- User Interview: Tristan (BGCA Attendee (Extreme #1))
Team Participants: Garrett Fisher
Location: Boys & Girls Club 502 E Sample St, South Bend
Date: 2/24/17
Characteristics:
13 years old
Began attending BGC at 3 months old
African American
Freshman at Adams High School
Hobbies: Listening to music, playing basketball
Interview Highlights:
What do you like about the BGCA?
“I can positively develop my personality here, the environment is great, the people are nice… it’s like a second home for me.”
What could be better about the BGCA for you?
“We could have better sports equipment and more technology.”
What is the BGCA to you?
“It’s a team of people like me, a community, a home.”
How do you get to and from the BGCA?
“Miss Camille drives me here from school, and then I ride my bike home or sometimes my parents pick me up. I bring my bike from school on the back of Miss Camille’s van.”
Learnings:
Tristan associates the BGC strongly with feelings of home and personal identity.
While the issue of transportation is kind of a hassle, Tristan focused on other areas when asked where the BGC could be improved.
During the interview, kids could be overheard asking for permission to go to the gym multiple times. Sports matter more to these kids’ perception of the club than the logistics of getting to and from the BGC.
Key Insights:
There are kids who believe the BGC is part of who they are.
These kids will find ways to make it to the club as long as it remains available, welcoming, and beneficial for them.
- User Interview: Drechun (BGCA Attendee)
Team Participants: Garrett Fisher
Location: Boys & Girls Club 502 E Sample St, South Bend
Date: 2/24/17
Characteristics:
14 years old
Started attending BGC summer of 2016
African American
Freshman at Penn High School
Hobbies: Snapchat, playing basketball, playing NBA 2k video game
Interview Highlights:
What do you like about the BGCA?
“The people and the positivity.”
What could be better about the BGCA for you?
“I like everything here the way it is. The BGC doesn’t need to change.”
What is the BGCA to you?
“A place to have fun.”
How do you get to and from the BGCA?
“My parents pick me up and drop me off… it’s a pretty easy process.”
Learnings:
Drechun sees the BGC as a place to have fun and doesn’t believe any major changes are necessary.
He also has no complaints with transportation, as his parents can take him directly to and from the club.
As during the other interview, kids could be overheard asking for permission to go to the gym multiple times. Again, sports matter more to these kids’ perception of the club than the logistics of getting to and from the BGC.
Key Insights:
Kids that don’t have transportation issues are a strong resource for the club and they should be kept in mind when coming up with solutions later.
Kids attending BGC don’t necessarily do so in order to spend more time with friends from school, as Drechun knows of no other Penn students at the BGC.
- Expert Interview: Miss Missy
Team Participants: Garrett Fisher
Location: Boys & Girls Club 502 E Sample St, South Bend
Date: 2/24/17
Characteristics:
Age: Mid 30s-40s
Mother, College Student
African American
Interview Highlights:
Why do you think kids come to the BGC?
“It’s a place for them to just be kids, to see friends that they may have gone to school with before they split up for high school, and to just hang out in a positive atmosphere.”
How do kids get to the BGC?
“LaSalle buses students to the BGC, but otherwise its mostly parents taking them here and home. Miss Camille drives some students here in her van too. Some students walk here if their school is nearby. Any kids who walk home need a permission slip and can only walk home on days when the weather isn’t too bad.”
What do the kids like to do the most at the BGC?
“Basketball, definitely. The computers and the video games are popular but they always want to play basketball.”
Learnings:
Both the students and the staff at the BGC see the club as a strongly positive place for kids.
Transportation is largely parent-driven right now, as these kids are generally not walking or biking to the club.
Sports, as noted before, are a major part of the culture at the BGC.
Key Insights:
Since parents continue to bring their children to the BGC every day while many of them work, they must see the value in the BGC. The parents may be a resource to tap in solution plans later.
Staff at the BGC are incredibly dedicated and are willing to do anything to help the kids.
- Non-User Interview (Noah)
Team Participants: Garrett Fisher
Location: Phone Call
Characteristics:
17 years old
Has never attended Boys and Girls Club
Hawaiian-Samoan American
Junior at Woodlake High School in Woodlake, CA
Hobbies: Camping, surfing, hunting
Interview Highlights:
What do you think of when you hear ‘Boys and Girls Club of America’?
“I think of a place where little kids go to hang out, they’re usually in cities I think. Like ‘The Y’ but aimed more at kids.”
Do you know anyone who attends a Boys and Girls Club?
“No, but I do have a lot of friends who go to ‘The Y.’”
What do you typically do after school?
“I play sports year-round, I work with my fair animals, and I go to work. If I’m not doing any of that I’m usually trying to hang out with friends”
How do you get from place to place?
“My mom works at the school and coaches volleyball after, so unless I have morning swim practice I go with her, otherwise I drive my grandpa’s truck, as long as it works.”
Learnings:
Noah occupies his time with a lot of different activities, and doesn’t seem to find himself having much free time.
He is able to take advantage of the fact that his mother is a teacher and a coach, allowing him to partake in sports without needing his own car most of the time.
There is no BGC in his area, but he seems to think “The Y” would be a good substitute.
Key Insights:
Consider “The Y” for an analogous immersion.
Students with lots of extracurricular activities are probably not the best target demographic for the BGC.
Immersion Experience at the BGC
Date: 2/24/17
Event: Day at BGC
Event Description: Played cards with the kids and Miss Missy, played pool, and watched basketball, all while making small talk.
Key Insights:
The kids are extremely personable and lively. They have no problem talking about whatever comes to their minds, and they include others without fail. Nobody in the BGC is an outcast, no matter the age or background. Many of the kids are quiet and content to sit in the lounge in silence, but anyone who wants to be social at the BGC is in good company. The kids who attend the BGC seem to be at the younger end of the high school age spectrum. Maybe once they are of the age when they can begin to drive themselves they no longer choose to go to the BGC. Maybe once they can drive they have to get jobs to support themselves and their families. These could be important issues to consider when trying to target certain groups to attend the BGC.
Analogous Immersion at “The Y”:
In order to accurately determine the performance of the BGC, our team is comparing results and activities to similar organizations.
After talking to Mikey, head of The Y in Woodlake California, the following information was gathered:
What activities does The Y sponsor?
“We keep the high school pool open in the summer for recreational use and partner with the local Tiger Sharks summer league swim team to teach kids to swim safely and in a fun environment. We also hold open gym almost year-round after school hours during both semesters and all day in the summer. We host summer day activities for small children as well. Zumba classes use our facilities occasionally too.”
Does The Y have any school-specific activities like homework help or tutoring?
“We are severely limited in staff and funding, so while we do what we can, there isn’t much structure to our academic side.”
How is attendance across different student ages?
“Attendance remains relatively even among ages, maybe even increasing among high schoolers because we’re right behind the high school and we have both indoor and outdoor basketball courts, and the outdoor courts are open for use at any time. That’s a really good draw for the kids who are bored and just need something to do. They want to be active, they just don’t always have many options here in Woodlake.”
Key Insights:
The 24-hour basketball court is a big plus for The Y. The Y’s location between the middle school and high school is also an advantage, as transportation is not an issue for students, and the area is familiar. Police tend to check on the well-lit area pretty often so the courts are always a safe place to exercise. While an outdoor court is a more viable option in sunny, warm California, something similar may be of interest to the BGC of Saint Joseph County, at least for the warmer months. What BGC does better than The Y, however, lies in their academic help. The Y is run by about five people at most, while the BGC has staff and volunteers that allow each kid to get more individualized attention when he or she needs it.