Published September 2024
By: Ashlee Sjogren
Highlights:
- High-quality afterschool programming is important, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America are one of many organizations providing youth opportunities outside of school time.
- In 2020, the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) introduced the Industry Clubs, a hands-on, paid opportunity to explore career options and develop skills while gaining experience in the workforce.
- In partnership with BGCSM, Youth-Nex just released a case study about the Industry Clubs and how this Boys & Girls Club used it as a response to community poverty.
It is back-to-school season, and we are all thinking about the ways we can support our children and youth to be successful this year. While young people spend most of their time in school, out-of-school time (OST) is equally important to support development (social, emotional, cognitive, and academic), promote positive health, and more. Recently, many OST programs have even begun to consider how they can support youth in becoming career and workforce ready by the age of 18.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America are one of these many organizations providing workforce development opportunities for youth during OST. I recently worked with the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM), alongside my Youth-Nex colleagues, to learn more about their Industry Club model, a unique approach to youth workforce development. We just published a case study detailing the development and implementation of this model, which I think may be useful for those who are working in the OST space this upcoming academic year.
Reframing the Club
No community is the same and the needs of youth can change overtime. To address this, BGCSM conducted a Root Cause Analysis which led them to reframe their mission to focus on preparing youth to climb the economic mobility ladder and be career, start-up and homeowner ready and proficient at the end of their club experience. BGCSM enacted this through their Industry Clubs that help youth acquire knowledge and tools to a specific industry but also employability skills such as communication, organization, technical literacy, and time management. This reframing to Industry Clubs created an ecosystem of support for youth, helping them access the economic, cultural, social, human, and wellness capital they need to achieve economic mobility.
The Industry Club Model
BGCSM collaborates with funders and industry partners in their local ecosystem to identify which local industries they should develop clubs around. Currently, these include industries such as fashion, sports, urban planning, and technology. BGCSM leadership uses a comprehensive rubric that considers funding, student interest, and other key factors when deciding to invest time and finances into developing a club. All Industry Clubs are led by paid industry professionals who can provide up to date information and networking opportunities for the youth.
A key feature of the model that promotes engagement of youth is the pay. Much like having a job, youth apply and interview for Industry Clubs and are held accountable to a signed employment agreement to remain in the program and receive the associated hourly wage.
Lessons Learned
In the full case study, we share more about BGCSM implementation, growth, and lessons learned. Here I highlight some key considerations to supporting youth workforce development.
- Know your landscape to understand what is already being offered to young people in your community so you are not creating competition. Many high schools have vocational-technical programming, and many cities have summer youth employment programs. Mapping out what kinds of support and services are already available, and how you can create new options for workforce exploration and experiences expands options for youth and potentially decreases competition for funding those options.
- Creating a pipeline of support was key for BGCSM. Their pipeline included Exposure in elementary school, Exploration in middle school and the Industry Club Experience in high school.
- Remaining competitive in wages with other employers, such as Target and McDonalds, is imperative for equitably supporting youth. Some Industry Club participants struggle to see the long-term benefits of the tangible skills they are learning. If they can make more money to contribute to their families elsewhere, it is hard to convince them of the long-term gains when they need short term cash.
- Youth recruitment and retention is a multifaceted challenge. Given that the club works to alleviate poverty and improve economic mobility, the youth they engage with are living with the chronic stress of income inequities. The mental health challenges associated with chronic stress can be a barrier for young people to fully engage in and commit to Industry Clubs. To address this challenge, BGCSM launched its mental health initiative in 2021 as one of its foundational pillars of support to club members.
These lessons learned are important considerations to anyone who is interested in supporting youth as they explore and gain career-related skills.
If you have any comments or questions about this post, please email [email protected]. Please visit the Youth-Nex Homepage for up to date information about the work happening at the center.
