Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa: Supporting Youth for Generations - Essay Sample

Introduction

Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa (BGCO) is a non-profitable organization for young boys and girls. The organization was founded in 1923 and had been offering services to Ottawa youth for generations. BGCO offers summer, weekend and after-school programs for children aged 6 to 18. The organization aims to keep the youth from crime by offering them support services that help them grow responsibly (Bgcottawa.org, 2020). The firm helps approximately 4500 youth each year, provides free membership and a website for donations. BGCO also used social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to reach the youth, impact them as well as asking for donations. BGCO uses social media to make crucial announcements and impact youth with their four pillars: education, creative arts, bodily activity, fit lifestyle, headship, and social skills.

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Mission Statement and Goals

BGCO‘s mission is to offer a helpful and safe place where youth and children can experience new chances, develop confidence, form optimistic relationships, and overcome barriers (Bgcottawa.org, 2020). The organization aims to ensure that all youth and children establish and achieve their dreams and grow to be active social participants, healthy and successful. Their values are belonging, where everyone is welcomed to feel safe, positive, and acceptable. Another value is respect, where BGCO ensures that everyone is treated fairly. Encouragement comes in to support and encourage youth and children to learn, play, and live up to their dreams. Working together is another value that requires children, youth, volunteers, community, and government to unite in action. And lastly speak out as a value entails youth and their families speaking out for a better world.

Use of Social Media for BGCO

BGCO uses Twitter and Facebook social media platforms as an additional platform to its website to reach the children, youth, and volunteers. Through Facebook and Twitter, the organization speaks to the youth and children to assure the safety, need to succeed, create awareness of general matters, and the four crucial pillars (Charityintelligence.ca, 2020). BGCO uses these platforms to reach youth who cannot access physical location and provide all the essential services. The use of social media helps the organization achieve the following goals.

Provision of the Four Pillars of the Organization

According to Bgcottawa.org (2020), the four important pillars services provided to the youth and children in the organization are education, creative arts, bodily activity, and fit lifestyle, and governance, and social skills. Especially during the covid-19 pandemic, the organization is closed; hence the only way to continue its services is through these media platforms. BGCO educates children and youth on social media by posting learning and engaging information. For example, the organization post a video explaining how to write a short story or perform a play. The audience is also asked to participate in education skills creation tests online. BGCO also provides the audience with creative arts videos and exercises for them to practice. For example, children are given incomplete drawings where they are asked to download and complete them.

For a physical and healthy lifestyle, there are live streams classes for junior dances and all age yoga. These exercises are also provided through a virtual program that was recently developed to aid in the provision of online services. BGCO also shares kitchen time videos where children and youth are taught how to prepare healthy meals. Leadership and social skills are also provided whereby the youth are taught public speaking skills and concepts of being a responsible and accountable person. This is done either through sharing videos or notes. The organization uses these platforms to directly interact with children and the youth where they keep in contact through posts, likes, comments, and messaging. Any youth with pressing needs or inquiries could contact the organization by sending messages on their Twitter and Facebook pages.

BGCO use Social Media to Make Announcements

The management of BGCO uses Twitter and Facebook to create awareness of various events, notices, and messages to the children and youth of the organization (Facebook.com, 2020). Through these platforms, they publish organization newsletters intended for all people who visit the sites. The firm also posts the dates of events and invitations for both members and non-members of the organizations. General community knowledge is also shared in these platforms to reach the community participants. Donation requests are made on Twitter and Facebook through the provision of website links. Safety measures, especially during coronavirus crisis, are shared in these media sites. The management also uses the media to appreciate the youth and children as well as the well-wishers who participate in various events and activities posted on these pages.

Trends on Social Media

The current trend in BGCO’s Facebook and Twitter pages is the move with our challenge. This challenge is meant to connect with children, youth, and volunteers as well as ask for donations to continue providing essential services to the children in need. To participate in this challenge, one has to do the following. According to Bgcottawa.org (2020), the first step toward participating in the move with us is to take a video of yourself and make your best moves. Whichever moves that keep you going, could it be dancing, skating, or even playing football (Twitter.com, 2020)? The second step is sharing the video on social media using the #movewithuschallange. The third step is to invite or rather challenge five friends by tagging them and asking them to show their best moves. The fourth and last step is to donate whatever amount of money to BGCO's website. A group of friends could combine and send their donation of $10 for every share and any other matching donation of up to $50, 000.

Another trend is the application of virtual programs. A virtual program was started on 6th April this year to engage children and youth in various activities. A daily schedule is developed and posted on social media for the audience to participate (Bgcottawa.org, 2020). To join, the audience is asked to send an email to the organization website with the list of programs one wishes to participate in from the day’s schedule. For instance, today’s scheduled programs include music at four to five, kitchen science from 5-6 in the evening, and magic tricks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa is a non-profitable organization that helps children age six to eighteen learn, socialize, overcome barriers, attain leadership skills, and grow towards success in society. This organization prides in keeping children and youth out of criminal activities during after school, summertime, and weekends. Through voluntary donations, the organization has reached over 4500 children every year for almost a century. BGCO is transparent, accountable, and reliable. Indeed, the firm does both internal and external audit every financial year to show accountability of donations. The organization uses social media platforms to reach the children, youth, and volunteers for donations, interactions, and provision of essential services. They have also introduced virtual programs that help their audience grow psychologically and physically through the provision of various brain jogging exercises.

References

Bgcottawa.org. (2020). Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa - Home - Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa. https://www.bgcottawa.org/

Charityintelligence.ca. (2020). Boys and girls club of Ottawa. Home - Charity Intelligence Canada. https://www.charityintelligence.ca/charity-details/861-boys-and-girls-club-of-ottawa

Facebook.com. (2020). Boys and girls club of Ottawa. Facebook - Log In or Sign Up. https://www.facebook.com/BGCOttawa/

Twitter.com. (2020). Boys & girls club of Ottawa (@bgcottawa) on Twitter. Welcome to Twitter. https://twitter.com/bgcottawa?lang=en