SPRING
2015
THE VOICE OF THE BOYS & GIRL S CL UB MOV EMEN T
SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS
Building on our Movement’s legacy to provide a safe Club Experience for all youth IN THIS ISSUE Club Tweens Find Their Voices Through the Arts New White Paper Addresses Youth Safety Catching Up with 1990-91 NYOY Adam Cornell WWW.BGCA.ORG/CONNECTIONS
connections
SPRING 2015 PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA & FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA Honorary Chairpersons RONALD J. GIDWITZ Chairman Emeritus JACK STAHL Chairman of the Board JAMES L. CLARK President and CEO MARK M. O’BRIEN Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
connections vol . 35 , no. 1
KELLY GAINES Editor in Chief JOHN COLLINS Managing Editor MICHELLE M cQUISTON Associate Editor BGCA CREATIVE SERVICES Design and Layout
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE It is my great honor to serve as chairman of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Board of Governors. Over the next two years, I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with all of you to advance our mission and our Movement. I’d like to begin my first Connections column by recognizing fellow governor and outgoing chairman Ron Gidwitz for his exceptional leadership over the last two years. Of special note are his efforts to forge stronger, more engaged boards at the local level. Thank you, Ron, for the tremendous guidance you provided as chairman and for your ongoing service to Boys & Girls Clubs, which stands at 40 years and counting. A little about me. I’ve served on the Board of Governors about 10 years. In that time, I’ve chaired both our Strategic Planning and Audit Committees. Last year, I had the privilege to chair our Great Futures Campaign. Previously, I was honored to serve as chairman for the United Negro College Fund. On the for-profit side, I have more than 30 years of management, finance and consumer products experience, including holding leadership positions with Revlon Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. As chairman, I am committed to amplifying our mission and impacting more of America’s children, more often. Under the stalwart guidance of President and CEO Jim Clark, we have made tremendous strides in many areas, such as quantifying the amazing work Clubs do for kids every day and implementing evidence-based programming. A big focus for 2015 and going forward will be executive leadership development. Strong leaders equal strong Clubs. And America’s kids need strong Clubs, now more than ever. During my tenure, I look to advance talent development opportunities for Club leadership and youth development professionals at the local level, and continue fortifying our Great Futures Impact Plan as we begin to think through the next steps in its evolution.
Connections is published by Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It is distributed without charge to member Clubs of Boys & Girls Clubs of America as a service of their memberships.
My thanks to each of you for your inspiring dedication and commitment to our mission. There is no more important or urgent issue than preparing our young people to be tomorrow’s leaders. Working together, we will put more youth on the path to great futures.
Articles or article ideas should be submitted to the Editor, Connections, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 1275 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Use or return of material cannot be guaranteed and no remuneration can be made. Opinions expressed by contributing authors do not necessarily reflect policies of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Copyright ©2015 by Boys & Girls Clubs of America. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Job No. 2704-15 1SSN:0272-6513
JACK STAHL CHAIRMAN
BGCA Board of Governors
2 Safety First, Always Building on our Movement’s legacy to provide a safe Club Experience for all youth
4 East Harlem Keystone Club Combines Safety and Service Innovative event helps teens build relationships with law enforcement
5 Adam Cornell 25 Years Later 1990-91 National Youth of the Year is now a lawyer and child advocate
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6 A Brand New Approach to Marketing New brand calendar makes marketing planning easier for Clubs
8 Voices of a Generation
CONTENTS
FEATURES
Minnesota youth find their voices through innovative arts initiative
12 From Research to Practice Study sheds new light on the importance of a high-quality Club Experience
COLUMNS Page 5
10 President’s Report BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark
14 Child and Club Safety An excerpt from the new BGCA youth safety white paper
16 View from the Potomac A Government Relations primer
ON THE COVER Keeping youth safe is Boys & Girls Clubs’ top priority.
Page 16 Yo u c a n a l s o f i n d C o n n e c t i o n s o n l i n e a t
W W W. B G C A . O R G / C O N N E C T I O N S
SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS BUILDING ON OUR MOVEMENT’S LEGACY TO PROVIDE A SAFE CLUB EXPERIENCE FOR ALL YOUTH By John Collins
In 19th century Hartford, Connecticut, many parents toiled up to 12 hours a day, six days a week in Industrial Revolution-era mills and factories. One result of such backbreaking schedules was that many of their sons went unsupervised, wandering the streets in all sorts of weather, often finding trouble. Recognizing the unjust risk innumerable boys faced to their personal safety and welfare, Elizabeth Hamersley and sisters Alice and Mary Goodwin created the first Club, the Dashaway Club, in 1860.
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ore than 150 years later, keeping children and teenagers safe remains Boys & Girls Clubs’ top priority. That’s why Boys & Girls Clubs of America established our Child & Club Safety Department two years ago. It was incumbent on us to ensure local Clubs had the best tools and resources to ensure the safety of young people in their care. This enterprise has challenged every organization to deepen its commitment to child safety. And Clubs have met this challenge head on. Throughout our Movement, myriad modifications to improve policies and make facilities safer have been implemented. That includes better screening and security, more frequent training, and better awareness of overall physical and emotional safety. In addition to their hard work and ingenuity, 2 Child & Club Safety
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The Dashaway Club
Clubs have taken advantage of the several safety tools and resources available from BGCA.
CHILD SAFETY TOOLS FOR YOU The Child & Club Safety Department has produced and implemented several valuable resources to help Clubs determine opportunities to reduce risk and liability within their facilities. The tools and resources described below are available to all Clubs in the Child & Club Safety section on BGCA.net. If you have not tried using them at your Club, we strongly encourage you to review them and consider how they might apply to your organization’s safety objectives.
• Online Organizational Safety Assessment This survey helps Clubs identify organizational and site vulnerabilities in 10 distinct areas of risk. It then creates a set of customized, actionable steps for your safety improvement plan. If your organization hasn’t used this tool, we urge you to make it a priority to do so in 2015. • Online Resource Library Find hundreds of up-to-date, practical resources to advance safety within your organization. Later this year, an on-demand webinar library to train staff and volunteers about key safety concerns will be added. • e-Newsletter Subscribe to the bi-monthly Child & Club Safety e-Newsletter to receive safety tips, best practices and trending safety concerns in your inbox. • “Keep Safe: The Club Safety Desk Reference” This 200-page manual helps drive consistent safety practices across all Club sites. Download it free at BGCA.net or purchase a bound copy from BGCA’s Supply Service. • Safety Peer Consultant Program This extension of BGCA’s field consultant program supplements the work of the Child & Club Safety team.
After completing a contract that outlines responsibilities and confidentiality requirements, trained local Club professionals provide on- and off-site, solution-oriented safety consultation. A consultant facilitates the process with a Club’s board, senior leaders and key stakeholders to assess the organization, and develop and activate a customized safety improvement plan. This includes initial planning phone calls, an on-site visit and ongoing remote support. • Critical Incident Reporting System Prevention is our #1 safety goal. But when accidents and incidents do happen, Clubs want to mitigate the harm and return to normal operations as quickly as possible. BGCA’s online reporting system provides CEOs and board chairs with a fast, simple way to alert national staff through BGCA.net and receive prompt technical assistance and support as needed. Keeping young people safe was the fundamental motivation that led to the founding of the Boys & Girls Club Movement; 155 years later, it continues to be our #1 priority. As a Movement, and as individuals, we must ensure that each one of us does whatever is necessary to keep our children and teens out of harm’s way. We must be vigilant, because there is always more that can and must be done to protect our kids.
MEET YOUR CHILD & CLUB SAFETY TEAM Les Nichols, National V.P. Nearly 40 years of experience in facility design, health/ safety regulation compliance; risk, threat and vulnerability identification and remediation; and background checks. A licensed architect and Certified Protection Professional through ASIS International, Les is completing a master’s degree in security administration.
Last September in Washington, D.C., BGCA hosted the “Youth Safety Great Think,” the third in our thought leadership series addressing serious issues young people face. Over 80 experts from government, business and nonprofit organizations, including local and national Club leaders, participated. A robust exchange of thoughts and viewpoints took place around the need for a shared, leading-edge approach that can ensure young people’s physical and emotional safety in Clubs and communities. Several recommendations and findings to help outof-school time providers improve safety emerged. They are documented in the report, “Ensuring Youth Safety in Out-of-School Time Settings,” which can be downloaded from BGCA.net. (Turn to the Child & Club Safety column on p. 14 to learn more about the “Youth Safety Great Think.”)
Tricia Crossman, Director Over 20 years of youth development and protection experience, including work with juvenile sex offenders, gang and delinquency initiatives. Tricia holds a master’s degree in social work from New York University. Mitru Ciarlante, Director More than 30 years of experience in youth safety policy, prevention, outreach and intervention. Mitru is recognized by the Department of Justice as a curriculum specialist and expert in children’s exposure to violence. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a graduate certificate in nonprofit leadership from Georgetown University. Makeesha Bell, Assistant Director Over 15 years of experience managing business operations, data management and software solutions. Before joining the Child & Club Safety team, she coordinated training events for BGCA’s 13-state Midwest Region. Makeesha is studying political science with a pre-law concentration at Georgia State University.
For more information, please visit
bgca.net / ChildSafet y
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EAST HARLEM KEYSTONE CLUB COMBINES SAFETY AND SERVICE By Nathan Cain
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he safety of youth who enter a Boys & Girls Club is a foundational element of the Movement. But how can Clubs help young people keep themselves safe in other environments? In an innovative effort to combine Boys & Girls Clubs’ focus on safety with its emphasis on community service, Keystone Club members at The Children’s Aid Society East Harlem Center Boys & Girls Club in New York City hosted the #KnowYourRightsNYC forum. Held on Jan. 31, the gathering presented teens with the opportunity to learn about building better relationships with the police, while also learning about their rights when interacting with law enforcement. Representatives from the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) provided training on how to deal with police encounters to approximately 40 teens. They were joined by members of the 23rd Precinct of the New York City Police Department and participants in the Law Enforcement Exploring program, a collaborative effort of local and federal agencies that educates young people about careers in law enforcement.
The event was part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Million Members, Million Hours of Service initiative. This national effort, sponsored by the Citi Foundation, aims to engage 1 million Boys & Girls Club youth and volunteers in community service over the next five years. “It was a really positive event,” said Keystone Club Advisor Marjorie Caprosa. “There was a lot of wonderful information.” Keystone members saw the need for the training after conducting a survey that found 70 percent of youth did not know their rights when interacting with police. To launch their project, Caprosa and 12 Keystone Club members visited the offices of the NYCLU, where they received training on how to appropriately interact with the police. From there, the Keystoners organized the forum where youth could learn not only about their rights, but also how to improve relationships between police and community members. The Keystone Club members put a lot of thought, time and energy into the event, said Caprosa, going so far as to create a Know Your Rights “Jeopardy”-like game. Questions included:
1. “WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE STOPPED BY THE POLICE?”
2. “WHICH AMENDMENT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY AND A LAWYER?”
3. “IF A COP STOPS YOU, SHOULD YOU IGNORE THEM, RESIST ARREST OR RUN AWAY?” (Answers below.) Caprosa said the Keystoners hope to expand on the game by using it as part of the social entrepreneurship component of Million Members, Million Hours of Service. Eventually, they hope to put it online to be accessed by youth everywhere. The forum put on by Keystone Club members at The Children’s Aid Society East Harlem Center Club educated teens about how to appropriately interact with police as part of the Million Members, Million Hours of Service initiative.
“They had such ownership of this project,” said Caprosa. “They stood up straight and were very proud.” Nathan Cain is a writer/editor for BGCA.
Answers: 1. Stay calm and cool. 2. The Sixth Amendment. 3. None of the above.
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Adam Cornell
25 Years L ater
1990-91 National Youth of the Year on how the Club changed his life and why he advocates for youth A 13-year member of the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County and the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County in Washington, Adam Cornell overcame a chaotic childhood to become 1990-91 National Youth of the Year. At age 5, he and his three younger siblings were removed from their home and placed in foster care. Adam passed through more than 15 foster homes in nine years before being adopted when he was 14. Shortly before graduating from high school in 1991, Adam’s adoptive father died unexpectedly. With community support – including a trust fund the King County Club established – he was able to attend Georgetown University. For the past 12 years, Adam has served as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Snohomish County, where he lives with his wife, Whitney.
How did you come to join the Boys & Girls Club? I’m not sure join is the right word. I kind of snuck into the Bellingham Boys & Girls Club when I was 5. There was a park nearby where members played. I mixed right in with them.
What did the Club mean to you as a child? Growing up, my family was always in crisis. The Club was a stable place where I knew I was safe. When I was 14, I was adopted and moved to Woodinville, where I joined the Kirkland Boys & Girls Club. It was my opportunity to give back. I mentored younger Club members, and helped coach football and basketball.
Was there a Club staff person who had an impact on you? Terry Freeman, the director of the Kirkland Club, was always there for me. He was the one who told me that he thought I could be the National Youth of the Year. Terry taught me how to be a man. (Terry is now associate development director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County.)
As a Peace Corps volunteer, you taught anger management skills to incarcerated youth in Guyana. What was that like? I worked with teens and young adults. It was a 100-year-old prison, where they resided with an adult population. Some had been there for months without having even been charged. I can’t say if I helped any one of them to escape poverty, or go to college or even manage their anger better. But I can say that, for the three to four hours we met each visit, they were treated with respect by another human being.
As a law school student at Portland State University, you wrote The Foster Child Scholarship Bill, which became Oregon law in 2001. What inspired you to do that? Foster kids may be the most underserved youth group in the country. As a foster child, I knew that firsthand. I wrote the bill to help foster children who aged out of the system and wanted to go to college.
What drives you to help young people? I’ve dedicated my life to advocating for children through my career as a prosecuting attorney. It’s my duty to help keep the community safe. It would be selfish for me not to do what I can to help children.
President George H.W. Bush congratulated Adam in 1990 as Club Director Terry Freeman looked on.
For more information, please visit
bgca.net / ChildSafet y
5
A BRAND NEW APPROACH TO MARKETING NEW BRAND CALENDAR WILL ENSURE CLEAR, CONSISTENT MESSAGING MOVEMENT-WIDE For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs have enabled youth to reach their potential and achieve great futures, resulting in a brand that has a high level of recognition among the general public. But while people recognize the Boys & Girls Club brand, they often don’t know what it is that Clubs actually do to help youth achieve great futures. To enhance people’s understanding of an already beloved and respected brand, Boys & Girls Clubs of America is taking a bold new approach to marketing with the introduction of a brand calendar. The brand calendar is a marketing best practice, used by many Fortune 500 brands to align messaging with the mindset and behavior of the general public. It will allow Clubs to bring consistency to their messaging across multiple platforms, and ensure that all Clubs are focused on promoting the same messages at the same time. The brand calendar will make marketing planning easier by aligning Boys & Girls Clubs’ collective messaging with specific timeframes. The brand calendar divides the year into five “advocacy periods” — three focused on BGCA’s priority outcome areas of Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles — as well as our brand impact story and a holiday appeal to donors. BGCA’s goal is to provide Clubs with resources far enough in advance of each period to allow for implementation and amplification. These will include advertising, digital and social media, and events and public relations materials. Training to help Clubs plan for each period will be provided five months in advance, and implementation training to reinforce how to use these resources will be provided three months in advance. In addition, dedicated marketing professionals are available to assist Clubs as they employ the brand calendar. “We realize the brand calendar is a new concept,” said Mark M. O’Brien, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for BGCA, “and we are committed to supporting Clubs with implementation.” If you have any questions regarding the brand calendar, please send an email to Marketing@BGCA.org.
To download your own copy of the new brand calendar, please visit BGCA’s dedicated marketing site, Marketing.BGCA.org.
6 SPRING 2015
CONNECTIONS 7
VOICES OF A GENERATION
MINNESOTA CLUB YOUTH FIND THEIR VOICES THROUGH INNOVATIVE ARTS INITIATIVE By John Collins
Young artists cut the ribbon to officially open Gallery Elite on Feb. 26.
Photo by Dave Schwarz, courtesy of the St. Cloud Times.
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nvolvement with the arts allows youth to express themselves and realize the strength of their imaginations. It can also forge skills and self-confidence; cultivate collaboration and resolve; and encourage compassion for others. High-quality arts programming can be especially important to “tweens,” ages 10-13, who are negotiating the shift from childhood to a more self-directed teenager. Still, many obstacles exist between tweens and the arts, particularly in low-income urban communities. In March 2014, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The Wallace Foundation unveiled a new partnership to provide underserved youth with innovative, high-quality arts programming. The Youth Arts Initiative (YAI) will develop programs at Boys & Girls Clubs based on 10 principles of high-quality arts programming. These principles – as described in the report, “Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs from Urban Youth and Other Experts” – were the result of studying exemplary arts organizations that serve youth, interviews with leading experts in arts education and youth development, and over 150 interviews with tweens to learn what they want in arts programs. 8 SPRING 2015
To learn more, we checked in with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota in St. Cloud, one of three Boys & Girls Club organizations currently participating in the pilot program.
A YOUTH-DRIVEN CURRICULUM Minneapolis-based artist Shawn Hennessey is teacher and mentor to 10 young artists participating in “Generation Voice,” the Club’s YAI-funded visual art program. “The classroom dynamic is one that’s hands-on,” said Hennessey. “If the majority of the class wants to learn a particular medium, I’ll do a hands-on example, and then they try it. The kids dictate a lot of the curriculum.” Classes meet twice weekly for six weeks. Participants focus on building a foundation of two-dimensional design, drawing, color theory, vocabulary, art history, mixed media and painting. Developing these fundamental skills provides them with a wellrounded understanding of visual art and a creative avenue for expression and interpretation. They also make a commitment to attend every class.
MEMBER FEEDBACK
Here’s what some of the Club’s young artists had to say about the arts program: Iyanna, 11 – “The most important thing I’ve learned is to express yourself and trust your feelings. It’s like a job that you love. And you never get sick of doing.” Allie, 10 – “We have pretty much run [the program]. We all vote on it. We decided to do calligraffitti to make invitations for the show.” DeLainey, 11 – “The most important thing I’ve learned in this class is to be myself.” “They sign a contract that they will attend for six weeks,” said Unit Director Christine Kustelski. “We’re really elevating the expectation level, which our kids aren’t used to. It’s helping them become more committed to other things in their life, as well.” All members are encouraged to visit the art room during open studio. The two 1-hour sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays let kids learn more about the visual arts program and try out different mediums under expert supervision. Kids who are already in the class often walk younger kids through the steps of how the classroom works and show them different techniques. “This all ties right into the Formula for Impact,” said Executive Director Mark Sakry. “Our philosophy is helping kids have a sense of belonging, usefulness, influence and competence. That every kid can be competent in what they do. A lot of these kids are discovering it’s the arts they can be competent in.”
PARTNERING FOR YOUNG ARTISTS
Integrating color theory, painting techniques and applications such as spray paint, paint pens and acrylic paint with brush, the young artists created designs on decommissioned street signs. “They learn about process and technique and how to use them,” said Hennessey. “Once they get those things down, they can progress to making more high-quality pieces that guide their youth voice.” After creating their artwork, the young artists learned how to install it. “Installation is not only spacing pieces out but also adjusting the lighting, labeling pieces, making sure they look good on the walls, keeping the walls nice,” said Hennessey. “All the professional practice of not only creating the work but also showing it in a venue.”
OPENING NIGHT A frigid February evening didn’t prevent a great turnout for the opening of Gallery Elite at Freightliner. As part of the unveiling, each artist received a $25 stipend and a personal thank-you card. Some also came away with a new understanding of themselves.
At the conclusion of each six-week session, the young artists’ works are displayed in a public exhibition. Pat Miller, a Club board member for 20 years who chairs the Program “We’re really elevating the expectation Committee, proposed a novel level, which our kids aren’t used to. It’s way to share the artwork with helping them become more committed the community.
“What we’ve seen with Shawn’s program is that this can become a connection for kids to the Club,” said Kustelski. “The program is what defines them and to other things in their life, as well.” As chief financial officer at defines the Club. It is huge for Freightliner of St. Cloud, a tweens to define themselves heavy-duty truck dealership, Miller saw a unique opportunity in any way. This really is how they define what they do at the to partner with the Club. “We have a good-sized driver’s lounge Club: they’re artists.” that needed to be refreshed,” said Miller. “I saw the kids could create the art. It seemed to be a match of potential.” Kustelski says she and Hennessey are eager to see if the Freightliner partnership – which also helped fund art supplies To get the project rolling, Hennessey and the kids went on a and materials – leads to similar alliances. “Once the pilot study field trip to Freightliner. They learned what the company does ends, we need another method of sustainability. This seems like and where the installation would go. Because of its relationship a very viable option.” to trucking, the class decided that street signs would be their John Collins is senior writer/editor for BGCA. sub-strait, or canvas.
To learn more, visit WallaceFoundation.org and download the report, “Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs from Urban Youth and Other Experts.” CONNECTIONS 9
columns President’s Report
HOW LEADERSHIP DRIVES CHILD SAFETY JIM CLARK PRESIDENT and CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of America
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hild safety has always been the bedrock of the Boys & Girls Club mission. It is fundamental to the work of Boys & Girls Clubs and indispensable to positively impact youth. By raising safety standards at every Club, we can strengthen our Movement as a whole. We all know young people cannot and will not learn and thrive in an environment that is not safe. That means we must not only protect Club members from a wide range of risks – we must also create a distinguishable culture of safety in which Club members and their families trust that we will keep their children free from harm.
“The next step to strengthen a Movement-wide culture of safety is to encourage every local organization to establish a board-led safety committee.” Children are our most vulnerable population. Therefore, we are all responsible – especially entities that serve youth – to do everything that we can to ensure the well-being of the young people in our care.
SHARED SUCCESSES Working together, we’ve made amazing advancements in child and Club safety in the last three years. We strengthened safetyrelated membership requirements, created more systematic approaches to assess Club strengths, enabled timelier reporting and resolution of critical incidents, and improved organizations’
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capabilities to share promising safety practices. By providing a workable model for safety improvement, we are forming a true culture of safety that reflects our mission, one that can potentially serve other youth-serving organizations, as well. We are grateful to everyone throughout the Movement for their tireless efforts to make Clubs safe. By pulling together on this critical issue, we will continue to find new ways to ensure the ongoing safety of our kids.
WHY COMMITTED LEADERSHIP IS CRUCIAL As with any facet of Club operations, safety requires determined leadership that makes sure staff and volunteers have the capacity, resources and desire they need to identify risks, respond properly, and report them. Strong board governance provides Club staff and volunteers with the drive and motivation to keep safety front of mind. Committed leadership also helps Clubs to ensure a culture of safety in four unique ways: 1. Maintaining commitment A multi-year safety improvement plan with goals, measures, accountabilities and funding tactics will help ensure safety remains a top priority. 2. Overcoming complacency When early success reduces serious accidents and incidents, it’s easy to think we have it all covered. Continual reinforcement and discussions with staff about safety can ensure indifference does not arise; active safety governance and oversight provides momentum to make ongoing safety improvements.
President’s Report
3. Driving policy improvement Improving policies is one of the most effective and least expensive safety improvement strategies. It is leadership’s role to review, interpret, write and adopt more effective safety policies to set the tone for the entire organization. 4. Applying metrics Having organizational needs defined along with pre- and post-incident measures helps to create a culture of safety.
FORMING A BOARD-LED SAFETY COMMITTEE Last year, BGCA’s Child & Club Safety Department interviewed representatives from 50 Boys & Girls Club organizations with active safety committees. At that time, perhaps only one-fifth of all local organizations had a safety committee with active board involvement. Findings from these interviews revealed shared patterns of how safety committees typically function and offered many promising practices. As a result, BGCA determined the next step to strengthen a Movement-wide culture of safety is to encourage every local organization to establish a board-led safety committee and for BGCA to actively support these efforts.
“As with any facet of Club operations, safety requires determined leadership that makes certain staff and volunteers have the capacity, resources and desire they need to identify risks, respond properly and report them.”
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LEADERS MUST GUIDE THE WAY Dr. Kathleen McChesney is the CEO of Kinsale Management Consulting, which advises businesses and nonprofits on security, abuse prevention and crisis management. She previously served as an FBI special agent for 24 years. BGCA is privileged to have her as a member of our Safety Advisory Board. During a presentation at a BGCA leadership conference, Dr. McChesney described BGCA as “the gold standard when it comes to child safety.” High praise indeed. At Boys & Girls Clubs, it’s everyone’s responsibility to create a safe environment. But Club leadership must bear the responsibility to create a culture of safety. Leaders must guide the organization toward success and away from danger. By working in partnership, we will ensure every Boys & Girls Club is always a safe place where kids are able to learn, grow and discover the great future that awaits them. Thank you for all you do every day to ensure the safety of our most precious assets ... our children. To learn more about safety committee tasks, including core functions, metrics use and sample charters, download “Guidance Document for a Board-Led Child & Club Safety Committee at Boys & Girls Clubs” from the Child Safety Resource Library at BGCA.net/ChildSafety.
If you have already formed a board-led safety committee, well done. If not, there are several ways you can learn how to do so. This includes talking with your Director of Organizational Development, as well as contacting BGCA’s Child & Club Safety team. Leadership is the most important ingredient in the child safety recipe. A carefully selected safety strategy can produce a longrange action plan to ensure policies are up to date, staff and volunteers are consistently screened, and metrics are in place to confirm progress is being made. It will ensure an organization is equipped to protect its youth and anyone who uses its facilities or participates in Club-sponsored activities. It is through these fundamental practices that values and behaviors are changed, resulting in a true culture of safety.
For more information, please visit
bgca.net / ChildSafet y
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FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE
STUDY SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF A HIGH-QUALITY CLUB EXPERIENCE By Irma Velasco-Nuñez
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ew research emerging from Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth Outcomes Initiative strongly affirms the central principle of our Formula for Impact: Clubs can increase their positive impact on young people by implementing a high-quality Club Experience. The term refers to everything Clubs provide to young people, including life-changing programs; fun, enriching experiences; and supportive relationships with peers and caring adults. Hanover Research conducted the 2014 study, which suggests that an optimal Club Experience – comprised of key elements for positive youth development such as a safe environment and supportive staff – is predictive of stronger youth outcomes in our three priority outcome areas. The study also identified staff practices that help improve the Club Experience. Combining Club member data from BGCA’s National Outcomes Survey with survey data gleaned from 3,000 Club professionals at over 500 sites, Hanover conducted a rigorous statistical analysis to investigate links between the Club Experience and youth outcomes. Findings for youth included the following. • Older teens who have an optimal Club Experience were nearly 13 percent more likely to have volunteered in the past year. • Younger teens who have an optimal Club Experience were 42 percent less likely to have consumed alcohol in the past month. • Youth who believed Club staff had high expectations for them were 15 percent more likely to be on track to graduate from high school. Hanover also investigated links between certain Club staff practices and how members perceive their Club Experience. They found that knowing all members names, providing planned activities and programs, and using positive reinforcement to manage behavior helped boost the Club Experience. Members also reported a better Club Experience when staff worked well together, actively engaged parents and received adequate training on program planning.
These findings show that the quality of the Club Experience is driven by certain staff practices. In turn, member outcomes are driven by the quality of the Club Experience. Consider how the following high-performing Clubs implemented these practices.
NAME RECOGNITION At the Fellsmere Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County, Florida, Site Director Keisha Rainey expects staff will learn the names of new members within their first week of membership. As staff wait at a nearby school to walk children to the Club after school, they use the time to get to know their names. Staff make sure to seat new members up front in each program area, and place them first in line when they transition between activities. Wherever new members go in the Club, they receive a warm welcome. “It’s so important to establish that bond between the staff and the kids,” said Rainey. 12 SPRING 2015
PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS
talked about how they could encourage members to show them their report cards and talk about their progress at school.
At the Edgies Clubhouse teen center on New York’s Lower East Side, part of the Educational Alliance, group leaders brainstorm ideas for special workshops to supplement regular programs. They use a planning template to document workshop objectives, content and activities. Site Director Amarilis Perez and group leaders meet after each workshop to exchange feedback on how it went. For Black History Month, they planned a Club-wide African-American pop culture scavenger-hunt game. Staff also encourage the teens to plan and implement activities. The teens recently put on a spoken word performance about the issue of police brutality. “We empower teens to make what they want to do happen,” said Perez.
ENGAGING PARENTS The Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown in Montana sets clear expectations with parents from the moment they register their children as members. After a mandatory orientation to Club programs and rules, parents are asked to contribute one hour of volunteer time for each month their child attends. Parents are recognized on the bulletin board and awarded a certificate of appreciation when they complete their service hours. “It’s allowed our program to go way beyond what we have provided for youth in the past because we have so much more support,” said CEO Abby Franks.
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
PROGRAM PLANNING
At the Christopher Elementary Clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Silicon Valley in California, Club staff have adopted the school’s positive reinforcement framework, “Be respectful, be responsible, be safe.” Staff set clear expectations with members based on this charter. When behavior problems occur, they use it to guide conversations with youth about what happened and how the problem can be remedied.
At the Boys & Girls Club of Nowata, Oklahoma, new staff members observe as experienced staff facilitate activities before they do so themselves. Once new staff members complete activities on their own, CEO Treasure Standeford talks with them about what went well and what needed improvement. “We work to create a safe environment for staff in which they can learn and grow, just like we do for the kids,” said Standeford.
STAFF WHO WORK WELL TOGETHER
BGCA will use this research to publish an in-depth compilation of promising Club-tested practices later this year. You can learn more about BGCA’s 2014 national youth outcomes findings in the report “From Indicators to Impact” on BGCA.org.
During weekly meetings at the Fellsmere Unit, staff discuss how they can best work together to address the needs of Club members. One week when members received their school report cards, staff
Irma Velasco-Nuñez is director of knowledge management for BGCA’s Planning and Measurement Department.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON 5+ DAYS: BOYS AND GIRLS Boys
Girls
Girls and boys ages 12 to 15 who attend the Club more often and have a great Club Experience get more physical activity than youth the same ages nationally. Our Hanover study demonstrates that older teens who receive optimal support from Club staff are physically active 17 percent more days per week.
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%
74%
68% 60% 49%
54%
60%
20% 10% 0% NATIONAL YOUTH - NCHS
CLUB YOUTH OVERALL
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SAFETY
PROTECTING OUR KIDS
YOUTH SAFETY WHITE PAPER The following is an excerpt from “Ensuring Youth Safety in Out-of-School Time Settings,” Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s white paper about key findings and recommended actions from last autumn’s Youth Safety Great Think. More than 80 representatives of federal agencies, associations, businesses and nonprofit organizations participated in the important thought leadership event. You can download the full report at GreatFutures.org/GreatThink. THE DANGERS FACING AMERICA’S MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION
an occupant in a motor vehicle accident. Other harm comes from intentional injury, or childhood victimization.
Childhood is a time of increased dependency that makes youth vulnerable to a wide range of risks, while limiting their direct access to prevention, safety improvements and interventions. Children and teens experience a higher prevalence of accidental injury, direct victimization and witnessing violence than adults. Moreover, rates for youth of color in the U.S. are even worse than for their peers.
These adverse experiences can be categorized as traumatic events for youth and can interfere with – or even interrupt – healthy development. A number of major research studies show that experiencing physical and/or psychological harm from accidents, natural disasters, victimization and exposure to violence can have lasting negative effects on youth success in academics, relationships, healthy lifestyles, identity development, self-esteem and behavior. These findings heighten the importance of ensuring safety in out-of-school time programs, such as Boys & Girls Clubs, that operate within a positive youth development model.
Unintentional injury remains the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S. About 1 in 5 child deaths is due to injury. The top cause of preventable fatal injuries to children and teens under 20 years old is being
“There are so many statistics about gang violence and drug use, and I believe after-school time is critical for kids my age. I was adopted into a single-parent household and my mother was constantly working or going to school to better our lives, so the Boys & Girls Club was the only place I had to go after school. I knew I could count on my Boys & Girls Club as a safe place.” - Kiana Knolland, 2013-14 BGCA National Youth of the Year
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SAFETY-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEAL OST PROGRAM Includes norms, values and expectations that support youth feeling socially, emotionally and physically safe. Developmentally appropriate adult-to-youth ratios are maintained for supervision.
THE ISSUE BY THE NUMBERS
Of the U.S. population of 14- to 17-year-olds, at some point during their lifetime:
71 % 53 % 32 % 28%
WERE ASSAULTED EXPERIENCED PROPERTY CRIME WERE MALTREATED WERE SEXUALLY VICTIMIZED
In addition, nearly 27 percent were victims of physical intimidation (i.e., physical bullying) and nearly 52 percent were victims of relational aggression (i.e., emotional bullying).
Panelists from left: John Ryan, President/CEO for National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; Dr. Keith Kaufman, Portland State University; Barbara Guthrie, VP & Chief Public Safety Officer for Underwriters Laboratories; Bob Gerlach, Director, Global Health and Safety for UPS
Adult mentors model and reinforce appropriate boundaries in relationships. People are engaged and respected. Diversity, learning styles and different cultures are understood and respected. Programs and activities are structured to protect children and teens from harm, and to control recognized hazards so that risks of personal injury or damages to equipment or property are low and manageable. Each person contributes to the operations and care of the facility and physical environment. When accidental harm or emergencies occur, adults are prepared to respond in a way that reduces harm and promotes recovery and resiliency.
From left, NBC Reporter and Youth Safety Great Think Moderator Lewis Johnson; Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.; BGCA 2013-14 National Youth of the Year Kiana Knolland; BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark; and past Chairman, BGCA National Board of Governors, Ron Gidwitz
For more information, please visit
bgca.net / ChildSafet y
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A GOVERNMENT RELATIONS PRIMER By Kevin McCartney
How much funding from government entities does the average Boys & Girls Club receive? More than you might think. In 2013, Clubs reported receiving nearly $333 million of income from federal, state and tribal government entities (not including income for Boys & Girls Clubs of Americaaffiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations). Nearly 25 percent of all Club funding derives from government sources. These revenue streams require protection, explanation and enhancement – exactly the role that BGCA’s Office of Government Relations fulfills. The majority of government funding for Clubs comes from the federal level, and travels along three separate paths. The largest share comes to Clubs through grants from federal departments, such as the Department of Education and the Department of Justice. Most of these grants are competitive in nature. The second method of federal funding comes through reimbursements or other direct payments to Clubs for a given service. For example, Clubs are reimbursed by the Department of Agriculture at a specified rate for providing meals and snacks. The $333 million in income mentioned above is from these first two categories. The third source of federal funding is through “transfer payments” to states or tribes, where, to meet a goal, money is given to government entities, which then select awardees. For instance, in 2014, Boys & Girls Club State Alliances brought in nearly $30 million through these payments.
WHAT GOVERNMENT RELATIONS DOES The Office of Government Relations’ work is the focal point for all advocacy and policy activities that represent the Movement and the needs of our youth to the government. What does it mean to be the focal point? It means maintaining relationships. These include close contacts with key members of Congress, senior advisors in the White House, and appointees and staff at all levels of federal, state and local government. The goal is to create networks, and engage the right people at the right time. Knowing people who can get things done is a crucial skill. Effective Government Relations work also requires having an agenda and knowing it well. Success requires researching positions, knowing the flow of Washington, and being available to move on something instantly. While the process is often long, the key decision points are short-lived, and engagement is required on a moment’s notice. Another fact of Government Relations work is that there are many opportunities beyond the old “send money” argument. Many of these approaches are more nuanced, but also far more effective, particularly in current fiscal times. Sometimes tweaking authorization or appropriations language can
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both improve a program, and fix problems that cost Clubs time. Small changes can increase opportunities or eliminate barriers, creating additional funding for youth programs. The key is to look at the problem in a creative way, and find a solution.
HOW CAN CLUBS BENEFIT FROM GOVERNMENT RELATIONS? How can Clubs best take advantage of the services Government Relations has to offer? First, have a detailed, long-range income plan, particularly when planning to engage government funding. Clubs need to know which programs or grants to go after, asking questions like: • Who and how strong are my partner organizations? • Does my Club meet the requirements of the grant? • Do I have the resources and time to win a grant award? In addition, it is important to understand that grant awards are becoming far more evidence-based. This means applicants must have established programs that can show results. For instance, the ability to prove that a program increased the graduation rate of Club youth by 7 percent is huge, and will attract funding. A statement like “participating in our gamesroom activities keeps youth out of trouble, which should help them graduate” may be intuitively true, but will not make a Club attractive to funders. The more often we can show strong, evidence-based programs, the more credibility Clubs will have, and the easier time Government Relations staff will have in making the case for the programs Clubs run.
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It is also important for Clubs to participate with elected officials at all levels. Show how your Club benefits members, how any government funds received are used and the results they achieve. Contacts Clubs make with local elected officials translate directly into opportunities to influence the policy process in Washington, D.C. We want to help Clubs have the very best opportunities to meet with members of Congress and other government officials. Club efforts are integral in assisting the Office of Government Relations to protect, explain and enhance federal funding streams we need to provide the best possible programs and environment for youth. Finally, the Office of Government Relations needs stories to illustrate Club efforts, and generate interest in the Movement. In particular, we need stories that are directly related to federal funding streams. If a particular grant has worked, or the Summer Food Program is a huge success, please let us know. Stories are a very powerful vehicle for getting attention and results, and we can use more of them. In addition, Clubs should continue similar efforts with elected officials, as well as governmental program managers, to illustrate the impact that governmental funds have on programs. Government funding is a critical source of revenue for our Movement. Working together, Clubs and the Office of Government Relations will continue to find smart, strategic ways to secure the funding we need to create great futures for youth. Kevin McCartney is Senior Vice President of Government Relations for BGCA.
If your Club has a story regarding grants you would like to share with the Government Relations team, please contact Sage Learn, Director of Policy and Advocacy, at slearn@bgca.org.
President Obama celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, D.C., just one of the many Boys & Girls Club organizations that receive significant contributions from government grants.
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BRAND CALENDAR & STANDARDS
Academic Success Marketing Resources
NOW AVAILABLE
This exciting new collection of marketing materials will help to increase community awareness and highlight the role Boys & Girls Clubs have to enable youth to achieve Academic Success. Resources include: u Customizable print ads u Messaging u Bi-lingual
and P.R. materials
PSAs for TV/radio
u Promotional u Graduation
posters
celebration event kits
u Social
media assets including photos and success stories
u Digital
banners for websites, social media and email
These resources are part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s revitalized approach to local marketing. This includes the introduction of a Brand Calendar that will better align overall messaging across the Movement. Learn more about this dynamic new direction inside on page 6.
Customize and download Your Academic Success Materials @ Marketing.BGCA.org