Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties: Whatever it takes to build great futures

In the face of a global pandemic and the corresponding national closures, the Boys & Girls Club’s first question was, “What can we do to best serve the needs of our local youth and families during this crisis?”

Our mission calls us “to serve all young people, especially those who need us most,” and our staff were quick to meet the needs of children and families, responding in creative and sacrificial ways that often put our team right on the front lines all throughout 2020.

Essential programs for youth were seen most clearly in the launch and growth of emergency childcare services, community outreach and delivery services to families facing food insecurity, and the launch of virtual programming and mentoring to ensure that youth are connected to trusted an caring adults.

In the spring of 2020, we also expanded programs to serve youth in-person at our community clubhouses to guarantee that they were supported in their educational activities and life pursuits.

Empowered by leaders and donors, our team committed to serve young people in meaningful ways with a clear focus on safety. The true impact of the pandemic, especially on vulnerable youth, will take years to understand. However, because our community was quick to invest in those in need, our clubs and staff were able to support thousands of children and families throughout the pandemic.

As we come out of the pandemic, it is critical that we shift our focus to begin the work of mitigating and addressing COVID-19 impacts in the lives of youth. Initial research, as well as the perspective of youth advocates across our nation, paint a picture of the work in front of us. Our clubs are committed to advocating for youth and addressing the unique challenges the pandemic has played in their lives. Our work this year will focus on assisting youth in overcoming the effects of the past year, specifically:

▪ COVID-19 Learning Loss – Summer learning loss has been a well-documented fact, demonstrating that low-income youth lose 22% of learning during the summer months. Moving forward, we fully anticipate that COVID-19 Learning Loss will also prove to have a more significant impact on low-income and vulnerable youth. We ask our community to invest in efforts to reduce the effects of COVID-19 learning loss and help youth and families recover academically from the pandemic.

▪ Social Isolation – The prevalence of technology and social media created an environment where youth were more connected virtually than ever before, while also being more isolated. Synchronous learning and social distancing have only increased feelings of isolation, especially for teens. We ask our community to build meaningful connections with vulnerable youth. Developmental relationships have been shown to increase academic motivation and personal responsibility as well as reduce engagement in high-risk behaviors.

▪ Mental Health – Current evidence shows a surge in anxiety and depression among children and adolescents since the onset of the pandemic. Additionally, our staff have observed striking changes in young people, including depression, negative self-image and lack of motivation. We ask our community to embrace young people with compassion and resources to help them navigate the high-stress impacts COVID has created.

While we know that youth are resilient, we also know that the impacts of stress and trauma can have lasting impacts on health and well-being. At Boys & Girls Club, our staff and volunteers are committed to doing whatever it takes to empower youth so that they have access to relationships and resources that will help them achieve success and health.

We are so thankful to our community for partnering with us to serve the young people who need us most this past year. Your ongoing advocacy and support allows us to fulfill our mission of building great futures for our children, families and community.

This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 12:46 AM with the headline "Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties: Whatever it takes to build great futures."