Date: 3/9/17
Mark, Olivia, and I took a visit to the Boys and Girls Club main campus to gain further insight on the issues that they are facing. After walking into the facility, I realized what a great place they have for these teenagers. Unfortunately, the attendance is at about 20 kids a night compared to more than 100 some years ago.
We had the chance to interview Camille, an important leader of the club. During our talk, we asked the following questions:
“How many kids currently attend the club and what do they partake in when they are here?”
“What do you think the biggest problem is for kids attending the club?”
Regarding the first question, Camille stated that the number of kids is usually around 20 a night compared to over 100 when they had better transportation. She showed us the different rooms within the club where kids have a chance to do homework or go and partake in athletic facilities. My favorite part of the club from what I have seen was the big basketball court that they have. Having a court like that should bring in a ton of teenagers from around South Bend.
Camille answered the second question by stating that transportation is by far the biggest problem that the club is facing. She currently drives a van that is able to pick up a few students but she is only able to make one trip every day because she has responsibilities at the club as well. She told us that if we could figure out a way to get better transportation for these teens, the number of attendees will sky rocket.