in partnership with - Boys & Girls Clubs of America

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO...Parents/CaregiversCommunicate the importanceof community service andcivic engagement by creatingroutine opportunities toparticipate in service activitiesas a family. Meet with yourchild’s school and Club leadersand ask whether characterbuildingactivities are built intoclassroom or out-of-schooltime programs.Educators/School AdministratorsSchools and educators shouldcontinue to create opportunitiesto integrate service and civiclearning into daily curriculum.Design educational systemsand approaches that focusspecifically on character building.Form creative partnershipswith community agencies thatcan offer these types of activitiesfor young people.Community/Business LeadersInvest money and resources inyour local community organizationsthat provide servicelearningactivities for youngpeople. Create volunteeropportunities for employeesthat help them engage youthin character-building activities.Institute family-friendly leavepolicies for employees at everylevel so that they may attendschool-sponsored activitieswith their children.Youth DevelopmentProfessionalsContinue to promote smallgroupprograms designed todevelop character and civicknowledge. Make sure thatyour programs are social andfun, and encourage communityand parent participation–deepeningrelationshipsamong the adults.Youth MentorsCreate opportunities for ayoung person or group ofyoung people to join you ona community service project.Take a young person to a townhall, school board, or othercommunity meeting so thatthey are exposed to these processesand community leaders.Discuss with your mentees theimportance of being a personof good character and usecurrent events from the newsto start this conversation.TeensJoin extra-curricular activitiesat your school or join yourlocal Boys & Girls Club to gainaccess to enriching characterbuildingand service-learningopportunities. Ask your friendsto join you at the Club. Talkto your teachers and parentsabout issues that you arepassionate about, and askthem to help you organizeservice-learning events and/or activities to engage otherteens from your community.To learn more about theTeens Speak Up survey andresults, visit:www.bgca.org/teensurvey