Boys & Girls Club of Manchester Keystone Club members at the National Keystone Conference for Boys & Girls Club teens with their award for 1st place in career preparation. (Courtesy photo) Boys & Girls Club of Manchester’s (BGCM) Keystone Club took first place in the career preparation category at the National Keystone Conference in Atlanta in late July.
According to a recent press release, at the club’s annual Meet the Leaders event earlier this year, young members strategized, planned and executed the event from start to finish.
“Meet the Leaders has been an amazing opportunity for Keystone members to think about their futures after high school and reflect on how the Club has played a part in where they are today and where they aspire to be in the future,” says BGCM Director of Teen Engagement & Resources Rudi Koornneef. “Similarly for attending the National Keystone Conference.”
In addition, club members were tasked with creating a business plan to raise funds to attend the National Conference. Through their business plan, they created an internal snack store where BGCM members can purchase snacks and beverages, and then determined what they would sell, the pricing structure, how to purchase and obtain inventory, what point-of-sale system would be best, and when to operate the store. In only five months, they raised nearly $5,000.
“We were amazed by our young leaders’ tenacity,” says BGCM CEO Diane Fitzpatrick. “It is an honor to watch these kids grow into successful teen leaders and entrepreneurs, and to be able to give them the tools and platform to succeed.”
Keystone president and high school junior Brady added, “Being able to go to the conference was proof of our hard work. We were able to accomplish a goal that felt really far away when I joined Keystone two years ago.”
“My biggest takeaway from the conference was meeting new people,” said Hayden, BGCM Keystone vice president and high school senior. “I was nervous at first about the new personalities I would encounter, but the people I met were some of the hardest working and most passionate kids that the Boys & Girls Club of America has to offer. Everyone has the same goal of making their Club a better place for the community and their teens, which is.
