening and regular training opportunities; making matches based on shared interests; providing support and supervision on a scheduled basis before and during the match; and clear expectations for communication style and frequency.
4. Build college and career readiness through workforce development training for youth. Young people need opportunities to explore, develop, and apply the hard and soft skills that will ensure their success in the workplace. Talk with young people about jobs and pathways to the workforce, with emphasis on the social benefits and ability to help others. Provide opportunities for young people to develop and apply their skills through real-life experiences like community service, internships, pre-apprenticeships, and job shadowing.
5. Support youth development organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs through giving, volunteering, and advocacy. Our character and leadership programs help youth become responsible, caring citizens by developing skills that equip them to participate in the democratic process and have their voices heard. Program participants also develop leadership skills and gain opportunities for planning, decision-making, contributing to Club and community and celebrating our national heritage. Your generosity, passion, and advocacy will help us close the opportunity gap for young people who need us most.

Questions? Please contact us at [email protected].

A Giant Feat

Clutch hitting … great pitching … vacuum cleaning fielding.  Playing on a tree-lined street while growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I would imagine myself in the World Series for hours on end.  I didn’t make it to the big leagues, but I learned valuable lessons nontheless. 

In this year's Fall Classic, the San Francisco Giants used all of the above attributes as they swept the Detroit Tigers.  There are many life lessons to be learned from the Giants triumph. By participating in organized sports, youth often grasp leadership skills, care about something much larger than themselves and develop a “never die” attitude.  Sports help to build character. 

On a personal level, sports helped me to understand that things don’t always come easy and to get along with diverse personalities.  In Cleveland, I attended Collinwood High School which was racially divided during a highly charged time in the late 1970s. My high school football team was winless during my senior year.  Losing can prompt divisiveness, finger-pointing and animosity.  Nevertheless, we fought for each other.  We created trust amongst our team.  Today when things aren’t going well, I think back with fondness to that 0-10 team. 

A few weeks ago, things looked bleak in San Francisco.  It was unimaginable the Giants would win the World Series let alone even participate in it.  San Francisco trailed Cincinnati 2-0 in the opening series.  In a pivotal Game 3 of the best of 5 series, the Giants eked out a win despite striking out 16 times that night.  They won Games 3, 4 and 5 in Cincinnati.  The Giants moved on to play St. Louis in the NCLS.  Left for dead and on the brink of elimination at 3-1, San Francisco went on a tear.  It didn’t lose another game en route to winning the World Series. 
 
Young people can learn much from the Giants, just as I did from my high school team.  Members from Boys & Girls Clubs in Detroit got a chance to learn from the pros prior to Game 3.  Just before game time, some 200 Club members participated in a WANNA PLAY?™ event in which they engaged in baseball and fitness related opportunities.  Members also got an opportunity to hear from legendary MLB great Frank Robinson – the first African American manager in Major League history.

Wayne B. Moss is BGCA's senior director of Sports, Fitness and Recreation.

The event also featured an announcement that Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with the support of Major League Baseball, broke a Guinness Book of World Record with more than 20,000 young people playing tag at multiple venues.

The journey and the win was a sweet victory for the Giants and for Boys & Girls Clubs kids. But the lasting legacy will be those lessons learned along the way.

A Year of Service. A Lifetime of Character.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America has a rich tradition of developing good character in youth through service. Clubs provide opportunities for youth to identify relevant issues and construct meaningful service activities to address them. When young people learn to give back, they develop their capacity for compassion and trust, and increase their feelings of connectedness. They are also empowered by the positive changes they make by serving others.

Clubs use service opportunities to help youth gain a basic understanding of civic responsibility and civility. By learning about citizenship and contributing through service, young people develop pride in their communities, and understand the importance of civic responsibility. By combining civics education and volunteer service, Clubs help young people become productive, caring, responsible citizens.

To inspire service throughout the year, Boys & Girls Clubs of America created the “Year of Service” campaign. This campaign elevates the importance of service, provides fun and engaging volunteer opportunities, and challenges young people to plan and implement service projects to positively change their communities. Right now, Club members are participating in BGCA partner Nickelodeon’s “The Big Help” campaign by planning a variety of projects to improve the environment. Nickelodeon’s on-air talent helps generate excitement and inspires young people to serve. As a result, youth are planting trees and gardens, coordinating recycling and energy conservation projects, and cleaning beaches and green spaces in communities across the country and on military bases overseas.

And because we know how critical positive affirmation is for young people, we recognize their service contributions. For example, Nickelodeon acknowledges the service of Club youth through online and on-air shoutouts. Another critical partner, Points of Light Foundation, provides opportunities for Clubs to formally recognize youth volunteers through the prestigious President’s Volunteer Service Award. The award program encourages long-term service, and bestows bronze, silver and gold recognition to young people who complete increasing amounts of volunteer service. Each recipient receives a congratulatory letter signed by the President of the United States.

Romero Brown serves as BGCA's Vice President, Program & Youth Development Services.

This dual approach – inspiring youth to serve and recognizing their contributions –  has been remarkably successful. In the past year, some 167,000 Club youth have provided more than 1 million hours of volunteer service. This equates to more than $11 million dollars in economic impact to local communities.

Our Year of Service campaign is helping to start great futures for young people. By engaging thousands of children and teens in service, we are inspiring a generation of civically-engaged youth and making our nation stronger.

Why I Do This...

When I was first presented with the opportunity to blog for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, I thought it would be fun; then the reality set in - What the heck do I blog about? Will anybody read it? Would anyone care? Will I find inspiration on a regular basis – and will the words come spewing out the same way John Grisham seems to crank out books? To make a long story short, this has not been the course destined for me.

After settings aside all of my blogging questions and hesitations, I realized that I would just put the thoughts down, throw caution to the wind and see what sticks. Here goes, Mr. Grisham:

So lately, I’ve been going through a mental “down time”; much like Austin Powers, I felt I’ve lost my mojo or passion for the work I do. Instead of a weekend getaway or staying home eating ice cream watching romantic comedies to cheer myself up, I decided to try and work through this maudlin period, hoping it would go away. Like the troopers we in youth service have been molded into, I sucked it up, packed my bags and headed to the airport for a week full of work, thinking positively. 

As it happens, I’m getting off a plane in Orlando to support the National Keystone Conference with my colleagues when a smiling young woman in her early 30s approaches me and says, “I thought that was you!” She gives me a hug. To my surprise, she is one of my former Club kids and had also been on the plane. We caught up, and then she shared with me what an important role I had played in her life: how I had been her mentor; how I had taught her how to type; how I had helped her become president of the Keystone Club; how I had influenced her growing up as a Club member 20 years ago.

You can’t imagine how my spirits lifted. There could not have been a more distinct way for the universe to tell me I have been -- and should continue – doing the right thing. This was the unsolicited testimonial. Whether you call it karma or destiny, it was really cool.

I know that if Brenda’s successful life was influenced so greatly by her involvement in the Boys & Girls Club, the 1000-plus youth at the Keystone Conference I was headed to were in for a life-changing experience.

Thanks, Brenda, for reminding me why I love this work!

For more information on Keystone Clubs and the 2011 National Conference, click here.

Questions

The hustle and perpetual locomotion that is the city of New York has become almost second nature now. Getting into a taxi is a staple of my life these days: push through the crowd, step convincingly yet cautiously onto the street, beckon the Yellow Cab. When I landed at La Guardia, this was the same process that I had done some many times previously that it almost became monotonous.

Leaving our nation’s capital, my life was seemingly back to some degree of normality. But when I arrived back at my dorm, things were not like they had been before I left. Upon my return, I was greeted by my friends. There they stood waiting for me in the early hours of that New York morning.

They asked the questions that have become customary as hailing a cab: they asked about the president, my feelings, how I enjoyed my trip, and the women, of course, asked about Denzel.  One aspiring civil engineering major asked me “who was the most influential person you met?”

I stopped, I smiled and I answered, “Mona Dixon, Tommy Walls, Delsy Morales and Maria Hernandez.” Again, smiling, I added. “They are the most influential people I have EVER met.” This prompted her to ask why. I told her their stories. Before the end of the conversation, I had drawn a small crowd of sorts. Seven, maybe eight, I suppose. They were all interested not merely in the adversity that we all endured, but the strides made to ensure success.

There is now an understanding amongst the students on the third floor of my dorm, in the words of the soulful Mona, “If you have to start somewhere, why not start here?” The message resonated to people who barely even knew her, or knew any of us, even myself -- and I live across the hall. Then the conversation ended. Everyone dispersed with new-found vigor and motivation but, much as my life has become now, I got a new question, a profound question: How can I get involved? This was asked by the Associate Dean of Admissions of one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the nation. And this question has made all the difference.

Behind the Scenes at the YOY Competition

The National Youth of the Year competition took place on Sept. 10-15, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, I was not named the 2010 National Youth of The Year winner -- but I am proud to announce that Romonia Dixon is our new 2010 National Youth of the Year!

In Washington, all five Youth of the Year finalists participated in numerous activities that really enhanced our mind and skills.

• On Sept. 11, we went to the Greater Washington Boys & Girls Club, where we helped the Keystone Program raise $250 dollars to send care packages to troops. The four Regional winners and I were able to get our Clubs to donate $50 -- and matched their $250. Overall, we raised $500 for the Keystone Program!  This was a great experience and so much fun to see other youth trying to make a difference in the world.
• Monday, Sept. 13, was the big day: the judging. Everyone made sure they were up and ready early so that the judging process could take place. Each finalist was interviewed by each judge and speeches were delivered immediately after interviews were finished.
• On Tuesday, Sept. 14, finalists met with their Senators and Congressmen. I met with Senator Carper, Senator Kaufman and Congressman Castle from the State of Delaware. We also had the honor of having dinner with Ashanti Douglas, the R&B singer who is our National Youth of the Year ambassador and Denzel Washington, who has been BGCA's national spokesperson for 18 years.
• Wednesday, Sept. 15, was the day of the Congressional breakfast. This breakfast announced the 2010 National Youth of the Year for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Immediately after the ceremony, each finalist had to go to a press event focusing around decreasing high school dropout rates.
• At 1:30 p.m., we went to the Oval Office and met with not only the President of the United States Barack Obama, but Vice President Joe Biden, as well. It was pretty amazing because Denzel Washington also accompanied us to meet with President Obama.

My YOY experience  is definitely an experience to remember. I was able to meet such outstanding individuals that want to make a difference. Having that opportunity is truly a blessing and I know this is only the beginning!

I made it this far because of organizations like the Boys & Girls Club. Great futures really do start here!

Sincerely,
Delsy Morales

The Opportunities Along the Way

Through the Youth of the Year program, not only have my dreams of going to college and meeting the President of the United States come true, but I’ve been blessed with many opportunities presented to me through different people I’ve met in my journey as Southeast Youth of the Year.

I had the privilege of participating in the National competion in Washington, D.C., and met four amazing youth who are like my best friends. We were there for a week and every day was filled with a new surprise and a new opportunity.

This exciting week included: media training; helping other teen keystoners raise money for the troops; going on a scavenger hunt with BGCA staff around historical monuments in D.C.; having a BBQ picnic with Tupperware staff and BGCA staff; meeting the judges and going to Capitol Grill in D.C. for dinner; meeting with our senators; meeting Mr. Denzel Washington and Ms. Ashanti; topping it off with meeting the President Barack Obama.

Through all of this and more, BGCA has opened not just opportunities for me to meet such incredible and successful people, but it has allowed me to see that dreams are never impossible to reach. It has taught me the value of always giving back and the importance of education. Because it doesn’t matter what you go through, but the way you overcome things that counts the most.

A Summary of My Youth of the Year Experience

Pictured from left to right: Denzel Washington, Ashanti, Mona Dixon, Roxanne Spillett, Dr. Robert Balfanz, Robbie Bach

From the beginning, I knew the Boys & Girls Club was the place for me. A stranger paid my $20 membership fee and little did I know, it would change the rest of my life forever! The Youth of the Year process was very long but it gave me a lot of long-lasting experiences and friendships.

I have met other fantastic teens from all over the United States and even from Japan. I have heard so many powerful stories that have truly opened my eyes to see that my life could have been worse. I learned that I am not in this world alone and that all over the world teens are striving to overcome their obstacles and make something of themselves to make this world a better place. I wish I could name all my friends but it would take up this whole message.

At the National level of the competition, I met four great teens. We got along together well and I will never forget them. In Washington, D.C. , we did a lot of sightseeing, participated in a scavenger hunt, learned a lot of history, received a lot of prizes and had some delicious food! I’m pretty sure everyone wants to know about us meeting some really big people. Yes! Well we all had the pleasure of chatting with Ashanti, hanging out with Denzel Washington and meeting with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. I can not even explain how all of this felt! It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us. I even got to do three live interviews back-to-back with Denzel Washington, who insisted on having me join him.

As National Youth of the Year, I have had many interviews and I have inspired many different people. I will be an Honorary Grand Marshall in the Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade and I get to speak to a variety of audiences all over. I love it and I am honored to be able to share my story and impact so many people. I plan on doing whatever it takes to start changing as many lives as I can. I want to teach everyone that no one can put limits on anyone except themselves. It is never too late to work toward a dream to be GREAT!
 
I want to thank all my scholarship donors including the Victoria Lund Foundation, Darden, the SPARKLE Fund, Tupperware, Reader’s Digest, and the Rick and Susan Goings Foundation for helping me pursue my college education. By helping me, you are helping so many others in a big ripple effect. I hope you continue to do positive work. Most importantly, I want to thank all the Boys & Girls Club staff and kids all around the world because you all inspire all of us in one way or another!

Thank You.

Mona Dixon
2010-2011 National Youth of the Year