- Give me a safe place to go after school
Offer an environment that allows teens to have a safe place to go after school when they are usually unsupervised. Give parents peace of mind knowing that their child is tended to and safe when they are not around.
Teen 3: “I get bored at home by myself, Boys and Girls Club allows me and my sister to have fun after school until our mom gets done”
2. Provide me with a way to get to the club
Provide a bus service or pick up with the local school buses that will drop off at the Boys and Girls Club after school. This would give children an effortless option and place to go after directly leaving school, verses walking or getting a ride with someone.
Teen 1: “I ride with Camille in the van from Adams but I know others that go to different high schools would go if they had a ride to the club”
Teen 2: “It would bring more kids to the club if the school bus dropped off at it every day”
3. Surround me with friends
Promote the club so that teen attendance will grow exponentially as more kids join the club because their friends start going there.
Teen 1:”I wish more of my friends came here to play basketball after school”
Teen 2: “I might stop coming now that I’m older and non of my friends are here with me”
Teen 3: “I come just because some of the boys and my other friends come here after school”
4. Give me a place to do my homework and get help
Hire tutors or volunteers that would be able to assist the teens with homework while also motivating them to excel in school. Having the right resources that the teen wouldn’t normally have at school or home at the club.
Teen 4:”I’m glad there are people here to help with school work sometimes when I need it”
Teen 2: “I don’t usually do homework after but I know if I need to there is always a computer I can jump on”
5. Give motivation to stay out of trouble
Motivate the kids to the idea that being in a safe place, rather than out on the streets unattended, gives them a better chance to do well in school and not get caught up in bad situations.
Teen 1: “I don’t want to be home by myself”
Teen 3: “Some kids already do sketchy stuff after school and I don’t want to get caught up in that”