Ms. Missy
Date: 3/1/17
Type: Expert Interview
Location: BGC facility
Team Participants: Conducted interview alone
User Characteristics:
Middle Aged
Part time worker
African American
Works primarily with teens
Very energetic
The students respect and listen to her.
She has a positive view of the club.
Memorable quote from interview: “They like seeing the other teens. They grew up with some of these people but then went to different schools and BGC is a place they can meet up.”
Top 3 Learnings:
- The teens really enjoy being at the club. The ones that don’t go are not troubled; it is simply a matter of not being able to get teens to the club.
- There is a mutual level of respect among volunteers and students.
- They value role models like Ms. Missy who has a big impact on their lives.
Key Insight – (1) The BGC needs more volunteers because they are short on staff, however, it will be a challenge to get volunteers who are as good of a role model as Ms. Missy. (2) There is a very respectful environment in the teen club. The teens are very mature and listen to their elders. They value having a safe place to be.
Ms. Camille
Date: 3/1/17
Type: Expert Interview
Location: BGC facility
Team Participants: Conducted interview alone
User Characteristics:
She is the only full time worker
She is in charge of BGC.
Camille has a van that she drives to pick the kids up from school.
African American
She has a daughter in BGC
Memorable quotes from the interview:
“They are here to hangout with friends they haven’t seen. They also have structure and consistency.”
“We would have 13 buses coming from the middle and high schools and then they just stopped a couple years ago.”
Top 3 Learnings:
- BGC struggles with being understaffed.
- They do not have enough money for field trips.
- BGC has one fundraiser per year.
Key Insight – (1) The kids want more fieldtrips, but that requires more money. We can help them raise money for these activities. (2) We need to communicate with the South Bend bus company on why they stopped sending the buses to BGC after consistently sending buses for many years.
Eric
Date: 3/1/17
Type: Individual Interview
Location: BGC facility
Team Participants: Conducted interview alone
User Characteristics:
African American
Teenager
Joined BGC 2 years ago
Takes the van to the club
Memorable quote from the interview: “My mom felt like I needed something to do after school.”
Top 3 Learnings:
- He likes BGC because it is a good place to hangout.
- He enjoys crafts and the other activities offered.
- He mentioned that some teens he knows don’t go to the club because they can’t afford it.
Key Insight – Is there a way we can reduce the expenses for the members? Package deal or offer discounts?
Kaliyah
Date: 3/1/17
Type: Individual Interview
Location: BGC facility
Team Participants: Conducted interview alone
User Characteristics:
Started the club at age 10
Takes the bus to the club
Teenager
African American
Memorable quote from the interview: “I like the environment. There are good people and we learn good habits.”
Top 3 Learnings:
- It was her parent’s decision to start her in the club, but she enjoys the environment.
- There are other programs teens go to after school instead of BGC such as the Y.
- She is not satisfied with the limited activities BGC offers. She desires more options.
Key Insight – BGC needs to find a way to offer more activities such as field trips to keep the teens satisfied. They could incorporate a “Bring your friend day” so teens who do not go to the club can get a sense of what it is all about and want to join.
Angel
Date: 3/1/17
Type: Individual Interview
Location: BGC facility
Team Participants: Conducted interview alone
User Characteristics:
Started BGC at age 8
African American
Teenager
Her aunt drops her off at BGC.
Memorable quote from the interview: “I wish there were more programs.”
Top 3 Learnings:
- She did not want to go home after school.
- She met a lot of people at the club.
- She wishes there were more programs in the club.
Key Insights – Somehow we need to incorporate more field trips/activities. This could also include improving technology and the different programs the kids use.
Ciarra
Date: 3/1/17
Type: Individual Interview
Location: BGC facility
Team Participants: Conducted interview alone
User Characteristics:
Started BGC at age 6
Teenager
She takes Camille’s van to BGC.
African American
She likes playing sports
Memorable quotes from the interview: “Some people say it’s boring.”
Top 3 Learnings:
- Gym time is a very big part of the day and the teens really like it.
- BGC is enjoyable for the teens.
- There needs to be more activities in the club.
Key Insights – Similar to what was said before, we need to help BGC improve the technology as well as raise money for field trips. We could also come to BGC with different ideas for activities to do with the teens.
Immersion Experience:
For the immersion, I talked to and was able to hangout with teens at BGC. Moving forward, I will continue my immersion through more structured activities, specifically crafts. I will work in the craft room with Sarah Christie.
Key Insights: (1) The kids are very respectful of Ms. Missy and Ms. Camille. They seem to enjoy being at BGC. In addition, the teens know each other very well and there seems to be a “family” like culture. The teens are also more mature than some high school kids that I know. (2) Although no one mentioned it in the interviews, I feel as though the teen portion of the club could be renovated. I think even simple redecorating could increase the “cool factor”. The club probably does not have the budget to undergo this type of project, so we would have to raise money.
Analogous Immersion:
Our team is benchmarking against other nonprofit organizations that have teen programs. We want to compare their transportation methods with that of BGC. In addition, we are comparing the facilities and the different activities that the other clubs offer. The two clubs we are benchmarking against are Kings and the Y. I interviewed Jesse who is the head of the YMCA teen program. I gained the following information:
Jesse
YMCA St. Joseph county youth director
574-287-9622
Do you have a teen program?
They have a robotics program, which is promoted within the school. This is the school’s club robotics team.
How do the kids get to the club?
“The club is onsite at the school. They meet at the high school. We have our own bus and hire a driver to get kids home after the club.”
What schools do the kids come from?
Riley
What activities make up each day at the club?
“It is a robotics program”
The typical routine for the youth clubs held at the Y are as follows:
YMCA Curriculum
- Stem
- Homework help
- Snack time
- Family engagement
- Physical activity
- Literacy/subjects
“There is not a lot of free time.”
Other facts:
There is a group of Notre Dame kids who come to volunteer for tutoring. There are about 15-20 Notre Dame students volunteers.
There are also volunteer coaches.
None of the kids from the youth or preteen programs at the Y make the transition to robotics because they do not go to Riley and the program is only offered at Riley.
Key Insights: The BGC may not be able to work something out with South Bend transportation. They would either have to buy another vehicle that someone could drive, or have the club take place at the school.