B&GC Bluffton serves more than 6,000 young people in greater Bluffton, Okatie and South Beaufort County, through joint education and intervention programs with the Bluffton Police Department and Beaufort Public Schools. Although there is no "typical" Club member, here is a snapshot of the youth, families and communities we serve.
Members:
Fifty-one percent of B&GC Bluffton's registered members are male, and fourty-nine percent are female.
Communities: The areas that B&GC Bluffton serves face challenges including poverty, inadequate education, unemployment, crime, and substance abuse .
How they Benefit In Bluffton, children spend approximately six hours a day, 180 days a year in school - fewer than 20 percent of their waking hours. Based on hours alone, out-of-school time presents a critical opportunity to help children meet their full potential.
With its widespread reach and comprehensive programming, B&GC Bluffton is well suited to help fill the gap and address this growing community need.
The positive impact of after-school programs is supported in numerous studies which show that students who participate in high-quality after-school programs, particularly those from lower socioeconomic levels, have better peer relations, emotional adjustments, and conduct in school compared to their peers who are not in programs.1
Youth who participate in after-school programs also spend less time watching television, perform better academically, are more inclined to engage in positive extra-curricular activities, handle conflict better, and miss fewer days of school.2
Recent research has also found that Boys & Girls Clubs, in particular, are extremely effective mechanisms to support positive youth development.
Youth engaged in a focused educational program within Boys & Girls Clubs, compared to non-Club youth, reported higher grade point averages:3
References
Baker & Witt, 1996; Kahne, Nagaoka & Brown, 1999; Posner & Vandell, 1999; Vandell and Shumow, 1999; Posner and Vandell, 1994, cited in Report of the Mayor's Task Force on After-School Time.
Riley et al, 1994; Schinke, Cole & Poulin, 1998; Pierce, Hamm & Vandell, 1999; Hamilton & Klein, 1998; Ohio Hunger Task Force, 1999, cited in Report of the Mayor's Task Force on After-School Time, p.8.
Schinke, Steven P. et al. 2000. Enhancing the Educational Achievement of At-Risk Youth. Prevention Science 1 (1): 51-60.
