Champions. Friends. Acquaintances. Donor Motivation Defined
Boys & Girls Club of Bravos Valley
1. Boys & Girls Club of
Bravos Valley
Alissa Moreland
Spring Sociology 484 900: Field Experiences
April 27, 2015
2. Worried About America?
Visit a Boys & Girls Club
• 2011 Bloomberg article by Jonathan Alter
• “With little notice, the 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs in impoverished
areas of all 50 states have become a vital part of the social safety
net. They serve about 4.1 million kids under 18.”
• Youth of the Year competition
• Nick
• Akheem
• Tamika
• Deshawn
• Darnisha
3. Alumni
• Kerry Washington
• Denzel Washington
• Jennifer Lopez
• Shaun White
• General Wesley Clark
• Usher
• Misty Copeland
• Shaquille O’Neal
• John Paul DeJoria
4. Denzel Washington
• "It was a place not only just to play basketball or ping pong
or something, but just to learn," … "I had great mentors, it
was a safe place. It was a place that made you feel
important.“
• "The Club is where I looked for hope, purpose and
direction," …"That's where I learned to dream - and to
think big."
5. Description of Agency
• Mission Statement of the Boys & Girls Club of Brazos Valley:
• The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley, in association with Boys & Girls
Clubs of America, is dedicated to help youth of all backgrounds develop the
qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders of our community
and nation.
• Location:
• 900 W William J Bryan Pkwy
Bryan, TX 77803
• Prosperity Bank 1500 N. Texas Avenue
Bryan, TX 77803
6. Description of Agency
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America is an organization that provides an
environment that fosters to club members ages 6 to 18.
• Yearly $15 dollar cost of membership.
• Programs available at Bravos Valley Club:
• Basketball Program
• Wax Museum
• Graduation for Mas
7. Boys & Girls Club Supervisors
• Tiffany S. Parker
Vice President of Community Relations
• Zaisha Heardmon
Director of Program Services
8. Description of Responsibilities
• Overall Requirements:
• 100 hour minimum worked at the agency
• First-Month Journal of Observations
• Completion of Critical Review of Previous Research
• Symposium Presentation
• Creation of Poster for Creative Writing
9. Description of Responsibilities
• Boys & Girls Club
• Creator and teacher of the Creative Writing class
• Engaging and watching children play
• Assisted basketball with score keeping
• Photography of activities
10. Description of Responsibilities
• Office Duty at Prosperity Bank
• Assisted Tiffany Parker with office tasks:
• Creation of March newsletter
• Updated documents and excel sheets
• Established and maintained a blog
• Celebrity Golf Tournament:
• Observed fundraising activities
• Helped set up the Steak and Shake Dinner
• Maintained the Gift Card booth
14. Critical Review of
Previous Research
• The Objective:
• To learn whether children who participate in after school
programs, like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, are more
likely to graduate high school than children who did not
participate in such programs.
15. Critical Review of
Previous Research
• Research Categories
• Reasons Why Students Drop Out of High School
• Characteristics of Quality After School Programs
• After School Programs and Education
• High School Dropout Statistics and Information
16. Critical Review of
Previous Research
• Reasons Why Students Drop Out of High School
• ‘Push’ factors as those that force students to dropout out of high school:
• The inference of family obligations, or economic obligations.
• ‘Pull’ factors are those that impede with students completing high school:
• Failure of the school to connect with students or failure of the student to connect
with the school.
17. Critical Review of
Previous Research
• Benefits of After School Programs to the Public
• Boys & Girls Club of America program decreases vulnerability.
• Also linked to a decrease in problem behaviors among youth members.
• The most effective model terms of impact combines youth development,
community development, and social change.
• Provides club members with a nurturing environment, adoption of positive
behaviors, and the development of competence and self-esteem.
18. Critical Review of
Previous Research
• Characteristics of Quality After School Programs
• Able to provide academic offerings, accelerated learning, supervised recreation,
organized sports, and community service programs.
• The use of unstructured activities, the option for sports and other recreational
activities, the ability for members to maintain friendship, and the approval of
parents.
• Importance of mentor programs because mentees were assisted by their mentor
with navigating life after high school.
19. Critical Review of
Previous Research
• After School Programs and Education
• The quality of experiences may be a more important factor than
quantity of experiences in predicting positive academic outcomes
of participants.
• Children who attended after-school programs spent more time on
academic and extracurricular activities, and that children in
informal care settings spent more time watching TV and hanging
out.
20. Critical Review of
Previous Research
• High School Dropout Statistics and Information
• The high school dropout rate has decreased from 12 percent in 1990 to 7 percent
in 2012.
• This 7 percent dropout rate represents over 2.2 million, and in comparison to the
2000 rate of 12 percent the current rate is a new low.
• Hispanics in the U.S. have the highest dropout rate.
• In 2013, Hispanics had a 14% dropout rate.
• Compared with the 2000 Hispanic dropout rate of 32% represents the lowest rate
recorded.
21. Critique of the Research
• Problems
• There are many variations of after school programs.
• A study that tracked their subjects any more than two years did not exist.
• Factors for dropping out of high school that can be addressed by the Boys &
Girls Club is unanswered.
• However, the emotional support available at the clubs is something well
documented throughout the literature.
22. Critique of the Research
• The Future
• Future research studies should utilize longitudinal studies to track youth over
ten or more years during and after high school age.
• This type of study would amplify the understanding of the connection between
high school dropout rates and the influence of after school programs of those
who attended and those who did not.
Be sure to check the time you are to present. You absolutely MUST BE PRESENT AT YOUR SCHEDULED TIME to present. I only grade the presentation itself, not the power point on eCampus. This means that if you miss your time slot, you will get a “0” on the presentation. Hence, I recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes early (15 minutes early if you are scheduled first thing in the morning).
· You are required to stay a minimum of 1 hour at the symposium – time to do your presentation and listen to three others.
· PRACTICE YOUR PRESENTATION to make sure that you can give it in exactly 10 minutes (no more or no less). You may bring note cards but the presentations are always better the less you have to actually read. So practice, practice, practice.
· Be sure to BRING YOUR POWER POINT ON A FLASH DRIVE TO THE SYMPOSIUM. Be prepared to put in your flash drive as soon as the other speaker is finished. The insert for the flash drive is on the side of the monitor.
· Dress professionally—at least “business casual.” Meaning suits, ties, heels are not necessary, but NO t-shirts or shorts.
· Plan to eat with us. We will have lots of food all day!!
Nick He was shunted between foster homes before taking his possessions in two garbage bags and moving to Pittsburgh, where he lived with an aunt and her partner. Now he’s completed more than 2,000 hours of volunteer service at the club, feeding hungry kids and refereeing sports.
Akheem At 16, he became the primary caregiver for eight younger siblings so that his grandmother could work. After becoming the first in his family to graduate from high school, he’s excelling in college and has founded a network of Brother-to-Brother Clubs to get boys off the streets.
Tamika’s After she got some local publicity in East Chicago, Indiana, for advancing in the competition, her father got in touch and she told him: “I forgive you.” She started a program to bring more parents and grandparents (many still in their 30s) into her club.
Deshawn When he first showed up at the club, he says, “I hated it with a passion. It was too strict.” But it soon became what he calls “my secret hiding place, my home away from home.” Now he’s a freshman at Morehouse College, focusing on science, and determined to run a company or cure a disease.
Darnisha When she was 16, her father’s cancer was diagnosed. She took care of him. Then, after he died, she made all the funeral arrangements and handled his possessions. Like the others, she credits the club with saving her.
Wax Museum: kids presented posters about African American leaders for black history month.
Graduation for Mas: operating as a community service event designed to increase community involvement within education and provide information about how to be successful in high school.
