Boys & Girls Clubs of America Coming to Clarksville
Clarksville, TN – Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle TN CEO, Eric Higgs was in town recently for a B&G Clubs Coding Academy. He took time to talk about the program in Middle Tennessee and the pending location in Montgomery County.
"We are currently in Williamson and Davidson counties. We are also in Fairview, TN," Higgs said. "B&G Clubs of Middle Tennessee has been around since 1903, so we're celebrating 120 years."
Higgs was a corporate executive for thirty years but heard a calling, one he knew he had to answer.
"The Lord was speaking to me, and now I've been doing this for four years," Higgs said. "We set a midterm aspiration. I said, regardless of what's going on, you have to know where you're going, you have to have a north star. Ours was to double the number of young people that we serve to 10,000, and have each of them ready for their own great future."
Higgs talked about defining five areas of readiness, which are ready to read, for class, to graduate, find a career, and thrive in the community.
"Our program is built around that," Higgs said. "Two programs we needed were Coding Academy, which we felt to be relevant with these young people who will need to have digital fluency. We want to expose them to all things digital. That's what will make them choose us. We now have a great partnership with Apple Inc., and they've generously donated 70 I-Pads.
"120 years ago, our founders saw a vision. We had to help young people. At the time, it was boys. They needed a safe after-school space with things to do, places to go, and positive role models around them. Those things are still needed today. We're now for boys and girls, a safe place to get some homework help, a place to stretch their legs, and run some programming. We mixed that in there. We like to call it edutainment."
Higgs says each location's core daily support is provided by staff. B&G Clubs try to staff appropriately to be able to accommodate the number of young people that each location serves.
"But, the community is what enriches all of our clubs," Higgs continues. "Each community, each club has its own unique nuance. Just like the people and the needs of that community, each is different, and the programming has to be unique to serve that community. We're in Clarksville this week doing a coding camp because we thought this would be a good way to introduce ourselves to Clarksville-Montgomery County."
Higgs and his team are still having conversations on acquiring their own building in Clarksville. For now, they've set a timeline for summer of 2025.
"CMCSS has been a great partner," Higgs said. "We're here at Kenwood Middle School. It's another sign for me that we're on the right track. I graduated from a school in Chicago called Kenwood. One of our codes says we believe in their right to worship; however they believe, there is an acknowledgment that faith plays a role in our lives, including mine.
"The mission is to enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens. When I got involved, I said, how many young people are we talking about? It's pretty broad.
First and foremost, it's any young people who have unsupervised time, that's a range of people that cuts through socioeconomic status and all that, but a lot of our programs do serve in communities of financial need. About 80% of the kids we serve are in areas of high need. I did the math, looking at the economic challenges, and in Nashville alone, it was about 40,000 kids. We did a community assessment for Montgomery County. We will release that information going forward."
Higgs said the goal at Clarksville's first B&G Clubs' coding academy was to engage 100 families. He also talked about some things that are happening with B&G Clubs of America.
"Usher was a club kid," Higgs said. "He was recently at our national convention in Atlanta, where we had 5,000 people from clubs across the nation. He was talking about his independent philanthropic efforts and how they are going to intersect. So we'll be doing some things with him in the future.
"When I hear stories from alumni, what stands out to me most is that it usually comes down to one caring adult in their life who made a difference. All types of academic studies confirm that. Many of them say, 'It saved my life'."
Higgs reiterates to young people in the program the importance of getting that high school degree. "I tell them it's the most time-rigorous learning of their lives. It's thirteen years. And that during and after school are very important. They need to have a caring person that's going to greet them after school, greet them at the door, say hi, and make them feel welcome. They need a meal. They need some homework help, and a place they know they can count on, that's Boys & Girls Club."
Around the nation, B&G Clubs currently operate at a ratio of about one adult to fifteen kids. However, some programs have a 1 on 1 or 1 on 2 level of interaction.
"There are plenty of kids who develop mentor/mentee relationships with staff members," Higgs said. "During power hour (the hour of academic support that we give them) they will tell these people what's happening in their lives, and what they are struggling with.
