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Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) are surprisingly similar. The federation has captured the benefits of scale while nurturing what’s most innovative and personal about local control. They are fundamentally community based, made up of more than 3,000 independently operated clubs nationwide. And yet, clubs in Tacoma, Washington and Boston, Massachusetts share uncanny similarities. They share a sense of community. The ability to balance a cohesive national identity and scalable program support with local discretion is notable for donors and organizations seeking to replicate the impact of BGCA. It is a remarkable springboard for reaching youth; it is proving especially effective for technology access and training.
Echo Curry offers insight — insight into the link between computer literacy and education, the way BGCA’s mission tethers technology to the holistic well being of children, and the mutually reinforcing, virtuous cycle driven by a legacy of successful programs and BGCA’s community ethic.
Echo is the technology director at Tacoma’s Al Davies Boys & Girls Club. Like many BGCA staff members across the country, Echo began as a club member. “I started at South End,” in Tacoma. “I did every program. Torch Club. I was Youth of the Year. I did what most teens did. I was getting older, a little bored with school, and I got interested in my friends and other activities, so I left. But eventually I came back and started volunteering.” And after graduating from the University of Washington, and recognizing the prominent role that technology was playing in Boys and Girls Clubs, she returned to the South Puget Sound system and was formally hired.
Technology, education, and the well being of kids
Although Echo’s father was a maintenance man who “really pushed the technology angle” at home, it wasn’t until she attended the University of Washington that she got serious. “UW forced me to get online because the classes and teachers required it. To register for classes you need to be online, or you’d be pressing stars on the phone for the dial-up registration system, getting busy signals and not getting into the classes you want. Everything about UW relies on knowing technology, so I learned fast.”
Other college experiences also shaped Echo’s interest in education and technology. “I was involved with the Office of Minority Affairs—I did a lot of mentoring and tutoring at High Schools. I worked with new freshmen. College is a new world and I wanted to help in that way.” She also worked with a non-profit off campus that provided technology curriculum to schools. Her understanding of the connection between computers, education and the economic and social well being of kids grew.
She is emphatic about the importance of introducing children to technology in a supportive and safe way. “Technology is everything. From the can opener, to the TV, to social networking. It is a critical part of everyday life. People all around [club members] are using computers and