Boys & Girls Clubs of America Launch National Diversity Education Program.

To help educate young people across the country about the importance of tolerance and diversity, The Allstate Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) launched “Youth for Unity,” a diversity education program designed to combat prejudice and intolerance. The program is being funded as a result of a $4.5 million grant provided by The Allstate Foundation.

“In the last 40 years, our country has made a great deal of progress on issues relating to tolerance and diversity, yet we have much left to do,” said Myrlie Evers-Williams, activist and widow of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. “Through the creation of this curriculum and the support of Allstate, we have the opportunity to teach four million youth, as well as the BGCA staff members, about the importance of understanding and respecting others.”

To launch the initiative, Evers-Williams, founder of the Medgar Evers Institute, will join members of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in New York City to symbolically pledge their commitment to diversity education. Evers-Williams and the Boys & Girls Club members will show their support by signing a “Unity Pledge” that promotes tolerance and inclusion. The “Unity Pledge” will be replicated and will grow through the addition of signatures from Boys & Girls Club members across the country.

The Allstate Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America recognize that educating youth to understand and embrace different cultures, backgrounds and lifestyles is fundamental to preparing them for an increasingly diverse America.

“In preparing today’s youth to be the leaders of tomorrow, it is important to encourage individuals to support values of tolerance and respect for others,” said Ron McNeil, senior vice president, Allstate Insurance Company. “This partnership continues our longstanding relationship with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and underscores our commitment to fostering tolerance, inclusion and diversity across the country. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America is in the unique position to reach four million youth, our country’s future leaders, which is why we’ve selected them as Allstate’s partner to develop the diversity curriculum.”

National Diversity Advisory Board Council to Drive “Youth for Unity” Curriculum

Academicians, authors and diversity experts, will join Evers-Williams on the “Youth for Unity” National Diversity Advisory Board Council.

Some of those joining Evers-Williams on the board are:

— Robert Coles, M.D., Child Psychologist

— Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ph.D., Chair, African American Studies Department, Harvard University

— Alma J. Powell, Co-Chair, America’s Promise

— Louis Derman-Sparks, M.A., Professor, Distance Learning Department, Pacific Oaks College

“The cornerstone of this initiative is the lineup of leading diversity experts who have volunteered to serve on this advisory council,” said BGCA President Roxanne Spillett. “Through the support of The Allstate Foundation, and the members of this distinguished council, we will create a curriculum that will truly teach America’s youth the values of tolerance and respect for others.”

“Youth for Unity” will be pilot tested in 15 Boys & Girls Clubs this fall, followed by another 25 sites in 2005. The national rollout will occur during BGCA’s Centennial Year, 2006.

The “Youth for Unity” initiative will also expand BGCA’s Street SMART program. The program, developed in 1997 as a result of a grant from The Allstate Foundation, provides young people, ages 11-13, with the skills needed to resist gangs and violence. The program also gives kids the tools needed to become positive peer leaders in their communities

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Throughout their 144-year history, Boys & Girls Clubs have always been recognized as community-based organizations that welcomed all youth, regardless of their race, religion or gender. One of the more recent diversity initiatives provided by BGCA was a collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League, BGCA conducted a two-year field test then rolled out a diversity program nationwide in 2000. This program consisted of three central components: diversity training for Club staff; a youth service activity guide for ages 6-12 and peer training for teens.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (http://www.bgca.org) comprises a national network of some 3,400 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than four million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances. Known as “The Positive Place for Kids,” the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 6-18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation.