Members of the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester Keystone Club at the National Keystone Conference for Boys & Girls Club youth with their 1st place award in Career Preparation. (Photo courtesy)
The Keystone Club of the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester (BGCM) 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 was a great opportunity for Keystone members to think about their future after high school and reflect on how the club has contributed to where they are today and where they want to be in the future,” says Rudi Koornneef, BGCM Director of Teen Engagement & Resources. “The same goes for attending the National Keystone Conference.”
In addition, club members were tasked with creating a business plan to raise money to attend the National Conference. As part of their business plan, they created an in-house snack shop where BGCM members can purchase snacks and drinks. They then determined what they would sell, the pricing structure, how they would purchase and source goods, what point of sale system would be best, and when the shop would operate. In just five months, they raised nearly $5,000.
“We have been impressed by the tenacity of our young leaders,” says Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO of BGCM. “It is an honor to watch these children grow into successful teen leaders and entrepreneurs and to be able to give them the tools and platform they need to succeed.”
Brady, Keystone president and a senior in high school, added, “Participating in the conference was a testament to our hard work. We were able to achieve a goal that felt very far away when I came to Keystone two years ago.”
“My biggest takeaway from the conference was meeting new people,” said Hayden, vice president of BGCM Keystone and a high school senior. “I was nervous at first because of the new personalities I would meet, but the people I met were some of the hardest-working and most passionate kids the Boys & Girls Club of America has to offer. They all have the same goal of making their club a better place for the community and their teens, and that’s it.”
