Monthly Newsletter
Jeremy Cohen
Juvenile Violent Crime (Problem/Solution)
Have you ever wondered what kids do after school? Well, many of them are left unsupervised until their parents get home. Data has shown that Juvenile violence peaks in the afterschool hours on school days and in the evenings on non-school days. On non-school days, the incidence of juvenile violence increases through the afternoon and early evening hours, peaking between 7pm and 9pm. The number of school days in a year is essentially equal to the number of non-school days in a year. Despite this split, most (63%) violent crimes committed by juveniles occur on school days. Nearly one-fifth (19%) of juvenile violent crimes occur in the 4 hours between 3pm and 7pm on school days. A smaller proportion of juvenile crime (15%) occurs during the standard juvenile curfew hours of 10pm to 6am (inclusive of both school and non-school days). The annual number of hours in the curfew period ( 8 hours every day in the year) is 4 times greater than the number of hours in the in the 3pm to 7pm period on school days (4 hours in half of the days in the year). Therefore, the rate of juvenile violence in the afterschool period is 5 times the rate in the juvenile curfew period (inclusive of both school and non-school days). Consequently, efforts to reduce juvenile crime after school would appear to have greater potential to decrease a community's violent crime rate than do juvenile curfews.
Why does this happen? the problem is that 15.1 million kids in America are left unsupervised after school. What is the solution? Resolve to keep kids involved in positive activities afterschool instead of leaving them unsupervised and more willing to yield to peer pressure and bad behavior. Boys and Girls Club of America provides a safe place for kids to learn and grow every day after school. They are open from 3:00-6:30. Find one near you to keep juveniles out of crime statistics.
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Starting a Club (Sequence/Process)
If you want to make life better for young people in your community, start a Boys and Girls Club. A few dedicated people spreading the word will cause the idea to catch on and it will open sooner than you can imagine.
Get started by finding one or two dedicated people who can get other community leaders involved.
Contact the nearest BGCA Service Center in Chicago, Atlanta or Dallas.
Organize a steering committee to confirm interest in project and begin preliminary work.
Conduct a Community Readiness Assessment to determine how community needs are being met and identify community resources available that could help support a Club.
Develop a Management Operating Agreement with an existing local Club as a resource.
Organize a Unit Advisory Council so you can elect officers and establish committees that will help operate a Club.
Secure a location and use resources from existing Club to help you select the type of building that would be satisfactory.
Determine costs of building renovations, equipment and an operating budget for one year.
Raise the funds through a community fund raising campaign that involves face-to-face solicitations and advertisements.
Recruit a Club director to steer your Club in the right direction.
Now that you have read through these steps you are probably thinking this is a lot of work but all you need is some perseverance and your dream will come true.
Volunteer Now!! (Cause/Effect)
Do you want to get out and volunteer to help others in your community but you are not sure it is a good cause? Believe it or not, it is a good cause. It has benefits for you as well as the people that you help.
One of the commonly known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteering connects you to your community and makes it a better place. One of the unknown benefits of volunteering is that it helps you make new friends and boost your social skills. Plus, donating your time to a noble cause makes you feel better about yourself.
In today's world, young people are faced with enormous challenges – from poverty to the high school dropout crisis to an obesity epidemic – that threaten their chance to have great futures. And, unfortunately, headlines remind us every day that we live in a dangerous world that puts too many young people at serious risk.
Don’t sit idle and wait for others to volunteer. Do it yourself. This will benefit YOU and others. Think about who you would want to help like young, elderly or poor. Then look up organizations that aid the group you are interested in helping. Volunteer opportunities are everywhere. Call NOW to find out how you can help.
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/work-career/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm
Alumni Report: Shaquille O'Neal (Description)
Shaquille O’Neal joined the Newark, New Jersey Boys and Girls Club of America in 1982. It was a safe, supportive place to play basketball in his hometown. He was encouraged by the staff to become involved in other Club programs and really triumphed in the technology programs.
Since 1992, the NBA All-star has showered thousands of at-risk youth with gifts during the holiday season.
In 1998, Shaquille pledged $1 million to Boys & Girl Clubs of America to help build technology centers in Clubs. He also collaborated with BGCA and Microsoft to create an online safety program for kids. During the last decade, Shaquille’s legacy has grown to include some 2,000 tech centers in Clubs and thousands of tech-savvy young people.
"Shaquille O'Neal's support for Boys & Girls Clubs means so much to the kids who come through our doors each day," said Frank Sanchez, National Vice President, Sports and Entertainment. "We salute his extraordinary generosity and applaud him for always coming back home to spread hope and cheer." The Club enables young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
Now Shaquille O'Neal is a retired basketball player with many accomplishments in his life. In my opinion, his best accomplishment is that he continues to support Boys & Girls Clubs, never forgetting how critical it is to give kids facing adversity in their life hope and opportunity because once upon a time, he was one of those kids.
http://www.bgca.org/whoweare/alumni/AHOF/Pages/ShaquilleONeal.aspx
Graduation Rates (Compare/ Contrast)
There is good and bad news in terms of High School Graduation rates. Whenever someone asks me if I want to hear the good news or bad news first, I always ask for the bad news first. So hear is the bad news, the Chicago Public Schools graduation rate hit 69% in 2013-2014. This was up by 4 percent from the previous year so the City of Chicago would like you to think this is a good thing. While it is good that the graduation rate is up from the previous year, 69% is still inadequate and basically means that not even 7 out of 10 students will graduate from high school. Many factors can prevent students from reaching this goal. Homelessness, no family support structure and other factors can easily overwhelm students and they don’t have the ambition to defy the odds. Now for the good news, 90% of Boys and Girls Club of America alumni reported to have graduated from high school in a Harris Survey. The Boys and Girls Club of America has programs for High School juniors and seniors that help them plan for a future like college or career preparation programs and money management program that help with applying for financial assistance. This is real world support for these students and possibly what is missing from the public school programs. These types of programs inspire students to venture into the future with a plan.
http://bgca.org/whywecare/Pages/KidsInCrisis.aspx?_ga=1.82877983.807417009.1432580667
Contact us to get on the Mailing List
Email: jeremycoh5631@k12.ipsd.org
Website: bgca.org
Location: Chicago, IL, United States
Phone: 847-490-5220