columns Serving Teens
What do Teens Want? RACE TO THE CLUB TAKES THE CHALLENGE OF TEEN ENGAGEMENT STRAIGHT TO THE EXPERTS By Jaynemarie Enyonam Angbah and Adrianne Penner
12 CONNECTIONS
W
hen 1,500 teen leaders and their advisors from Boys & Girls Clubs across the country and around the globe met in Orlando for the 2015 National Keystone Club Conference, they were stunned to learn about the precipitous decline of teen membership in Clubs over the last decade.
As teens themselves, they offered some insight into the issue. In an onsite survey, 70 percent said non-engaged teens don’t attend because they believe the Club is for younger kids. In addition, 61 percent said teens in their community just don’t know about the Club and the great programs it offers. Most importantly, Keystone Club members told us they were ready to do something about it. From the main stage of the conference, Dr. Damon A. Williams, Ph.D., BGCA senior vice president of Program, Training and Youth Development Services, issued a challenge to the audience to collectively recruit 20,000 new teen members in one year. Keystone members have enthusiastically taken up that challenge with Race to the Club, a new peer outreach initiative that has become the fourth pillar – along with career readiness, community service and college preparation – of the Keystone program experience.
POINT OF PRIDE Already, the 288 Keystone Clubs that participated in the Race to the Club pilot test during the 2014-15 program year have successfully recruited thousands of new teen members. The new emphasis around teen outreach and recruitment has bred excitement amongst Keystone advisors and youth alike. “We have seen the Club save lives and, as youth development professionals, we want to reach as many teens as possible,” explained Kristin Goncalves, Keystone Club advisor at the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield in Connecticut. Outreach is important to Keystone members, too, but for different reasons. “The Club plays an important role in their lives,” said Goncalves. “If their outreach efforts are successful, then our teen program and Club are successful. Our Keystoners are proud of this success, contributing to their sense of belonging and ownership, and pride in their Club and their peers.” Advisor Laurie Rodriguez from the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, concurred. “When teen outreach became a part of the Keystone program, our staff took a step back from planning our teen events. Our Keystoners took ownership of teen outreach.” p
Serving Teens