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05.10.10 | DPWF Teams with Fort Belknap area Boys and Girls Club to Help Students Find Path to Success
After School Programs across the country show remarkable success in the battle against rising drop-out rates of today’s teenagers. Not only are participants less likely to engage in risk-behaviors such as drinking and drugs, they are more likely to succeed academically.
A University of California Irvine / University of Wisconsin joint study in 2007 linked afterschool program participation among disadvantaged elementary and middle school students to substantial gains in both work habits and standardized test scores. For the last four years, the Boys & Girls Club of the Little Rockies worked to build just such a program.
The students call this comprehensive homework help and tutoring program, open to youth of all ages (6-18), ‘Power Hour: Making Minutes Count’. Unique to ‘Power Hour’ is the incentive program; participants accumulate Power Points by completing homework assignments and bonus activities. These points can buy Power Rewards, which include access to activities and prizes.
Beyond a fun twist on homework motivation, the Club is determined to maximize the effectiveness of this effort for the youth in their community. This means building partnerships. They coordinate with the local Diabetes Prevention program, Tobacco Free program, Meth/Suicide Prevention program, Tanf/477 department, Tribal Courts, and the social services department. Together, these groups divide responsibilities for presentations, activities, and incentives in order to keep the youth interested in and focused on the program.
Currently, almost 100 students take advantage of the ‘Power Hour’ and the Boys and Girls Club of the Little Rockies hopes to increase this number with the help of the DPWF Grant.
The Foundation has a history of support for afterschool programs, particularly those coordinating with other local groups and agencies to maximize the impact of their organization. We look forward to seeing the impact of the Boys and Girls Club ‘Power Hour’ program.
For more information on their organization, please call Marlene Werk at (406) 673-3561.
