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Following are several issues that you should take into account as you develop a Boys and Girls Club.
A. Guiding Principles, Mission and Core Values
Boys and Girls Clubs are community based, “grass roots” programs and organizations. Because every community is different, no two Boys and Girls Clubs are identical or will offer exactly the same service in the same way. The services are tailored to the unique needs of the community.
But despite the diversity that exists among communities throughout the nation, the development of a Boys and Girls Club in every community is guided by these common principles:
- All services are consistent with the Mission and Core Values of Boys and Girls Clubs25
- Parents, children and youth are involved in the exploration, planning and implementation processes
- All services address an identified need for children and youth that is currently not being met by existing agencies
- All services are developmental in that they assist children or youth in building skills, self-esteem, responsible behaviours and attitudes, leadership, etc.
- All participants, staff, volunteers, families, funders and members are considered to be stakeholders within the development of a healthier community.
The Mission and Core Values of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada form the basic checklist against which efforts towards establishing and maintaining a Boys and Girls Club are measured.
Mission Statement
Boys and Girls Clubs, with families and other adults, offer children and youth opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and values they seek to become fulfilled individuals.
Core Values: All Boys and Girls Clubs
- Care about children and youth
- Acknowledge a sense of self-worth is fundamental to individual dignity
- Understand children and youth need to be heard
- Believe a sense of belonging is essential to healthy growth
- Foster cultural understanding and acceptance
- Assist youth to attain their potential
- Value learning as a lifelong goal
- Understand and respond to youth’s sense of adventure
- Acknowledge the importance of the family
- Acknowledge the importance of appropriate role models
- Are committed to voluntarism
- Value and practice cooperative approaches
- Seek neighbourhood and community solutions
- Acknowledge our role as advocates for children and families.
The mission and values serve to unite and guide the diverse programs of the Boys and Girls Clubs across Canada. It is important that you carefully read the more detailed Mission Statement and Core Values contained in Appendix L, and ensure that the program in your community fits with them.
B. Facilities
When most people think of a Boys and Girls Club, they think of a place, a safe place where young people can go after school to participate in fun, recreational, and educational activities. But depending on the type of programs you are offering in your community, the “place” in which the program operates could be a group home, shelter, summer camp, after school care centre, or other facility. The nature of the program and activities being offered will be critical factors in determining the type of facility required.
Finding a suitable place in which to conduct your business and run your program will likely be a high priority as you develop your program plan. Many groups will get hung up on finding a facility of their own. While having a facility of your own might be a high need for your community, it might also be too costly, or an inefficient use of resources. It is therefore wise to consider a number of different venues. Boys and Girls Clubs across Canada operate out of a variety of facilities. These facilities might be owned, rented, shared or otherwise. Some Clubs have a dedicated facility or building, geared towards club activities. Others are housed in such spaces as:
- Community centres
- Space in community schools
- Renovated church halls
- Renovated houses
- Renovated factories and grocery stores
- Base/residential camp facilities
- Shopping malls
C. Membership Process
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada require groups wishing to develop a new club to go through a specific three-phase development process:
Phase One: Community Review
This stage helps deepen your understanding of your community needs and how they fit with the Boys and Girls Club model. It asks you to develop some ideas about what a club in your community would look like and what kinds of services it would deliver in response to community needs. In short, you are required to conduct a community needs assessment26. You can expect this phase to take approximately three to six months to complete.
Phase Two: Community Development
Once you have determined that your community needs and wants a Boys and Girls Club, you can begin to create a plan for developing your club and delivering services. In this phase, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada can become involved in the process and provide additional resources to support your club’s development. This phase ends when your community has applied for and been granted Provisional Membership in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada organization. The timeline for this phase is approximately six months to one year. When you have submitted the Application for Provisional Membership Requirements and a Program Plan, you may be required to make a presentation to the Regional Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors. Once the Regional Board of Directors has approved the application for Provisional Membership, it is forwarded to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada Board of Directors for final approval. If approved, you will receive written confirmation from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada of provisional membership, and you will have the right to call your program a Boys and Girls Club.
Phase Three: Service Development
Obtaining Provisional Membership with Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada marks the beginning of the service development phase A club remains a Provisional Member for a minimum of one year, in order to give the club the chance to learn more about Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, and to give Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada a chance to learn more about the club. Clubs usually take about two years to achieve Full Membership27 status, but no more than three years is permitted.
Appendix L contains the Mission and Core Values of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. See Chapter 3 for more information on conducting a community needs assessment. Appendix K contains the Application for Full Membership Requirements
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