By Daniel Laurendeau | Executive Development Officer
One out of five children is dyslexic. Nearly one-third of high school students will drop out before graduation, 1.2 million a year, 7,000 each school day. Every 26 seconds a teen drops out of school. In October 2004, BGCP recognized a disturbing trend among its members—a trend echoed in the newspaper headlines that youth were not able to read or write at their expected grade levels. BGCP immediately enlisted the services of Dr. Nancy Royal of the Reading & Dyslexia Center of the Desert to evaluate the reading and writing proficiency of 50 of its members and found that 20 (40%) members were diagnosed with some form of dyslexia, low self-esteem and significant fear or dislike of reading. Such a trend exceeds the reported trend that 1 out of 5 (20%) youth nationwide are dyslexic. With nearly 10 million children with dyslexia who are struggling academically, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland (BGCP) along with our key partners are committed to the success of every child in our care—we cannot sit by and watch our young people become another statistic.
An examination of the most effective programs to promote high school graduation reveals a common model for success: targeted instructional methods combined with consistent monitoring and character and leadership development. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area (BGCP) is uniquely positioned to provide this model by incorporating literacy instruction into our long-standing youth development strategy, all for the affordable membership fee of only $5 per year. With nearly 10 million children with dyslexia, BGCP is committed to the success of every child in our care, and with the support and caring leadership of partners such as you, we can make a difference.
In response to this great need BGCP has developed a Literacy Model and programs that benefit each and every child we serve, not just youth with learning differences such as dyslexia. Since 2006, the Clubs have opened two (2) Club-based Literacy Centers and are currently expanding these Literacy Centers to a total of six (6) facilities located throughout the Portland, metro area. This project is a 3-Year endeavor, which began in 2008 and will continue through 2011. Beyond expanding to an additional four (4) Boys & Girls Club locations, the project also includes the future implementation of these programs in four distinct Literacy Models, including (Boys & Girls Clubs, Public Schools, Parochial Schools and a Housing Project).
Witht he support of a major grant, we are currenty implmenting 50 new computer workstations and specialized software programs that will benefit more than 900 youth on a weekly basis who utlize the six Literacy Centers throughout the Portland area. As well, in partnership with the University of Oregon, a two-year evaluation assessment of these programs is currently underway, which will continue through September 2011, measuring the outcomes and success of these programs in the academic lives of youth participating.
By Melissa Falcone | Resource Development Manager
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