Q&A with Marcia Mintz, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley
1. Why are mentors/caring adults so important for young people?
Mentors are critical to positive youth development. Having a mentor ensures that young people can connect with someone outside their families who can serve as a resource and a support system as they navigate the ups and downs of life. Countless studies point to how mentoring improves youth’s communication, interpersonal and relationship-building skills. And the relationship is a win-win, giving mentors a sense of purpose and fulfillment too.
2. What programs does Boys & Girls Clubs have to develop leadership skills in young people?
One of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley’s signature programs is called AZYouthforce. This dynamic career exploration and training program is built around a 30-hour AZYouthforce Academy where teens learn hard and soft skills such as interviewing, resume development, financial literacy and critical thinking. These eager young workers can also earn certifications in retailing, IT and other areas. In each case, there is a mentor onsite and an AZYouthforce internship manager who coaches them through the program – this is our secret sauce!
Once they complete the training, the Academy’s graduates are placed in paid internships in partnership with well-known local and national companies, including Bank of America, Banner Health, Jiffy Lube and Phoenix Suns Arena (Footprint Center). The jobs pay well – up to $20 per hour– and they close the opportunity and career readiness gaps by equipping teens with the skills they need to succeed. The program is especially beneficial in creating equity for teens from under-resourced communities while building a robust and diverse workforce with a segment of the population – youth – often overlooked by employers.
3. Your Clubs are offering Wellness Coaching now to members? How does this help to develop young people?
Through our health and wellness initiatives, our Clubs help our members engage in daily physical activity, make healthy nutrition choices, employ good resistance and decision-making skills and refrain from participating in risky behavior. Ultimately, the goal is to instill the lifelong importance of making smart decisions about health and wellness.
4. How does Boys & Girls Clubs use sports to develop leadership skills in young people?
Our sports recreation league programs develop our members’ physical health, and we focus on the leadership skills of being part of a team. Our coaches and staff focus on motivation, teamwork, and sportsmanship. These are lifelong leadership skills!
The good news is that our programs are working. From July 2020 through June 2021, the Clubs served 298,267 free meals and 219,161 healthy snacks to Club kids, saving approximately $9 million in negative food insecurity outcomes. In addition, our emphasis on physical activity helped avert obesity for nearly 200 Club kids, resulting in a potential direct medical and productivity lifetime savings of $13.4 million in 2021. Similarly, prevention programs collectively helped hundreds of youth abstain from alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use for a $14 million annual reduction in treatment costs.
5. What does volunteering teach young people about leadership?
Kids and teens love to volunteer! We offer Torch Club for younger members, and Keystone Club for teens as part of our Strong Character and Leadership programming. Teens enjoy volunteering and seeing how they can make a difference in the world. For young people who grow up in under-resources communities, this is especially meaningful. Volunteering gives them agency and shows them they have the power that they have to make an impact.
These are leadership experiences where they learn how to raise money or make a plan to serve others. At every step, they see how they can organize people, influence opinions, educate others, and transform their community.