Great Think – Ensuring Youth Safety by Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Ensuring Youth Safety in Out-of-School Time Settings

Boys & Girls Clubs of America thanks the participants and sponsors who made the Youth Safety Great Think possible. MODERATOR Lewis Johnson

NBC Olympics Commentator, Sideline Reporter and Speaker

SPEAKERS & PANELISTS Jim Clark

Barbara R. Guthrie

President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Keith L. Kaufman, Ph.D.

Vice President and Chief Public Safety Officer, Underwriters Laboratories

Kiana Knolland

2013-14 BGCA National Youth of the Year

Al Chesley

Bob Gerlach

Director, Global Health and Safety, UPS

Professor of Psychology, Portland State University

John Ryan

President and CEO, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Representative Bobby Scott

Boys & Girls Club Alum and Retired NFL Player

D-Virginia

ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS American Camp Association American Continental Group, Inc.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Cartoon Network

National Children’s Alliance

Old Navy Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, and National Sexual Violence Resource Center

American Psychological Association

Children of Domestic Violence

American Red Cross

Comerica Incorporated

National Council for Safety Initiatives

American Society for Industrial Security

Connor Sport Court International

National Crime Prevention Council

Consumer Federation of America

National Fire Protection Association

AT&T Boston Area Rape Crisis Center

Disney Facebook First Advantage

Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus

Google

National Human Services Assembly, National Collaboration for Youth

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington

Markel Specialty, Property & Casualty

National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta

Microsoft

The National Mentoring Partnership

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico

PRESENTING SPONSOR

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

PGA Praesidium, Inc. Safe America Foundation

National Government Services

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County

National Alliance on Mental Illness

Office of Representative Bobby Scott

Sam’s Club Sprint Strategies for Youth Taco Bell Foundation for Teens Territorial Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs Programs Underwriters Laboratories

National Organizations for Youth Safety

University of Notre Dame

Nationwide Insurance

The William Kellibrew Foundation

UPS

SUPPORTING PARTNERS Brand Guide

LOGO BLACK CMYK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Safer Childhoods: The Foundation for Great Futures

Great Thinks for Great Futures

The Dangers Facing Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Most Vulnerable Population

Safety as a Key Element in Positive Youth Development

Literature Review Informs Great Think Discussion

The Youth Safety Great Think

Next Steps: Mobilizing the Safer Childhoods Network

Great Futures Start with Safer Childhoods

Conclusion

BGCA Board of Governors Safety Committee

BGCA National Child Safety Advisory Task Force

References

Safer Childhoods: The Foundation for Great Futures As a leading service provider to young people during the out-of-school time – after school and during the summer – Boys & Girls Clubs have been a vital American institution for more than 150 years. By giving youth the support, tools and guidance they need to succeed, Clubs have helped generations of Americans realize great futures. From the very start, safety has been a fundamental principle of Clubs for a simple reason – children cannot and do not learn and thrive in an environment that is not safe. Children are America’s most vulnerable population; it is incumbent upon all of us, especially entities that serve young people, to do everything we can to ensure their safety when they are in our care. Youth safety is an evolving concept that encompasses many aspects, some familiar, some new in our 21st century, technology-driven world. While everyone agrees that keeping kids safe should be a priority, there is very little in terms of standardized guidelines and resources to inform and support youth service providers in this area. Clearly, we need a collective, cutting-edge, comprehensive approach to ensuring physical and emotional safety in Clubs and communities. It was in that spirit that Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) convened the Youth Safety Great Think, the third in our signature thought leadership series. The Great Think series brings together the most innovative and diverse thinking from all sectors to address critical issues facing youth. The first Great Think focused on how to better serve military youth and families, and the second homed in on advancing underrepresented youth in STEM. This paper highlights the Youth Safety Great Think findings and recommendations to help out-of-school time providers improve safety. We welcome your contributions to the ideas and recommended action steps outlined here, as this is only the beginning of an ongoing national dialogue to build safer youth programs and safer childhoods for all of America’s young people. We look forward to hearing from you at saferchildhoods@bgca.org.

Sincerely,

James L. Clark President and CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of America

YOUTH SAFETY

Great Thinks for Great Futures In 2014, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a national leader in youth development, launched the Great Futures Campaign: the Campaign for America’s Kids. The Campaign has two primary goals:

1. Redefine the opportunity equation: School + Out-of-School = Great Futures. There’s an overlooked, yet essential, component of the opportunity equation to transforming kids’ lives and America’s future: the out-of-school time (after school and summer). Research shows that what happens during this time can have a dramatic impact on reversing the most negative trends facing youth, including graduation rates, obesity and violence. Through advocacy and collaborative partnerships with public education, non-governmental organizations, government agencies and the private sector, BGCA will amplify its collective voice to increase access and funds for critical out-of-school time (OST) programs.

2. Empower Clubs to serve more members, more often. The Great Futures Campaign will help grow the capacity of more than 4,100 Boys & Girls Clubs to serve more kids and teens, and deliver increased impact through outcome-driven programs that foster globally competitive graduates, 21st century leaders and a healthier generation. BGCA’s Great Think series is a key strategy of the Campaign’s national thought leadership agenda, convening key influencers and stakeholders to examine critical issues affecting America’s youth. The inaugural event, BGCA’s Military Great Think, was held in Arlington, Virginia, in September 2013. It was the nation’s first convening of military experts from the academic, business, government, media and nonprofit sectors to address the significant challenges facing military youth. The STEM Great Think took place in May 2014 in Redwood City, California. Thought leaders

BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark welcomes Great Think attendees and addresses why youth safety is the number one priority for Boys & Girls Clubs.

From left, NBC Olympics Commentator, Sideline 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 Chairman, BGCA National Board of Governors, Ron Gidwitz

representing higher education, government, corporations and nonprofit organizations joined the first national thought leadership forum to combine innovation and creativity with STEM programming in the OST environment. Convened on Sept. 16, 2014, in Washington, D.C., the Youth Safety Great Think brought together more than 80 experts from federal agencies, associations, leading corporations and national nonprofits, as well as local and national Club leaders, for a panel discussion, 10 roundtables and a prioritizing session. This paper contains key findings and recommended actions to improve safety during OST programs. The intended audience includes policymakers, researchers, funders, out-of-school time providers, and other youth advocates and stakeholders interested in collaborating with BGCA and local Clubs.

The Dangers Facing America’s Most Vulnerable Population 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. 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 an occupant in a motor vehicle accident. Other harm comes from intentional injury, or childhood victimization.1 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.

Safety as a Key Element in Positive Youth Development Every day, millions of youth participate in structured OST activities, such as after-school programs, mentoring programs, sports, recreation programs and summer camps. Encouragingly, a multitude of studies since 2000 describe OST programs as “safe havens” for youth and show that these programs achieve elements of safety (though most studies do not provide a specific definition of “safe”).

YOUTH SAFETY

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).2

Findings from these studies include: • Youth feel more safe while participating in an afterschool program than at any other point during the day. • Parents and children alike find the safety of the after-school program far superior to the safety within the neighborhood. • Parents feel their child is less likely to get in trouble. • OST programs increase young people’s ability to maintain self-control, make constructive choices about their behavior and avoid fights. • Youth are less likely to participate in problem behaviors, such as aggression, noncompliance and criminal activities. • Youth are less likely to participate in risky behaviors, such as gang activity, and drug and alcohol use. • Principals feel after-school programs offered in conjunction with the school increase school safety.3,4

Many OST programs, including Boys & Girls Clubs, operate within a positive youth development model. The 2014 federal Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs describes positive youth development as: “An intentional, pro-social approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes, utilizes, and enhances youths’ strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing multiple opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build their skills, sense of mastery, and leadership strengths. Positive youth development programs promote a number of outcomes in youth, including social skills, emotional competence, positive relationships with peers and adults, and civic and school engagement.”5 Safety – that is, providing positive environments and safe and structured places6 – is recognized as a key element in positive youth development. Ideally, youth, families, staff and volunteers collaborate to design, practice and live in a culture of safety. Young people have a space where they feel comfortable being themselves and secure in the knowledge that they have the supports and tools they need to learn and grow, and trustworthy adults to guide them.7 In this model, it is understood that safety is multi-dimensional – encompassing physical and emotional safety and risk reduction, and emphasizing safe relationships as well as safe environments – and is, therefore, a core part of children’s well-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 know I can count on my Boys & Girls Club as a safe place.”

SAFETY-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEAL OST PROGRAM Includes norms, values and expectations that support youth feeling socially, emotionally and physically safe.8 Developmentally appropriate adult-to-youth ratios are maintained for supervision. 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.

Kiana Knolland 2013-14 BGCA National Youth of the Year 7

GAPS IDENTIFIED BY THE LITERATURE REVIEW Safety Standards and Measures – Lack of universal OST safety metrics, standards or validated measurement tools, and a uniform incident reporting database. Research – Lack of studies and evaluations about effective safety strategies for OST programs. Public Policy Evaluation – Lack of information about the usefulness of public policies and laws to make environments safer for youth.

SAFETY CHANGE LEVERS IDENTIFIED BY THE LITERATURE REVIEW Safe Climate – Conveying safety as a value integrated in policies, practices, activities, relationships, and attitudes or perspectives. Awareness – Knowing what the risks are and where they occur. Adult Supervision – Prioritizing adult responsibility for the protection and safety of youth, including appropriate supervision ratios. Quality Staff – Ensuring that the right people are equipped to mentor youth.

YOUTH SAFETY

Literature Review Informs Great Think Discussion The lack of a national reporting database of intentional and unintentional injury to youth during OST programs is a major challenge in determining the best approach to improving prevention efforts. Regarding sexual abuse, for example, the lack of a national database is a barrier to establishing common patterns of abuse, tracking prevalence and evaluating the effectiveness of common prevention measures. To better understand what is known and not known, BGCA commissioned Keith L. Kaufman, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Portland State University, to identify and evaluate the published studies on the topic of OST safety. The aim of this literature review was to gain knowledge of strategies that move people from safety compliance to safety excellence, leadership and innovation. An emphasis was placed on gaining insights into safety- and preventionrelated findings in a broad array of youth service settings that would have implications for developing stronger policies, best practices, and enhancements in safety climate and culture. While prevention efforts usually target a single risk area or behavior, Dr. Kaufman’s review focused on identifying potential “change levers” that would drive safety improvements across many areas of concern, such as accidents and injuries, bullying, abuse, transportation safety, physical hazards and digital safety. The findings from this literature review greatly informed the development of the discussion topics for the 2014 Youth Safety Great Think.

The Youth Safety Great Think The Great Think was kicked off by a panel of noted safety experts from various sectors. The panelists addressed many critical topics, including raising awareness about youth safety, identifying specific concerns related to safety in out-of-school time programs, creating a culture of safety, and engaging youth and families. The facilitated roundtable discussions focused on identifying change levers and homing in on the strategies participants believed would have the greatest impact. There was

agreement that increasing youth safety should be a part of America’s national agenda. At the same time, youth safety is a vast and complex subject. Great Think participants provided numerous strategies and tactics in a variety of areas. There were so many great ideas, in fact, that it became necessary to conduct a large-group exercise to rank the urgency of the issues that emerged and provide guidance to BGCA on how to prioritize addressing such a range of critical issues and recommendations. Through the prioritizing session, participants identified three broad areas of initial focus: Standards and Measures, Capacity Building, and Engaging Youth, Families and Communities. They also identified action steps associated with each area, as outlined below.

1. Standards and Measures The highest priority recommendation involved establishing and/or improving safety standards and metrics. It is equally important to put in place valid measurement methods to ensure that national and local OST program safety goals and strategies are driven by reliable data collection and analysis. This recommendation reflects the lack of universal definitions, standards and metrics for OST safety, as well as the dearth of reliable tools for measuring elements of safety during OST settings. While members of national youth-serving organizations may have access to their own tested standards and assessment tools, the lack of comparable standards and measures makes it difficult to achieve consistent expectations for safety in OST settings or to benchmark progress. Meanwhile, smaller OST programs may lack the capacity to establish standards and measures for themselves, and may not have a parent organization that can provide quality support.9 Great Think participants prioritized this area of work as “foundational,” pointing out that goals and metrics need to be established to ensure effectiveness in all other areas. In addition, because of both the importance and scale of this area, participants strongly recommended leveraging technological solutions and relying on collaborations throughout all phases of development and implementation.

“We should have a strong research or evidence base that we can draw from, and we should be able to say and point to what’s been done in various areas, specifically with youth-serving organizations. We need to know more about who offenders are and how they get past the barriers we’ve put in place.” Dr. Keith Kaufman Psychology Professor, Portland State University

2. Capacity Building Great Think participants determined that strengthening the quality and quantity of trained OST staff and volunteers is a key change lever to improve youth safety during OST. In fact, they felt that this was the most important strategy in terms of improving prevention and intervention. Specifically, participants recommended leading the development of a national initiative to cultivate and continuously strengthen the capacity of OST program staff and volunteers to manage risks and protect youth. Given the wide variety of OST programs, settings and activities, participants recommended that safety be addressed as a competency and performance measure comprehensively at every level and throughout career spans, with special attention to the developmental needs of emerging professionals, such as young adult volunteers and staff.

“It’s one thing when we push practices and methods top-down and even, in some cases, ask for feedback bottom-up. But when you get peer-to-peer interaction, you get the engagement of individuals. A key practice, obviously, falls into mentoring, where you take an experienced individual to help take on an inexperienced individual and teach them good practices.” Bob Gerlach Director, Global Health and Safety, UPS 9

To accomplish this, participants recommended establishing a continuum for the organizational development of safety excellence that would address: recruitment; hiring; orientation and training; coaching and mentoring; and supervision and performance. Staff and volunteers should also be provided with opportunities to pursue ongoing professional development, gain recognition for their advances, and demonstrate leadership in terms of youth safety. Capacity building was highlighted as a great opportunity for BGCA to establish collaborations across the business and nonprofit sectors. In particular, participants recommended focusing on national partnerships with local impact to provide funding, expertise, resources and boots-on-theground personnel who could serve as safety coaches and trainers in local Club communities. Participants also urged BGCA and its partners to apply technological solutions, such as online portals, learning communities, and Web-based mobile applications for training and mentoring. In addition, participants recommended collaborating with industry leaders to develop “edu-tainment” and gaming approaches to learning.

for youth, caregivers and families. The research substantiates that educating youth and parents is key to improving safety outcomes for young people.10 Participants recommended that BGCA create meaningful opportunities for youth and families to discuss their perspectives on safety and communicate their priority issues for improving youth safety during OST, thereby contributing to the development of the safety standards for OST. To accomplish this, participants recommended that BGCA develop strategies for ongoing youth, family and community engagement, education and empowerment on safety issues. This may be another area in which technology provides the innovative solutions necessary to facilitate ongoing engagement.

“In the same way you teach math and science and literacy, you can also teach safety. You can teach, educate, engage and empower children to make better choices to affect their own life, to take ownership of choices regarding safety.” Barbara Guthrie Vice President and Chief Public Safety Officer, UL

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

3. Engaging Youth, Families and Communities There was general consensus from the panel, the roundtable discussions and the prioritizing session that providers of OST programs should strive to be the lead youth safety advocates in local communities and the premier safety educators/communicators

YOUTH SAFETY

One of the strongest sentiments expressed by participants was that adult solutions to youth problems will be inadequate. Young people should be part of collaborative efforts to create safety messaging, programs and other content for other youth. Participants asserted that by using youth development activities as a prevention strategy, young people can increase the knowledge and skills needed to reduce risk or enhance protective factors.11

“The youth, the youth leaders, parents, civic organizations, the Boys & Girls Clubs, all these groups have to come together as we’re doing here.” Bob Gerlach Director, Global Health and Safety, UPS

Next Steps: Mobilizing the Safer Childhoods Network Given the findings from the Great Think, there is much work to be done in the area of ensuring youth safety in OST environments. No one entity could possibly undertake these endeavors on its own. Therefore, to operationalize the Youth Safety Great Think recommendations, Boys & Girls Clubs of America will establish the Safer Childhoods Network. This network will connect the Boys & Girls Club Movement with other youth-serving organizations and stakeholders, including top nonprofits, corporate supporters, government agencies and lawmakers. The initial Safer Childhoods Network committees will address the three major areas of focus and develop strategies to carry out the below action steps identified at the Great Think.

1. Standards and Measures Committee Action Items Every roundtable identified a need for standards and measures in various aspects of OST safety. Their collective recommendations constitute a significant chart of work: • Gain national consensus on a unified, collective vision of safety among OST providers. • Gain national consensus on comprehensive core competencies and individual performance metrics on safety for youth development professionals. • Conduct a study to determine how OST programs define and measure safety. • Create and pilot individual and organizational measurement methods and tools that can be shared nationally. • Contribute to the research and evidence base regarding effective policies, practices and programs to improve youth safety during OST. • Establish a national database on safety incidents in OST programs.

Discussions on several different safety topics took place during the Great Think.

2. Capacity-Building Committee Action Items • Establish a safety excellence continuum on recruitment, hiring, orientation and training, coaching and mentoring, and supervision and performance. • Plan a national safety conference for youth-serving organizations. • Review BGCA’s safety awards program and look for expansion opportunities. • Review BGCA’s Safety Peer Consultant Program and look for expansion opportunities. • Develop and test a corporate partner field consultant program to provide safety coaching to local Clubs. • Identify existing evidence-based education and training materials that could be widely disseminated. • Collect and review OST safety training resources to explore collaborating on a national curriculum. • Collaborate with BGCA state and regional entities (State Alliances and Area Councils) to coordinate local and state advocacy efforts. • A lign with the Standards and Measures Committee to conduct a study of OST quality assessment, and develop common competencies, standards and performance measurement for youth development professionals. 11

3. Engaging Youth, Families and Communities Committee Action Items • Develop strategies for ongoing youth, family and community engagement, education and empowerment on safety issues. • Identify meaningful opportunities for Club youth and families to discuss their perspectives on safety, especially for OST programs.

• Incorporate focus groups and/or online surveys to allow Club youth and families to contribute to developing safety standards for OST programs. • Ensure leadership and inclusion of diverse staff, volunteers, families, youth and allies in identifying safety improvement needs and strategies to broaden the engagement of all stakeholders.

BGCA’S COMMITMENT TO CHILD AND CLUB SAFETY Safety Leadership • Established Child and Club Safety Team • Equipped BGCA field staff to support Club safety improvement strategies • Assembled the BGCA President’s National Child Safety Advisory Task Force • Created the BGCA Board of Governors’ Safety Committee • Convened the Youth Safety Great Think Standards and Measures • Strengthened affiliate membership requirements on safety standards, background checks, critical incident reporting, and insurance coverage • Ensured that validated, research-informed measures of youth perceptions of physical and emotional safety at the Club were incorporated in BGCA’s National Outcomes Survey instrument administered annually to Club members • Developed tools for Club safety selfassessments, including an online survey

Risk Management and Response • Provided Child Safety Hotline for Clubs to discuss concerns • Launched national critical incident reporting and response system for Clubs Capacity Building • Piloted evaluation of the Situational Prevention Approach in Clubs • Developed and delivered safety training for youth development professionals, managers and new executives and board members in Clubs • Built online resource library • Implemented Club safety communications and marketing campaigns • Piloted Safety Peer Consultant Program utilizing experienced Club professionals

BGCA’s Child and Club Safety Team • R. Leslie Nichols, AIA, CPP, National Vice President • Tricia Crossman, MSW, Director • Mitru Ciarlante, Director • Makeesha Bell, Assistant Director, Compliance and Operations

YOUTH SAFETY

Great Futures Start with Safer Childhoods Convening the Youth Safety Great Think was just the latest major effort BGCA has undertaken recently to strengthen child safety. Throughout the history of the Boys & Girls Club Movement, creating safe environments for youth has been the cornerstone of the Boys & Girls Club mission, and the number one priority for local Clubs and the national organization. In 2012, BGCA embarked upon creating a new vision for its role in advancing child and Club safety, beginning with systematizing approaches to safety improvements in Clubs. In 2013, BGCA rolled out a plan of operations designed to promote a culture of safety across the Boys & Girls Club Movement. This strategy included being more proactive and intentional in providing consultations, training and resources to address safety and risk across a continuum of prevention, preparation, response, recovery and resiliency. By 2014, BGCA had advanced to exploring what OST climates would be like if safety were a value for an organization and everyone who was a part of it. BGCA also began to reassess its role in promoting public awareness of child safety and protection, including its duty to share Club best practices and tools with OST providers nationally as an advocate for safer childhoods for all youth, in and out of Clubs. Implementing this vision of safer childhoods includes continual improvement in equipping local Clubs to serve as national models. These models must address safety improvements and innovations in OST, but this vision must

also address the high levels of lifetime exposure to violence and trauma if Clubs are to create safer climates that provide respite and promote empowerment and resiliency. BGCA will support Clubs in being intentional about creating physically and emotionally safe places for youth. BGCA will also build the capacity of Club professionals and volunteers to model and provide safe relationships, and to empower youth and families to expect safety, respect and well-being.

Conclusion As the leading provider of OST programming, BGCA knows that it must model and share its vision for youth safety, and continue to convene others to provide cross-sector expertise. BGCA places great value on the collaborations that have been catalysts for advancing its safety agenda. Going forward, BGCA will continue to foster strategic collaborations with partners who share a commitment to creating safer childhoods and have the vision, expertise, resources and reach to create solutions and mobilize actions. The Youth Safety Great Think was an impressive beginning in the quest to demonstrate the power of collective thinking and discourse on this topic. The Safer Childhoods Network will ensure that there is a space for this thought leadership and collaboration to continue. Boys & Girls Clubs of America is poised to become the preeminent champion for the right of youth to be safe during the out-of-school time, as well as in every environment they must navigate during childhood and their transition to adulthood. The future of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth demands this. There is no more important work than safeguarding youth and ensuring they have opportunities to achieve great futures.

BGCA BOARD OF GOVERNORS SAFETY COMMITTEE Nina N. Ansary

Myron Gray

Kristine B. Morain, Esq.

President THE ANSARY FOUNDATION

President, U.S. Operations UPS

Senior Vice President, General Counsel BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Dan Borgen

Edward T. Lewis

R. Leslie Nichols, AIA, CPP

Chairman, President & CEO U.S. DEVELOPMENT GROUP

Co-Founder, ESSENCE MAGAZINE Senior Advisor, SOLERA CAPITAL Chairman, LATINA MEDIA VENTURES

National Vice President, Child and Club Safety BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Pedro Lichtinger

Lorraine Orr

Chief Executive Officer ASTERIAS BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.

Senior Vice President, Field Operations BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Curt Marks

Peter J. Tucker

President VERIFICATIONS, INC.

Senior Vice President, Regional Branch Mgr. CHUBB & SON

Jim Clark President and CEO BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Pat Esser President COX COMMUNICATIONS

Ron Gidwitz

Val McNeely

Partner GCG PARTNERS

Co-Chair NATIONAL AREA COUNCIL COMMITTEE

NATIONAL CHILD SAFETY ADVISORY TASK FORCE Mitru Ciarlante

Keith L. Kaufman, Ph.D.

Kristine B. Morain, Esq.

Director, Child and Club Safety BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Professor of Psychology, Dept. of Psychology PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

Senior Vice President, General Counsel BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Rev. Monk Malloy President Emeritus UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

Executive Director NATIONAL CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER

Kathleen McChesney, Ph.D.

R. Leslie Nichols, AIA, CPP

President KINSALE CONSULTING AND INVESTIGATIONS

National Vice President, Child and Club Safety BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Evan McElroy

Lorraine E. Orr

Chief Communications Officer BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Senior Vice President, Field Operations BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Jim Clark President and CEO BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Richard F. Dangel, Ph.D. President PRAESIDIUM, INC.

Britt Darwin-Looney Director, Youth Development Services PRAESIDIUM, INC.

Linda J. Dimopoulos Retired CFO DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC.

Dan McGinn President MCGINN AND COMPANY

YOUTH SAFETY

Chris Newlin, MS, LPC

REFERENCES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Preventable Nonfatal Injuries: Leading Causes of Nonfatal Injury, United States, 2012,” Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), accessed January 17, 2014, http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfilead2001.html.

Finkelhor, David et al. (2013). “Violence, Crime, and Abuse Exposure in a National Sample of Children and Youth: An Update,” Pediatrics, Vol. 167, No. 7, September 10, 2013, http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1686983.

Afterschool Alliance (2013). Evaluations Backgrounder: A Summary of Formal Evaluations of Afterschool Programs’ Impact on Academics, Behavior, Safety and Family Life (Washington, D.C.: Afterschool Alliance, January 2013), accessed October 24, 2014, http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/ EvaluationsBackgrounder2011.pdf.

Afterschool Alliance (2014). Keeping Kids Safe and Supported in the Hours After School (Washington, D.C.: Afterschool Alliance and the MetLife Foundation, Issue Brief No. 65, May 2014), accessed on July 8, 2014, http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_65_keeping_kids_safe.cfm.

FindYouthInfo.gov (2014). “Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs Develops Common Language on Positive Youth Development” (Washington, DC: U.S. Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs), accessed on October 24, 2014, http://findyouthinfo.gov/feature-article/interagency-working-groupyouth-programs-develops-common-language-positive-youth.

Ibid.

Afterschool Alliance (2014). Keeping Kids Safe and Supported in the Hours After School.

Jonathan Cohen, ed. (2010). Commentaries on the National School Climate Standards: Benchmarks to Promote Effective Teaching, Learning and Comprehensive School Improvement, School Climate Brief No. 2 (New York: National School Climate Center, October 2010), accessed July 16, 2014, www. schoolclimate.org/policy.php.

McLaughlin, Brenda and Pitcock, Sarah (2009). Building Quality in Summer Learning Programs: Approaches and Recommendations (Baltimore, Md.: National Summer Learning Association and The Wallace Foundation, September 2009), accessed on September 30, 2014, http://www.wallacefoundation. org/knowledge-center/summer-and-extended-learning-time/summer-learning/Documents/Building-Quality-in-Summer-Learning-Programs.pdf.

Finkelhor, David et al. (2014). “Trends in Children’s Exposure to Violence, 2003 to 2011,” Pediatrics, Vol. 168, No. 6, April 28, 2014, accessed June 15, 2014, http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/poi130100.pdf.

Cook-Craig, Patricia (2012). Youth Sexual Violence Prevention (Harrisburg, Pa.: VAWnet, a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, September 2012), accessed June 18, 2014, http://www.vawnet.org./Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_YouthSVPrevention.pdf.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America 1275 Peachtree St. NE Atlanta, GA 30309-3506 404-487-5700 www.bgca.org