Denzel Washington and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Announce Major Effort To Attack High School Dropout Crisis

Enlisting Community Support to Increase Graduation Rate: 'Great Futures Start Here'

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Sep 15, 2010, 05:16 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) today announced a plan to refocus its program strategy toward ensuring that every member advances in school every year and graduates from high school on time.

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BGCA national spokesperson and Club alumnus Denzel Washington joined education experts at the National Press Club, where they unveiled the nonprofit organization's plan to align the program strategy into three major areas -- academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. The ultimate goal is to measure outcomes and curb the escalating high school dropout rate.

As the world's largest network of facility-based youth development organizations whose mission focuses on serving young people during out-of-school time, BGCA's local affiliates have an extensive reach into low-income and minority communities, where dropout rates are highest.

"In addition to the critical influence of home and school, the nonschool hours, including weekends and summers as well as after school, represent a significant chance to influence lives," said Roxanne Spillett, president/CEO of BGCA. "We are focusing on this largely untapped opportunity, in partnership with schools and parents, to help our most vulnerable students value education."

The first time Denzel Washington ever thought about going to college was when his Boys & Girls Club director began putting up the college banners of former Club members who had gone on to pursue a higher education. "I was maybe eight or nine years old, and I looked up at those names, those places, and thought 'Man, anything is possible!' if I worked hard and graduated from high school. The Club staff motivated us to dream big and take our education seriously. Kids today need that same motivation, more than ever," Washington said. An alumnus of the Club in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Washington has served as national spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs since 1992.

"Our goal is simple to state, but hard to achieve, unless the entire nation understands and responds to this dropout crisis," Washington said. "We want to help every Boys & Girls Club member advance to the next grade level every year, and graduate from high school on time, prepared with the attitude, knowledge and confidence to succeed and achieve their full potential. It's what we mean by our new slogan: 'Great Futures Start Here.'"

Further evidence of the effectiveness of Boys & Girls Clubs can be found in the person of the nonprofit's 2010 – 2011 National Youth of the Year Romonia Dixon. She spoke about the critical role of the Club in helping her graduate from high school and become the first member of her family to attend college.

The National Youth of the Year program has been sponsored for 63 years by The Reader's Digest Foundation. Another longtime BGCA supporter, Tupperware Brands Corporation, has joined as a co-sponsor this year, and will become the sole sponsor in 2011. Additionally, Tupperware and BGCA announced that GRAMMY-award winning entertainer and Boys & Girls Club alumna Ashanti will serve as the first-ever ambassador for the Youth of the Year program.

Research indicates that young people who drop out of high school are more likely to be unemployed, be in poor health, be involved with crime, use illegal drugs and become dependent on public assistance. They also are less likely to contribute to their communities in a meaningful way.

But the high school dropout crisis is a problem that can be solved, according to Dr. Robert Balfanz of Johns Hopkins University, who presented his findings at the event. "It is possible to identify at an early age children at risk of dropping out of school," said Balfanz. "The chances of changing a child's course and helping them to graduate from high school are much more likely at a younger age."

The High School Dropout Crisis – By the Numbers:

Nationally, 1.3 million students in the Class of 2010 failed to graduate.
One-third of America's children do not graduate from high school.
For Latino and African-American males, the rate skyrockets to nearly 50 percent.
Every 26 seconds, another teen drops out of high school.
The U.S. is the only industrialized country where young people are less likely than their parents to obtain a high school diploma.

Boys & Girls Clubs across the country have already seen dramatic evidence that an emphasis on academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles is working. According to a Harris Survey of Club alumni, BGCA's emphasis on education pays off for youth:

90 percent of alumni graduate from high school or obtain a GED.
Nearly two-thirds reported that Club staff contributed to their success in high school.

Great Futures Start Here

A part of this effort, BGCA is launching a new tagline, "Great Futures Start Here." This replaces the successful slogan, "The Positive Place for Kids," that the organization used for almost 20 years.

The new tagline, derived from BGCA's BE GREAT brand campaign, launched in 2008, communicates the totality of the Club experience and its impact on youth, families and communities. "This tagline focuses on the fact that Boys & Girls Clubs are community-based facilities with a proven track record of helping young people who have the least, and need the most, to achieve a great future," Spillett said. "Our Clubs have always provided the hope and opportunity that kids need to dream big, work hard and achieve."

BGCA will roll out the new tagline, complete with marketing materials for some 4,000 Clubs nationwide, throughout the fall.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has enabled young people, especially those who need Clubs most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs can be found throughout the country and on U.S. military installations worldwide, providing young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff.

Key Club programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. The national organization was founded in 1906. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America