OUR VISION

All youth grow up to lead fulfilling lives fueled by their passions, talents, and a love of learning

Our MISSION

To empower the youth in our community with equitable access to social, academic, and career opportunities to thrive

CORE BELIEFS

1. All youth have talents, and it’s our job to identify and nurture them so they blossom. All youth deserve to have optimism about their future.

2. The cities around BGCP are part of a single community. Just like the rest of America, our community has become more segregated based on income and race over the past decades. We now have many disparate neighborhoods with extreme differences in wealth, education, and opportunity. Yet we’re all interconnected, interdependent. These are all our kids, and we accept the responsibility to ensure they all have the opportunity to live fulfilling lives. As the legendary Mervin G. Morris so beautifully said: “These are all Our Kids, living in Our Town, on Our Watch.”

3. None of us succeed alone. Those of us who have enjoyed success recognize that we’ve benefited from the hard work and sacrifices of others. We’ve been able to leverage the investments and systems made by generations before us with our own hard work. Much of life is out of our control, a matter of chance. We feel a sense of humility, responsibility, and privilege to share what we’ve been so fortunate to receive.

4. Warm hearts are most effective when accompanied by hard heads. We need to make tough decisions on how to allocate limited resources. We need to bring a critical business perspective to what we do, and never be satisfied with just “doing good.” We mustn’t confuse effort with accomplishment. We must always ask ourselves: how can we do better?

5. Our work is about sharing, not about giving or taking. Everyone involved with BGCP is helping each other in some way. None of us are saviors who come in to help others be like us. We’re about working together to achieve a shared vision. We support each other, and we all benefit from the experience. At different times in our lives, we all have different assets and needs. A compassionate community accounts for that and allows us to give and receive at different times. We’re not like Robin Hood, taking from the rich to give to the poor. BGCP is about sharing opportunities and strengthening our collective community. Let’s all share what we have, and we’ll all be the richer for it.

CORE VALUES

Curiosity: We wonder why things are and explore fearlessly

Respect: We honor our community and our diversity

Ownership: We step up and take responsibility for our learning and actions

Ganas: We keep going when it’s tough

Unity: We are inclusive and support each other to reach our goals

Equity: We elevate the strengths and support the needs of those around us

The Opportunity Gap

It's an incredible time to live in Silicon Valley. Many are enjoying unprecedented levels of growth and wealth. People from all over the world are striving to move here to participate in our culture of optimism and opportunity. At the same time, this prosperity isn't being felt by all, and too many young people are growing up disconnected from what makes our community so dynamic.

In the neighborhoods we serve...

These students don't have access to the same opportunities as youth in adjacent neighborhoods, and as a result, they struggle to achieve school success...

OUR Results

We partner with families, schools, and school districts to close the gap and provide our students with expanded learning opportunities through after school, summer, and school day programming. 

• Over 3,500 students attend our programs 4 days a week.

• Students receive 830 hours of expanded learning time, a 80% increase over the school day alone. That's the equivalent of 110 extra school days.

• 85% of our youth avoid summer learning loss by participating in our Summer Learning Academy.

• 90% of our youth graduate from high school with a post-secondary education plan. 

Our Story

BGCP was founded in 1958 to give at-risk young people a safe place where they could build positive peer and adult relationships. Youth joined the Club, connected with adult role models, and participated in activities. After they turned 18 and graduated from high school, most Club kids found entry-level manufacturing jobs that could support a family and lead to a long-term career.

Safety and relationships are now as necessary as ever, but they are not enough. Today's Club youth must experience school success, build 21st century skills, and find a pathway to post-secondary education or training so they can participate in and benefit from Silicon Valley opportunities.

Students don't need a longer school day; they need a longer learning day and a longer learning year. They need expanded learning time opportunities to fill in gaps, reinforce what they are learning in school, and develop the academic mindsets and habits that lead to success in school and beyond.

This is where BGCP makes a difference. We partner with families and schools to provide youth with the opportunities all kids need.