Boys & Girls Clubs of America just partnered with NASCAR to be their Official Youth Community Partner, according to a Sunday announcement. The compelling partnership news out of Daytona Beach, enables industry stakeholders like NBCUniversal, Coca-Cola and Toyota, the immersive opportunity to activate 4.6 million youth and teenagers in more than 4,700 Clubs throughout the U.S. by using NASCAR digital content and experiences. The collaboration aim is to target the nonprofit’s mission to enable and enrich lives of young people during important non-school hours. The Sports Techie community blog enjoys helping digitally fuel stories about connecting the digital divide, this time between the virtual and physical worlds for kids. I was a Boys & Girls Clubs member as a kid and teen, helping me to understand what the brand, clubs and services all means to each boy and girl, as well as family, and friendships. It is an invaluable resource. The program’s big picture focus has three components – STEM education, career development, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, with priorities to extend across all NASCAR platforms and racetracks. The industry and stakeholders plan to offer unique at-track and virtual experiences to augment the educational programming. Look for NASCAR drivers, teams and race tracks to support the programs and local communities for club locations within race markets. Keeping the fun while inspiring the next generation of fans, creators and innovators, is the kind of smart concept I endorse. Providing a virtual space as a pillar for the development of a sound mind used for academic success, while also encouraging a balanced lifestyle of physical activities, play, health-conscious decision making, good character, socialization, and safe digital habits, represents part of the new NASCAR official community, together with corporate partners, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Club membership and outreach.
MyFuture Year One
Club kids can look to MyFuture, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s digital learning platform as a hub that operates similar to virtual learning environments schools implemented online as the pandemic began early in 2020.
Concentrating on STEM Education, Career Development and DE&I Initiatives, are the basis of the curriculum tailored so each child can learn at his or her own pace after accessing the secure and curated portal, see MyFuture.net.
“As a community leader, Boys & Girls Clubs of America continues to have immeasurable impact on the lives of our country’s youth, and NASCAR looks forward to engaging those efforts in meaningful ways,” said Steve Phelps, president of NASCAR. “Through this partnership and together with the NASCAR industry, we have boundless opportunities to advance the mission and objectives of Boys & Girls Clubs of America while at the same time introducing young future fans to our great sport.”
Career development is one of the three core concepts NASCAR and Boys & Girls Clubs of America will concentrate on expanding through the use of mentoring by executives and a variety of employees within the sport.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America is headquartered in Atlanta and founded 160-years ago to provide custom programming designed to assist with leveling the playing field. At the same time, together with their partners, they seek opportunities to influence young people and help drive them to learn and build skillsets necessary for a new generation of leaders, innovators and problem-solvers shaping our world and beyond.
Digital Partnerships
The NASCAR Foundation advances the well-being of children, and plans to continue fostering ongoing relationships with several Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the nation.
NASCAR partners will also have the opportunity to integrate with the new partnership, and several partners will look to build on their own legacy business relationships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer of FOX Sports, and Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, are both members of the non-profit’s Board of Governors. Shanks was a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs during his youth and now serves on the Boys & Girls Clubs Alumni Hall of Fame. Lazarus is scheduled to chair Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Annual Conference in May.
NBCUniversal, parent company of NASCAR Premier Partner Xfinity, has a near 20-year partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs spearheading digital equity. As a result, WiFi-Connected Lift Zones at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country were launched, including the newest Martinsville, Virginia, location set to open and celebrate the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash. Lift Zones were designed to provide a safe space where students can access the web for free to take part in distance learning and to do schoolwork.
Coca-Cola and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have a partnership relationship dating back 75-years strong. They have thus earned a spot representing the non-profit’s Board of Governors. The NASCAR Premier Partner also made a commitment as a founding sponsor of the non-profit’s Workforce Readiness Strategy to support essential skill development, career exploration, employability skills and credentialing, and work-based learning opportunities at U.S. Clubs.
Toyota is a good fit for this partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs because both entities want to close the opportunity gap for America’s youth while simultaneously inspiring future the next-gen of innovators, problem solvers and leaders destined to make positive and lasting impacts on the community.
To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America and support its mission with donations, visit BGCA.org.
For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
Sports Techie, in my immediate family, I have a 7-year-old son on the autism spectrum and he has a 3-year-old neurotypical brother allowing me insight into Gen-C, an appropriately named generation after going through the COVID-19 pandemic as young children over the past year. These two are not Club members but will be someday. Kellan, the oldest, loves watching videos of people driving cars. His younger bro, Jake, loves playing video games on their Nintendo Switch and traditional sports too.
The tiny virus unfortunately continues to spread as we see in India for example, despite mass vaccinations and social distancing protocols, meaning it may be a while, if ever, that things to back to so called ‘normal’ if ever. Live sports events included, outside UFC 261 in Florida, that may turn into a super spreader event when it is all said and done.
One thing this crisis has shown us all is people are extremely resilient, especially our youth. Young kids adapt quickly to technological changes likes its part of their DNA sequencing. Kids learn using assistive learning technologies as if they are playing their favorite video game using the latest console, headset and joy stick.
Online learning using the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s digital learning platform is simply a creative idea at a good time, hopefully. My son attended over 100 days of online learning throughout the 2020/2021 academic school year (with my support) and it was a life changer for him at a time when we are hearing so many of the other stories saying too many kids have fallen behind and may have to repeat their respective grades. I am always sorry to hear that but I can assure you the merits of online learning can be vast.
I am not sure what these NASCAR initiatives will look like in the second year but this first year is certainly important for long-term successes.
NASCAR and partner-driven STEM education, career exploration, and exposure to DE&I, all sounds like a Boys & Girls Clubs of America winner as member kids reemerged from the pandemic less intimated by the merger of the digital and physical world happening right now, ever so eager to learn once again.
One thing is missing however, and that is the A for Art in STEAM, the natural evolution of STEM.
Maybe the A comes in year two!
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
Sports Techie Social Media Networks
Sports Techie Twitter: @SportsTechieNET: http://twitter.com/SportsTechieNET
THE #SportsTechie Twitter: @THESportsTechie: https://twitter.com/THESportsTechie
Sports Techie Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/SportsTechie
Sports Techie YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/sportstechie
Sports Techie Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/108376451503395073827/
Sports Techie Google+ Community: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/103708211458464405078
Sports Techie (Robert Roble) Google+: https://plus.google.com/+RobertRoble
Sports Techie LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sports-Techie-2958439
Sports Techie LinkedIn (Robert Roble): https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertroble
Sports Techie Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportstechie
Sports Techie Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/SportsTechie/
Sports Techie Moby Picture: http://www.mobypicture.com/user/sportstechieNET
Sports Techie Myspace (Bob Roble): http://www.myspace.com/549000677
Sports Techie Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86791607@N04/
Sports Techie Snapchat: sportstechie
Sports Techie Quora: https://www.quora.com/Bob-Roble
Sports Techie Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user36773456
Sports Techie Skyword: http://robertroble.skyword.com/
Sports Techie Skype: sportstechie
Sports Techie Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/atlanta-ga/sports-techie-llc
Sports Techie Snapchat: sportstechie
Sports Techie Guy: https://twitter.com/sportstechieguy