Our nation's children and teens today face unprecedented challenges to achieving the great futures we envision for them. Poverty, hunger, obesity, youth violence and the high school graduation crisis are just a few of the obstacles that can derail a young person from their path to becoming responsible, caring, productive citizens. Consider:

• Each day after school, more than 15 million kids are left unsupervised – during the very hours that juvenile crime skyrockets


• More than 1 in 4 kids won't graduate with their class this year


• 3 out of 10 kids are overweight or obese

In many of the communities served by Boys & Girls Clubs, circumstances are far worse. Some 64 percent of Club youth are eligible for free- or reduced-price school lunches, an important indicator of low socio-economic status.

Our network of 4,000 Clubs and BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations serve nearly 4 million young people, ages 6-18. Clubs are located in public housing and public schools, on Native American lands, in rural areas and inner cities – everywhere kids need us most.

Hear Trei Dudley, BGCA's 2012-13 National Youth of the Year, explain how her Boys & Girls Club helped her overcome obstacles and get on her way to a great future. Click Here to view her speech.

At the heart of the Formula for Impact is the outcome-driven Club Experience – a powerful force for changing and saving young lives.

Based on research into the ways young people grow and thrive, as well as analysis of the best practices and traditions of highly effective Clubs, the Formula for Impact identifies the components of the Club Experience that assure young people can achieve important outcomes. They are:

• The Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development


• High-Yield Activities


• Targeted Programs


• Regular Attendance

When the Club experience is strong, incorporating all of these components, young people are significantly more likely to achieve the positive outcomes that lead to a great future.

Hear how it works with BGCA's former Senior Vice President of Program and Youth Development Services, Judith J. Pickens.

Our vision is to:

Provide a world-class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.

To achieve this vision, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has refined our program strategy to focus on three priority outcome areas:

• Academic Success
• Good Character and Citizenship
• Healthy Lifestyles

These are the very fabric of the Club Experience, the five things that a Club must provide to make a positive impact on young people:

1. A safe, positive environment
2. Fun
3. Supportive relationships
4. Opportunities and expectations
5. Recognition

Of these critical elements, child safety is a foundational principle for our Movement. If young people aren't safe, they can't learn, grow or achieve the important outcomes they need to succeed.

Learn more about the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development. Download the Desk Reference Card.

Otherwise known as "fun with a purpose," high-yield activities are interactive experiences that help young people develop critical thinking or other skills.

Research shows that kids who spend their free time engaged in learning activities achieve more in school. Club programming should incorporate high-yield activities in all three priority outcome areas: Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles.

For activity ideas you can use in the Club, download these High-Yield Activity Kits.

Targeted programs are designed to help young people achieve one or more of our priority outcomes: Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. Targeted programs can be developed in the local Club or chosen from BGCA's roster of national programs.

See targeted programs available from BGCA. Or, learn more about a specific program.

Research and experience tell us that the longer and more often young people come to the Club, the more they achieve. Our goals are to increase the number of youth who attend the Club at least 104 times per year (about twice a week), and to retain younger members as they grow into teens.

Our strategies for increasing average daily attendance – or ADA – rely upon several factors: recruitment, retention, frequency of attendance (sometimes called "annual visits") and program participation.

Learn more about BGCA's strategy for increasing Club attendance.

Young people who drop out of high school are significantly less likely to secure a good job, earn an adequate salary and have a promising future. As such, high school graduation and on-time grade progression are important goals for all members.

Find targeted programs in Academic Success.

Find high-yield activities in Academic Success.

Good citizenship is integral to a young person's ability to become a productive, caring and responsible citizen.

Find targeted programs in Good Character and Citizenship.

Find high-yield activities in Good Character and Citizenship.

The health habits and self-care practices developed in childhood and adolescence affect an individual's health and quality of life throughout adulthood.

Find targeted programs in Healthy Lifestyles.

Find high-yield activities in Healthy Lifestyles.