As a friend of BGC, I’m pretty sure you believe, as we do, that even one kid left out or left behind is too many. We made the strategic decision to update our brand to BGC because kids and youth – both here and across this country – were increasingly telling us that the words “boys” and “girls” made them feel like they didn’t belong. We know that growth and change can be hard, especially when it includes change to something we feel a strong personal commitment to, and feel proud to be associated with, because it can feel like we’re maybe going to lose something.
Growth and change though, is ever constant – and we’re up for it. So, as we move forward with our new name, we remain keenly focused on making sure that BGC South Coast BC is a place of belonging for every kid and youth who needs one. And we hope you will come along with us too… after all, we all share the belief that everyone deserves a place to belong and opportunities to grow and thrive.
If you’re reading this message, then you’ve read here before that at BGC, we believe that every kid is amazing… not that they would or could have been if only _______ (fill in the blank). Another way of saying that is that we don’t think about kids (or any aged human, for that matter) as broken or less than. And here’s something you might not know: many people (or at least more than we’d like), without really thinking about it, believe that kids that are struggling are in fact broken, have bad parents, or are just simply ‘lost causes’. Thankfully, at BGC we know that when kids are struggling, it’s because something in their life isn’t working for them, and that we can pull alongside them, support them, and believe in them. When we do that, they start to believe in themselves.
BGC provides opportunities that kids and youth need to grow and thrive, and we see over and over again how that can be a game changer in their lives. Opportunities for meaningful relationships with friends and mentors, opportunities for learning about and living a healthy, thriving life, opportunities to develop a love of learning, and opportunities to lead are BGC’s super power/secret sauce/magic wand. All of these unique opportunities build a greater sense of self… and in many cases, a passion and purpose for life! Kids aren’t ever broken, no matter what their circumstances have been… and at BGC – Opportunity Changes Everything!
