Minnesota Update

Check out all our latest updates from Minnesota Boys & Girls Clubs

Top Stories:

  • MN Boys & Girls Clubs Open During Pandemic
  • Clubs Meet Community Needs for Food
  • Back-to-School Plans for Clubs
  • Clubs Go Virtual

MN Boys & Girls Clubs Open During Pandemic

 

While most Clubs closed when schools went virtual in March, Club staff soon saw the economic,academic and childcare impact of the pandemic on families in their community.

 

Clubs across the state knew they had to open this summer to provide much needed safe spaces for kids to be, despite the increased health requirements and costs, and decreased fundraising revenue.

 

Minnesota Clubs have worked closely with the Governor's Children's Cabinet, the MN Department of Health and other youth-serving nonprofits to make sure kids are served in a safe, healthy environment.

 

 

 

 
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Boys & Girls Clubs Meet Community Needs for Food

 

The pandemic has exacerbated an already dire situation for some Minnesota families: Hunger. Coupled with social unrest in some Clubs' communities, basic needs and services have been going unmet for families.

 

Minnesota Boys & Girls Clubs saw the need, and sprang into action. While they typically serve more than 600,000 free meals to youth each year, Clubs partnered with food shelves, USDA and funders to help provide meal, food staples and other necessities to families in their communities. Some Clubs went so far as to convert whole locations into pop-up food shelves for communities in need.

 

The nutrition need for Minnesota families will go on, long past the pandemic. Clubs are working to find ways to continue their food programs for their communities on a regular basis.

 

 

 
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Back-to-school Plans for Clubs

 

For many Boys & Girls Clubs in Minnesota, this fall will look much different than previous years. Knowing that schools will either be opening in a distance or hybrid model, Clubs are partnering with their local districts to put plans in place to care for and assist youth when they are not physically in school.  

 

This may look like being open during school day hours for some Clubs, or providing extra classroom space to school districts in their Clubs. Some Clubs in schools will coordinate to care for Tier 1 essential workers' families, while other Clubs will provide a wrap-around academic approach in collaboration with neighborhood schools.

 

While each Club's back-to-school plan will be hyper-localized, the need for social distancing, PPE, staff and funding will be universally challenging across the state. Clubs will look for greater private and public funding to help them help kids in their communities during this uncertain time.

 

 

 

 

 
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Clubs Go Virtual

 

Due to the decreased capacity levels in Boys & Girls Clubs brought on by COVID-19, many Clubs created innovative, interactive virtual programs for Club youth. While elementary age youth were socially distances in Clubs, many Club teens were able to interact with Club staff, and participate in youth development activities through their computers and phones.

 

Many Clubs used Boys & Girls Clubs of Americas MyFuture.net, a mobile-friendly social platform with access to over 250 Boys & Girls Club program activities in areas such as STEM, leadership and the arts.

 

 

 

 

 
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Minnesota Local Clubs News

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities youth partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs from around the country this summer to virtually discuss race in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder. This culminated in a virtual teen town hall featuring Minnesota Club youth and alumni broadcast across the country

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Central MN CEO Mary Swingle was a featured speaker in a congressional town hall to discuss the needs and challenges of youth-serving nonprofits during the pandemic. The town hall was virtually participated in by many US House and Senate members and staff.   

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of the Bemidji Area had a gardening program for youth at their Club this summer. The Club's gardening project emphasizes good nutrition, regular physical activity through gardening, and improves access to fresh fruits and vegetables leading to improvement in a child's overall well-being. Club youth planted, tended and harvested the garden. They also held community farmers markets to sell the produce.

 

 

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