Teaching Kids Tools For Life

What if all children grew up knowing that they have the strength within themselves to change their destiny? Could we break the cycle of despair, addiction, abuse and violence? That is the goal of a new BGCB partnership that is helping young people understand the impact of their daily choices and their connection to a world bigger than themselves.

 

The program, called SFK*, is an educational curriculum that helps children understand the choices they have to stay on track, especially when things get tough. If they are better able to meet life’s challenges, they are more able to focus on their goals and be a responsible member of their community. 

 

One Club member said, “I did not want to come [to this class], but when I came I learned a lot … to respect one another and to treat people with respect.”

 

The program uses hands-on active learning activities to teach important life lessons. Concepts are first introduced by the teacher through visual aids, analogies, stories or puppets. For example, when we share the light of a candle with another, the light doesn’t diminish, it gets stronger. In the same way, when we share with other people, we end up with much more, because we bring more happiness, love and peace to the world.

 

The timing of this program, whose goal is to end suffering and hopelessness, is ideal because so many children growing up in poverty are particularly anxious during tough economic times. By learning the importance of proactive behavior and understanding the link between their everyday choices and the consequences that follow, children feel empowered and understand that they have the power to change their life. The program’s effectiveness has been evaluated in a RAND study that found significant gains in positive behaviors such as adaptability, communication, leadership, social skills and study skills, as well as a reduction in negative behaviors such as anxiety, withdrawal and conduct problems.

 

The 10-week pilot program for ages 8 to 10 concludes this month with a “graduation” at the Darlene and Gerald Jordan Club in Chelsea. The Club’s Social Recreation Director, Rashaan Allen, said, “Our members really responded to the program because it provides a thoughtful, non-judgmental environment in which they were able to discuss the emotional issues they face on a day to day basis.”

 

One Club member said the program “teaches me how to handle things in a different way, like just letting go of what happened.”

 

Allen agrees. “The program allows kids to learn that they are in control of their emotions and behavior. They can choose to be happy and peaceful despite external influences that say otherwise,” he said.

 

The program will launch in mid-January at the Yawkey Club of Roxbury and the South Boston Club, and BGCB plans to implement the program at our Clubs in Charlestown and Dorchester (Blue Hill Club) once funding is available.