“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.”
When President Barack Obama spoke these words in Washington D.C. on Jan. 20, I was reminded of the thousands of youth who are served every year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.
These children come to the Clubs for guidance, for support and for stability. Like all of us, they believe in the American dream and they strive to “Be Great.”
Through its “Be Great” campaign, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America challenge our youth to heed President Obama’s call to greatness. The BGCA will channel the potential that is within every child and play a vital role in helping our youth realize their dreams.
For countless generations, parents have dreamt about their children becoming tomorrow’s leaders. But in an environment where teenagers account for more than 20 percent of violent crimes in the U.S.1, and some 10 percent of youth ages 12-17 are current illicit drug users, any caring adult or parent should be concerned about our young people’s ability to someday serve the community.
Are our children being given the tools they need to make good choices? Are they learning the ethical issues that come with taking the lead? With challenges such as the economic climate facing America today, will our youngest generation be able to successfully handle complex problems?
These issues affect us all, and we all should play a part in resolving them.
Addressing these topics might sound overwhelming to, but those of us who work for youth organizations have seen that it’s possible to turn things around and help at-risk kids learn about good character and citizenship – the building blocks for helping youth become effective leaders.
By creating partnerships with schools, community leaders and parents, and by hiring caring staff, Boys & Girls Clubs create a network and culture in which everyone embraces the importance of building character and becoming a good citizen.
Comprehensive programs promoting good character and citizenship play a critical role in helping youth understand and address problems they face today. For example:
Our Youth of the Year program recognizes service to Club and community, academic performance and contributions to family life. This year’s National Youth of the Year, who helped launch the “Be Great” campaign, is a Boys & Girls Club of Denver Metro member.
Leadership and service groups like “Torch Clubs” (for youth ages 11-13) and “Keystone Clubs” (for 14-18 year-olds) engage young people to become leaders through service to their Club and community.
Our “SMART Moves” (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) program helps youth resist drug use and premature sexual activity through small-group activities that increase participants’ peer support, enhance their life skills, build their resiliency and strengthen their leadership skills.
We know these programs work. In a national Harris survey, 85 percent of Club alumni said that staff members helped them to know right from wrong. In fact, 77 percent attributed their learning of good leadership skills to Club staff, and 81 percent said that by participating in the Club, they developed a sense of responsibility to give back to their community.
Helping kids overcome challenges, make better decisions and develop their leadership skills may sound difficult. But it is possible if, as adults, we lead by example, encourage our children to embrace learning and support local youth organizations. Working together, we can make a difference.
If everyone plays a part in helping our community’s children be prepared for leadership, imagine their potential for success – and our community’s, too.
John Arigoni is president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
