Building Economic Opportunity: Youth Workforce Readiness
Real, lasting change takes collaboration, big ideas and bold action. BGCM is uniquely positioned to help make that type of change happen in Memphis. From an economic standpoint, Memphis has the highest child poverty rate in the nation for large cities.
• 44 percent of our children live in poverty.
• Students in low-income communities are, on average, three grade levels behind their peers in affluent communities by the 4th grade.
• Only 25 percent of all 3rd graders in public schools in Memphis read at 3rd grade level.
• Low-income students are five times more likely to drop out of school. Of all the students who graduate from public high school in Memphis, less than 20 percent are college ready.

Thanks to the Memphis City Council our students in these new clubs will learn life skills to help them reach their full potential, learning about healthy choices, character development, education and leadership, athletics, and the arts. The new clubs will be modeled after the Craigmont High School club, which has operated for about four years.
The Club members at these schools will get together for after-school programs in dedicated classrooms and may also utilize the school’s gymnasium, cafeteria, and auditorium. There, students will learn to become leaders, take part in service learning, learn their way around a kitchen, play sports, do homework, and more. Some programs, like the music programs, may be tailor-suited to locations depending on what facilities are available. For example, some schools, like Westwood, will emphasize music programs due to their access to a music room.
There will also be a heavy emphasis on job readiness and workforce development. Students will have the opportunity to take advantage of the Juice Plus+ Technical Training Center at 903 Walker Ave., where they can choose from career tracks in logistics, automotive, culinary, welding, and IT. They will also learn soft skills needed to enter the workforce, money management, computer skills, and personal goal setting.
BGCM will provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. We know clubs make a difference based on the strong positive outcomes youth experience:
• 100 percent of seniors graduate with a plan for the future, and 100 percent of graduates go to college, get a job, or join the military.
• 81 percent of BGCM members show an increase in homework completion.
• 57 percent of alumni said the club saved their life.
• The percentage of Club girls who express an interest in a STEM career (47 percent) is more than three times greater than that of their same-aged female peers nationally (15 percent).
Readying Youth for Life & Work: Workforce Readiness Framework
Boys & Girls Clubs teach young people about judgment, creativity, decision-making, communication and collaboration. Their evidence-informed approach puts holistic skill development and career exposure at the forefront of young people’s experiences from the time they are six years old through their teen years, emphasizing three components to provide youth with the knowledge, skills and learning experiences they need to succeed in life and work.
EXPLORE—Clubs provide career exploration for youth, including exposure to the world of work, career assessments to identify talents and interests and opportunities to learn about post-secondary pathways to careers.
DEVELOP—Clubs provide the people, programs and places that help youth build their essential and technical skills.
APPLY—Clubs offer youth opportunities to practice skills through real-life work experiences, such as service-learning, job shadowing, first jobs, internships and pre-apprenticeships. This allows young people to apply academic and technical skills that enhance the employability.
Booker T Washington Middle School
715 S. Lauderdale St
Memphis TN 38126
901-416-7240
Club Director
Dr. Antonio Williams
901-416-7240
Program Director
Kenisha Thomas
Craigmont High School
3333 Covington Pike
Memphis, TN 38128
901-416-4312
Club Director
Chris Garner
901-859-9316
Program Director
Donte Pryor
901-461-2192
Hamilton High School
1363 E Person Ave
Memphis, TN 38106
901-416-7838
Club Director
Keelon Lawson II
424-789-1707
Program Director
Priest Allen
901-416-7838
Raleigh Egypt High School
3970 Voltaire Ave
Memphis, TN 38128
901-416-4108
Club Director
Demarco Stepter
901-849-2163
Program Director
Phyllis Tellis
662-694-9517
Manassas High School
1111 N Manassas St
Memphis, TN 38107
901-416-3244
Club Director
Tevin Hughes
901-922-9117
Program Director
Chara Mitchell
901-351-7760
Sheffield High School
4315 Sheffield Ave
Memphis, TN 38118
901-416-2370
Club Director
Marcellus Chatman
901-416-2370
Program Director
Barbara Brooks
901-416-2370
Melrose High School
2870 Deadrick Ave
Memphis, TN 38114
901-416-5974
Trezevant High School
3350 N Trezevant St
Memphis, TN 38127
901-416-3760
Club Director
Darren Plamore
901-416-3760
Program Director
Torisha Williams
901-416-3760
Ridgeway High School
2009 Ridgeway Rd.
Memphis – TN 38119
Westwood High School
4480 Westmont Rd
Memphis, TN 38109
901-416-8000
Club Director
DeAnn Green
901-215-8907
Program Director
Lynette Goins
Porter Goodwill Boys & Girls Club
Cummings Elementry
1037 Cummings Street
Memphis, TN 38106
901-416-7810
Club Director
Akumdi Okwumbua
901-428-2022
Program Director
Doris Cordell
901-238-0758
Wooddale High School
5151 Scottsdale Ave
Memphis, TN 38118
901-416-2440
Club Director
Schanaque Watson
901-633-8866
Program Director
Jamillah Hill Lee
901-552-622