Yet every day, 15 million kids (1 in 4) leave school with no place to go, putting them at risk of being unsupervised, unguided and unsafe1. During the summer, an alarming 43 million (3 out of 4) kids in America lack access to summer learning programs2, increasing their risk of learning loss and putting them at a disadvantage before the school year starts.
Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of America launches the Great Futures Campaign to call attention to the crisis facing kids and “redefine the opportunity equation” by elevating the role of out-of-school time in reversing these negative trends. The Great Futures Campaign, the Campaign for America’s kids, will mobilize the nation in support of after-school and summer programs that tackle these issues to inspire and empower more youth toward success.
“At Boys & Girls Clubs, we believe that every young person in America deserves a great future and that ensuring a safe, productive place for them to spend out-of-school time is a vital, yet overlooked, factor,” said Jim Clark, President and CEO for BGCA.
“As the nation prepares to go back to school, we want to ensure that after school is part of the discussion because School + Out-of-School = Great Futures. We’re launching the Great Futures Campaign to galvanize the nation in support of out-of-school time programs to change the future for our kids and our country.”obesity, drug use, and youth-related violence are cause for alarm and national action. A key component of the solution is out-of-school time.