Get Excited for the 2016 Keystone National Conference!
About Keystone Club
Keystone is Boys & Girls Club of America’s (BGCA) premiere teen character and citizenship program. Keystone Clubs are service and leadership clubs for teens that provides opportunities for you to participate in activities in four focus areas: community service, academic success, career preparation and teen outreach. With the guidance of an adult advisor, Keystone Clubs aim to have a positive impact on teen members, the Club and community.
Keystoners can often be found assisting the community with food and clothing drives for the homeless as part of their civic engagement responsibilities, hosting an end-of-school-year rally for graduating seniors to foster higher graduation rates, or sponsoring career fairs that educate youth about work ethic and careers. Coupled with the priceless foundations of strong leadership and good character, there are no limits to what Keystoners can achieve!
What Can You Expect As a Keystone Member?
Keystone is a club by you, for you. With the help of a skilled advisor, you and your fellow Keystoners will elect officials, plan your agendas and set goals for the year. You’ll get to connect with other motivated teens and share projects that you’re passionate about that help your community. By joining Keystone committees that speak to your interests, you’ll develop skills in the four focus areas and be better prepared for the next steps after high school. As an active Keystoner (chartered, silver and gold-level) you’ll also be invited to participate in the annual National Keystone Conference, held in different cities around the country. This conference is a chance to bring together thought leadership on the annual theme, participate in the national project and meet teens from across the country.
If your local Club doesn’t have an existing Keystone Charter Club, tell a Club staff member that you’re interested and they’ll work with you to bring the program to your Club and learn more about Keystone Club.
History of Keystone
Keystone owes its origins and rich history to a research project conducted by Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1958 that examined the needs and interests of older Club members. One thousand teenage members from 100 randomly selected Clubs responded to the questionnaire. Club leaders from across the Movement examined trends among the responses and looked for programming implications. Teens overwhelmingly indicated that they wanted more group experiences, to relate to skilled adults, to serve others and to take responsibility for planning more of their own activities.
The first National Keystone Club Conference was held in Chicago in 1967 as part of Boys Clubs of America’s annual National Conference. Approximately 300 delegates attended, nearly twice as many as expected. By 1970, the conference had grown to become an integral part of the Keystone Club experience, and Keystoners had assumed major responsibility for planning and conducting the conference. In 2009, the National Keystone Conference had grown to include more than 1,800 participants.
Thousands of Club teens like you are taking part in the Keystone experience. The program is represented in all 50 states and on U.S. military instillations in Asia and Europe. Through the generous support of Aaron’s, Inc., today’s Keystone is even more equipped to promote good character and leadership among Club teens.