Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey Country Case Study Essay Example

the United States are dropping out of high school before receiving their degree. This is a problem because that means there is an upcoming 30% of American citizens that aren't benefiting this country. In fact, quite the opposite is in effect. It is projected that high school dropouts tend to be part of the percentage of increased crime rate, unemployment rate, poor health, poverty levels, and are usually off of public aid.

To overcome this dilemma there are three options to consider and search: Family cooperation: active and committed parental involvement in children's education Prevention programs: established core programs to assist and encourage youth to stay dedicated to facilitating their own futures through education Government regulations: new laws to enforce educational practices and reduce the risk of dropouts at any age Consideration of these possible solutions is measured in this case-study report against a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria. These standards are chosen to help deliberate the most effective and beneficial option with he most advantages to further this country ideals and foundation.

The conditions include: Cost: expenses of each option Time to achieve: reality of predicted time to institute and complete desired result of each option Ease of implementation: (interconnected with time to achieve) reality of effort taken to execute each option Projected effectiveness: how effective each option is to achieve desired result The deliberation of solving the issue of declining high productive option; which was to launch prevention programs into the education system to reduce the crisis. The conclusion reached was determined because of the act that when compared to the other options of instituting new government regulations or increasing family cooperation,

proactive dropout-deterring programs were the best choice.

Prevention programs are less costly than domestic educational assistance, but in the long run, would be more effective and beneficial. New government regulations would be the most effective as it would cause a larger-scale cultural and social change, but the actuality of implementing such laws isn't very realistic.

The option of creating high school dropout-deterring programs has some flaws, but is the most promising. Instituting preventative programs into schools and organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, is exactly what is necessary to overcome this nation-wide educational crisis for a more productive and cohesive country.

Nonprofit Organization: Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey This case study assesses and examines the main characteristics of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey, two organizations out of the estimated 4,000 club facilities nationwide. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and thoroughly analyze the functionality of the programs, providing information from the upcoming research bout the issues the organizations are faced with specifically in Seaside and Salinas. Recommendations are given for the Boys and Girls Clubs' officials consideration in managing the challenges found in this case study.

Who is Boys and Girls Clubs of America? The first of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America originated in Hartford, Connecticut in 1860 from the belief that boys needed a positive environment to be safe and grow instead of possibly getting into trouble.

Roughly 4,800 youth members participate in Club programs and participate in the United Way of Monterey County. According to he website, roughly 400 volunteers and over 20 community partners are in association with the nonprofit organization

and operate under a board of thirteen directors. What motivates them? The organization of the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County mission is "to inspire and empower the youth of Monterey County to realize their full potential to become responsible, healthy, productive, and successful citizens. " The organizations provide a safe and active place where children from ages six to eighteen years old can be taken care of.

They are committed to promoting the development and growth of their members.

Competitors of the Boys and Girls Club are other after school programs such as the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), which, despite the name allows all sexes and religions, and other local youth centers. The Boys and Girls Club organizations strive to instill respectable values such as senses of "competence, usefulness, belonging, and power of influence" to create all-around good adults. One of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey main programs is (R)creation, sports and fitness, (E)education and career development, (A)arts, (C)harasser and leadership development, and (H)lath and life skills (R.

E. A. C. H.

). The development of each young person's complete well-being is the organization's main objective. The further result in affecting their environment in all its entirety.

Establishing good ethics and morals owing to the six pillars of character, which are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship, teach youth to become virtuous, responsible people that will improve their lives in a positive way.

Financial Support 83% of all donations given to the organization provide for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County's after school programs and facilities to develop youth character. This chart is an example of one

of the branches of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and how it uses its revenue. The majority of the income is focused on recreation to build character, teach social skills and develop stress management in a healthy way. Membership fees aren't enough to cover all of the clubs' financial needs.

Most of the revenue originates from donations. According to this chart, from one of the multiple branches of the Boys and Girls Club of America, in West Virginia, 40% come from contributions and 30% come from special events. Figure 2: A chart demonstrating where revenue derives from (Donate Today n. . ) There is an education crisis in America.

According to the "Why We Care" portion of the Boys and Girls Club of America website, three out of 10 students don't make it to high school graduation. Minorities, such as African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic, tell a different story with almost half of their populations not earning a diploma on time in 2010, according to the excerpt.

Low education rates are continuing to increase which then lead to unemployment and decline in life priorities and values (Education Crisis n. D. ).

The Boys and Girls Clubs are in the process of cackling this concern of the country while instilling good morals along the way with our youth. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America is committed to the concern of declining education rates because it affects not only our children's, but country future. The Anaheim City School District (ACID), who is partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, has witnessed this issue throughout the passing generations and are still in the

process of confronting this challenge.

Some of the ways they address this issue is by focusing on early childhood through programs and awareness from family purport services.

Arguments are made that the preemptive strike of the proactive education of the younger population is not only costly, but doesn't yield consistent results after a few years. The blame is put on the schools not being able to sustain the beneficial outcomes from such curriculums. Education leaders are concerned with the fact that their children having better futures. Dropout prevention programs are in effect thanks to school-community relationships currently in school districts nationwide .

This nation is experiencing a rising education crisis of its youth.

According to the Boys and Girls of America, over 30% of American students don't graduate high school with a diploma ("Education Crisis", n. D. ). Three ways to combat this problem are to involve families, to develop preventative programs, and/or for government to ensure early education.

I propose that the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County implement one of these solutions for low-income and minority families. This deep leading problem of such dropouts can lead to potential cultural downfalls such as escalating crime and unemployment rates. This social shift can change physically ND mentally in America and it starts with the youth of this nation.

Option One (Family Cooperation) Family has the first and foremost powerful influence on a child's entire life and character. Children do as they see and imitate after their parents, so there needs to be a step up in model behavior at home (Leper, n.

D. ). If more families have the desire to better their children's

future, then children will follow suit by example. To resolve this issue, families need to have a proactive approach, which starts at home.

Attention, involvement, and commitment to their child's education is necessary to infinite their lives in the future. According to Read Aloud, " The number of words that a child knows on entering kindergarten is a key predictor of his or her future success. The Boys and Girls Clubs can offer parenting classes highlighting the importance of reading with your children, setting aside a quiet place to do homework, and actively monitoring homework. The message is homework is a way to teach children responsibility and perseverance.

It doesn't Just take participation from the parents-?it will take overall cooperation from the whole nation academically and socially. The Boys and Girls Clubs can make inroads with this section of society where we see a higher rate of dropouts. Option Two (Preventative Programs) This country needs to acknowledge the importance and the extent of the impact that our younger generations have on the foundations of this nation. The establishment of more proactive programs can be the resolution to hinder this education crisis.

Influences outside of family are Just as necessary because they show different perspectives and values. Clubs and programs have the power to tackle the issue-?the dilemma is the implementation.

Programs such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America already have the drive and mission to develop well-rounded people. At present they offer programs such as arts, dance, music, and recreation. In addition, high-risk students could be empowered through a leadership program in which they are given the opportunity to do a project that

gives back to the community. For example, cleaning up graffiti, reaching out to the homeless, and a local park revitalization are Just a few of the possible ideas that these students could choose from.

These projects instill confidence, build relationships and empower individuals. Preventative programs culturally, socially, and personally (Results n. D. ).

Option Three (Government Involvement) The United States government has the power and influence to change this nation's flaws. Funding needs to be focused on early education. The younger a child is, the easier it is for children to learn something new. It's been proven that babies have a period of heightened cortex development where learning is almost effortless (Funnel, 2007).

A proposal is that the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County apply for an early education grant and expand to include preschool children.

The Boys and Girls Clubs have the space and facility during the day that can be used for preschool while the elementary, Junior high, and high school children are in school. The grant money can be used for teachers, materials, and curriculum. Since Kindergarten is more focused now on academic curriculum, preschool needs to provide colonization skills and predating skills.

If a child knows colors, numbers, shapes, and letters before entering Kindergarten, his or her chance of academic success is greater. "More than one in three children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary or lifetime learning" (Does Reading Aloud Matter n. D. ). This matter should be significant to the government because the only way to change the tree is from its roots.

The options discussed are deliberated based on four standards: cost, time it takes to

achieve the task, difficulty of implementation, and projected effectiveness of actually addressing the crisis.

Cost is a major factor whether there are even resources or is possible to operate such options. The time is takes to achieve the goal through application of a suggestion has to be realistic in whether the choice is worth t in the end, which ties into capability and ease to facilitate the recommendation. The most heavily weighed element is the anticipated effectiveness of the solution. The objective is to end all high school dropouts, so the aim is towards results.

Cost Time to achieve Ease of application Projected effectiveness Total Family Cooperation 2 9 Government regulations 3- Easy 2-Medium I-Difficult The matrix key comparison came to an evaluation of being equivalent in deciding what to recommend to address the issue of low graduation rates among high school students.

Narrowing it down to two choices, I would have to recommend launching organizations and programs to lead children on the path of success and high school completion. Change always comes with a price, but in the end it will be worth it. It is a necessary expense. The time to create the proactive programs will take more energy, but the efficiency of the solution implies that it would yield the greatest results for the youth involved.