By Owen Charters, President & CEO, BGC Canada
September 12, 2024
Social engagement for young people has an enormously outsized impact on their mental well-being, and that’s what BGC Clubs are about.
Our kids are back to school.
While getting back to the classroom is an exciting time for many, adjusting to being back can be difficult. With our growing awareness of the mental health issues facing our children, returning to school can be a significant source of anxiety.
I’ve emphasized some of the negative impacts of social media, including isolation, bullying, and feeling inadequate compared to the selective, glamorous posts of peers. We know this is one contributing factor to mental health concerns.
BGC Clubs are a safe place that supports kids through back-to-school transitions and other mental health concerns. Our Clubs are often referred to as a ‘third place’—somewhere outside of school and home—where kids can just be kids while also getting the support they need to succeed in their academics, passions, and interests. Clubs help through mental health-focused programming and meaningful relationships with friends and staff—still, it’s not enough.
Related: BGC Clubs provide kids with basic needs to they can have brighter futures.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to present at the Mental Health Roundtable hosted by the Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Ya’ara Saks. The roundtable was attended by a variety of youth-serving organizations, and it was particularly encouraging to hear several other organizations – including the Minister herself – speak of the collaborative work with local BGC Clubs and the support we provide to young people.
The purpose of the Roundtable was a consultation on how the government should be spending and allocating the $500 million Youth Mental Health Fund that was announced in the budget earlier this year. One of my key messages was that we don’t need to spend time on innovating new approaches – we need to scale what works, today.
As we look at this Canadian investment in mental health, we see that the benefits of youth clubs around the world are vital to the same issues. As a new government takes office in the UK, The Guardian reported that there was significant de-investment in youth clubs during the former Tory government, and it has had huge impacts. An older article from The Guardian also noted that the closures were increasing youth violence. There is hope that the new Labour government under prime minister Keir Starmer will reinvest in these vital organizations.
Social wealth is mental health – meaning that social engagement for young people has an enormously outsized impact on their mental well-being, and that’s what BGC Clubs are about.
Because of a Club, 95% of members have more people they like to spend time with. By providing a safe third place, Clubs are making a difference—a big one.
