Partnering with a tribal Boys and Girls Club to serve youth

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Abstract

Shannon County, South Dakota, has the highest percentage of families in the nation living in poverty, an unemployment rate of 73 percent, and a high school dropout rate of 68 percent. Through a partnering of resources with the Boys and Girls Club of Shannon County, AmeriCorps*NCCC members assist in after-school programs that increase the odds of success for youth by giving them career and life skills. This program was highlighted in the National Service News, Issue No. 180, March 17, 2003, published by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

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Issue

Participating in partnerships as an efficient means of serving youth most in need.

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Action

Since 2001, 12 teams of AmeriCorps*NCCC members have served Shannon County youth through after-school programs at the SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club in the town of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The Shannon County project is part of a national partnership between AmeriCorps*NCCC and the Boys and Girls Clubs that benefits both groups. According to the National Service News, AmeriCorps*NCCC members assist with:
  • The SmartMoves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) program, a drug awareness and teen pregnancy prevention program for elementary, middle and high school students. Based on proven techniques, the program uses a team approach involving Boys and Girls Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives. More than simply emphasizing a "Say No" message, the program teaches young people ages 6-15 how to resist peer pressure by involving them in discussion and role-playing, practicing resistance and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence. The ultimate goal is to promote abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior.
  • The Technology Center, where members help the students improve their computer literacy; helping youth achieve basic computer skills; introducing them to digital movie making, music making, photography, graphic design and Web development; as well as guiding staff in using technology to enhance all program offerings.
  • Evening youth activities, such as dances and movies.
Plans are underway (March 2003) to incorporate the AmeriCorps ClubService Program to give young tribal members an opportunity to serve at the Boys and Girls Clubs and to earn money for college. The ClubService program provides education awards to Club members ages 17 and 18 and Club alumni ages 19 to 24 who serve their Boys and Girls Clubs and communities. CLUBService recognizes young people's service, helps them access higher education opportunities and encourages them to pursue future careers as Boys and Girls Club professionals.

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Context

Shannon County, South Dakota, located entirely within the Pine Ridge Reservation, has the highest percentage of families in the nation living below the poverty line (57 percent), an unemployment rate of 73 percent, a high school dropout rate of 68 percent and the lowest per capita income in the country.

The SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club originally opened in 1992. Named for Sue Anne Big Crow -- a young Lakota athlete and scholar who was killed in a car crash, the Club took on the mission of encouraging healthy lifestyles and the embodiment of SuAnne's ideals. With the help of the Oglala Lakota community, the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Interior and Agriculture, as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, a new expanded and improved facility opened in 2000.

National service programs and the Boys and Girls Clubs have been partners serving Native American youth since the late 1980s when ACTION, a predecessor agency to the Corporation for National and Community Service, awarded a grant to help support the establishment of the tribal Boys and Girls Clubs. This support continues through a Corporation grant and assignment of AmeriCorps*NCCC members.

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Outcome

  • Tribal communities and federal agencies working together develop positive alternatives for Native American youth.
  • The Boys and Girls Clubs obtain motivated, hard working young volunteers who relate very well to youth.
  • AmeriCorps*NCCC members learn about other cultures as they help meet community needs.
  • The prevention education and technology initiatives emphasize community mobilization and family involvement as strategies Boys and Girls Clubs can use to better serve more young people and broaden the impact of all Boys and Girls Club programs.

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Evidence

  • Since 2001, AmeriCorps*NCCC members have assisted 6200 elementary, middle and high school students in after-school programs.
  • After-school attendance has risen from 20 students to 250 students a day. Because of increased demands for these programs, two other Boys and Girls Clubs have opened in the area.
  • Attendance in evening youth activities has increased from ten to as many as 80 teens nightly.
  • Support at the technology center is credited with helping six youth obtain employment in an area where jobs are scarce.

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Posted On

May 8, 2003

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Related Practices

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Related sites

SuAnne Big Crow Boys & Girls Club

AmeriCorps*NCCC

Boys and Girls Clubs of America

Topic Areas

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