By Owen Charters, President & CEO, BGC Canada
July 30, 2024
BGC Clubs are some of the best employers of Club kids, and this is reflected at the national level too. With 6,500 staff and 150,000 children and youth nationwide, that’s an incredible workforce today, and a great pool of talent for tomorrow.
BGC Club kids on the BGC Canada’s National team
I remember being asked by a board member several years ago if we had data on how many BGC Canada staff had come from BGC Clubs and did a quick manual count at that time. That number is certainly greater today. BGC Canada’s National team includes staff and interns who have come from Clubs, either as Club kids or as former Club staff, together who represent over a quarter of the entire team.
What makes this so special is that it adds a dimension that we need in our National team—the inside perspective. We talk and work a lot to get our team members to really know Clubs, to visit, to understand them. Several team members went to Clubs on June 7 for BGC Club Day as part of that effort.
However, it’s hard to get the real feel of what happens at a Club—the challenges and joys of working in an often chaotic, noisy environment (at least after 3 pm!), and trying to balance community needs with adequate funding. With team members who have experienced this first-hand, we are better equipped to serve our membership; to know what works and what doesn’t.
One of the best opportunities we can give anyone is a job
It’s exciting to see that we’re living our motto – Opportunity Changes Everything.
Recently, as I greeted some new faces at the Toronto office, we learned that several of the Canada Summer Jobs intern placements are Club kids. It’s fantastic to see young faces who have experienced our BGC Clubs now seeing how we make things work on the National team.
Unemployment for ages 15 – 24 is the highest rate since July 2016, excluding 2020 and 2021. Our Clubs see the impacts of this first-hand. Many young people—including students—are struggling to find jobs to fund their tuition costs or other living expenses.
They’re not even able to prefund themselves for expenses they’re going to see in the fall because things are so challenging now that they’re literally working to pay for their expenses that week.
– Harold Parsons, Executive Director at BGC South East
There’s no doubt that the impacts of COVID-19 play a part in this. BGC Clubs know the importance of socialization for young people, it supports positive development, allows them to create friendships, and fosters positive relationships with staff. Part of that socialization for teens is getting their first job—working at the local ice cream shop, the pool, or maybe even a Club—something that might not have been possible during the pandemic or has made young people more reluctant to do so post-pandemic. You can hear more of my thoughts on this from my conversation on CBC Radio last month.
A job is an opportunity to learn and flourish. Our Clubs are some of the best employers of Club kids, and this is reflected at the national level too. With 6,500 staff and 150,000 children and youth nationwide, that’s an incredible workforce today, and a great pool of talent for tomorrow.
To anyone who’s been a Club kid or a Club staff, thank you for making everything we do better for Clubs, every day.
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