At the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, there is nothing more important than the safety of our youth members. We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance.
For the hundreds of kids that enter our Worcester sites every day, our Club offers safe, inclusive spaces and experiences that empower members’ learning and growth. Our national data shows our approach works:
- Club teens are more likely to abstain from health-risk behaviors like alcohol and smoking than their peers nationally.*
- Clubs provide safety, mentorship and a sense of community during the critical out-of-school hours. 54% of Club alumni said the Club “saved my life.”**
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Clubs help build a sense of civic responsibility and leadership. In fact, 83% of Club members believe they can make a difference in their communities and 89% stand up for what they think is right.*
“The National Children’s Advocacy Center was the first Child Advocacy Center in the world, and there is nothing more important to us than the safety of youth. In this capacity, I have proudly served on Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Child & Club Safety Task Force since 2012 and seen firsthand the organization’s investment in safety and commitment to strong youth protection policies, immediate reporting and long-term strategy, as well as their dedication each day to creating a safe and supportive home-away-from-home for kids.”
- Chris Newlin, MS LPC, Executive Director, National Children’s Advocacy Center
With support and resources from Boys & Girls Clubs of America, our Club continually updates and innovates robust safety policies, programs and training for local Club staff and volunteers that are designed to protect young people from threats that are present in our society. Through our national Child & Club Safety Department, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester implements layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:
- Mandatory criminal background checks.
- The requirement of immediately reporting any incident regardless of severity to the appropriate authorities and then to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
- A Board led Safety Committee elevating safety to the highest level of governance.
- Mandatory annual safety assessments.
- Engagement with leading 3rd party safety experts on training, policies and resources.
- Any employee looking to move to another Club, MUST have a reference from the previous Club.
And much more. For more information, contact Liz Hamilton, Executive Director at "> .
Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has advocated for passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act to improve background screening systems and access. The national organization has also partnered with the FBI, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Centers for Disease Control to support the development of safety practices that benefit ALL youth-serving organizations.
*2018 National Youth Outcomes Report
**2015 Harris Interactive survey of Club alumni
