As informal educators, B&GC professionals envision all Club youth, who become members as children and retain their membership through their teenage years, graduating from high school with their class members. Through their experiences at school and the Club, young people are able to make good post-secondary education decisions. This vision identifies key objectivees and strategies for working with members ages 6 to 12 and 13 to 18. BGCA helps local Clubs, such as ours in Michigan City, combat problems that contribute to low high school graduation rates by implementing localized activities and tactics, emphasizing more intentional integration of programs across core program areas and sharing findings of more rigorous evaluation efforts.

 

 

 

Project Learn reinforces the skills and knowledge young people learn at school during the hours they spend at the B&GC. This program strategy is based on research demonstrating that students do much better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun, but academically beneficial, activities. The Michigan City Club staff use all the areas and programs offered by the national Club to create opportunities for these high-yield learning activities, which include leisure reading, writing activities, discussions with knowledgeable adults, helping others, homework help and tutuoring, and games like Scrabble that develop young people's cognitive skills. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement and collaboration betweeh the MC-B&GC and MCAS professionals as critical factors in creating the best after-school learning environment for Club members ages 6 to 18.

 

 

 

Goals for Graduation introduces academic goal setting to Club members ages 6 to 18 by linking their future aspirations with concrete actions today. Members create an action plan with daily and weekly goals leading to short- and long-term academic gains. This program is part of a comprehensive academic strategy that will help retain members in the club through their high school years, encourage high school graduation and enable them to make good post-secondary choices.

 

 

This program provides Club professionals with strategies, activities, resources and information to create an engaging homework help and tutoring program that encourages Club members ages 6-12 and 13-18 to become self-directed learners. The Power Hour materials provide practical tips and Club best practices for recognition and incentives, behavior management, volunteer recruitment and training, collaboration with other organizations, and use of technology and the Internet.

 

 

 

 

Promotes and teaches responsibility in Club boys ages 11-14. It consists of 14 sessions, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood through highly interactive activities. Each club participant receives his own "Passport" to underscore the notion that he is on a personal journey of maturation and growth.