Chief Executive Newsletter

Chief Executive Newsletter

by Russell Triolo

 

ENSURING OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION

We have clearly reached a consensus as a country: ensuring our children's education is in everyone's best interest.

How do we do this? Well, Boys & Girls Clubs have long focused on education - it is, in fact, one of the core values that guides our cause.

And our concerted efforts in the area of education over the last several years are paying off in dramatic and inspiring ways.

Our number of school-based Boys & Girls Clubs, some 554 at last count, is at an all-time high. We are the partner of choice for an increasing number of teachers and administrators who know that education doesn't stop when the school day ends, it continues. Clubs can play a crucial role in that process.

As our nation's educational needs change, we must continually find new and innovative approaches for success. One approach that has been a hot-button issue over the last few years involves after-school programs: are they necessary, and what is the best way to deliver them?

Just consider the following statistics:  Juvenile crime doubles during the after-school hours from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.   Students who do not spend any time in after-school activities are 57 percent more likely to drop out of school by their senior year; 49 percent more likely to use drugs, and 37 percent more likely to become teen parents; and, finally, As many as 15 million children have no after-school supervision, parental or otherwise, each and every day.

Equally important for our youth is a safe environment in which to learn. And this is where Boys & Girls Clubs play an especially critical role. The after-school hours from 3 to 8 p.m., so vital to youth development, are a time when our Clubs do more than fill a void; they proactively serve as leaders in education.

One way we do this is by redefining the very notion of "education." The learning process doesn't stop when the school bell rings at 3:00 p.m. That concept is at the very heart of the innovative approach to after-school learning that we call Project Learn.

Project Learn is effective because it offers children creative and fun ways to continue their learning beyond the classroom. By engaging youth with interesting activities, learning becomes fun instead of a chore.

Project Learn also emphasizes parental involvement and fosters collaborative efforts with schools and communities. It is a holistic approach, if you will, to encouraging a lifelong love of learning - and if we can give our kids that, then they will be well on their way to happy, meaningful lives.

Sincerely,

Russ

Russell Triolo
Chief Executive Officer

 

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