By Tim Blaylock, tblaylock@bgcop.org
June 27, 2007

Once the little red, spire-tipped schoolhouses of the frontier did more than teach from McGuffy's Readers. Generations of children and adolescents joined adults in the schools for community affairs — this is where they celebrated, conducted community business, and experienced support for one another.

Today, American children and adolescents experience community in dramatically different and often detrimental ways. Schools and communities largely keep to themselves, and they are the worse for it. They share the same children and believe in creating hopeful futures for them. Adults, even in the most impoverished neighborhoods, want youths to develop into wholesome, capable citizens.

Thankfully, in many places the isolation between schools and communities is being broken. The positive effect can be seen when everyone works in tandem to provide opportunities for youths to develop intellectually, socially, and with civic purpose. Anecdotes and examples of the retying of schools and communities abound.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme have developed partnerships with the Rio, Ocean View, Hueneme and Oxnard Union school districts. Each partnership is unique to the individual school district that we work in. We operate 21 after-school programs. We have found common ground with these school districts and thank them for being innovative and collaborative.

Our belief is that our schools are the perfect places to develop community. The youths are already there. Schools serve specific neighborhoods where parents, caring adults and young people can become lifelong learners, develop friendships, and build on community in a variety of ways.

We are very proud to announce that on June 11, we dedicated our historic and original Harriet H. Samuelsson Boys and Girls Club on Seventh Street in Oxnard — the very same day it opened in 1954. As soon as we have our occupancy permits, scheduled for mid-July, we will open the clubhouse for an additional 150 to 300 children per day.

It has a state-of-the-art computer lab, art center, college and career center, gymnasium, boxing academy, library/multipurpose room, snack shack and games room. We are very thankful to all of our donors who helped us with this $1.5 million renovation. It is a dream come true for our organization.

However, our collaborative efforts with the school districts allow us to reach even more youths, without additional cost for bricks and mortar. The funds we raise can be used to directly affect children through prevention programs at existing and planned school facilities.

So what is a community school?

A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities. Schools become centers of the community and are open to everyone — all day, every day, evenings and weekends.

Using public schools as hubs, community schools bring together many partners to offer a range of support and opportunities to children, youths, families and communities. Partners work to achieve these results:

n Children are ready to learn when they enter school and every day thereafter. All students learn and achieve to high standards.

n Young people are well prepared for adult roles in the workplace, as parents and as citizens.

n Families and neighborhoods are safe, supportive and engaged.

n Parents and community members are involved with the school and their own lifelong learning.

Working together, we can strengthen our neighborhoods and community. In the coming months, our organization will continue to be a leader in developing this concept throughout our community. Should you be interested in helping, please do not hesitate in contacting me.

To find out more about the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard/Port Hueneme, call 815-4959 or visit http://www.positiveplace4kids.org.

To contact other Boys & Girls Clubs in the county:

n Boys & Girls Club of Moorpark, 529-1140, http://www.moorparkbgc.org.

n Boys & Girls Club of the Santa Clara Valley, 525-7910, http://www.sphs.net/bgc.

n Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley, 527-4437, http://www.bgcsimi.com.

n Boys & Girls Club of Ventura, 641-5585, http://www.bgclubventura.org.

n Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo, 482-8113, http://www.bgccam.org.

n Boys & Girls Clubs of Conejo/Las Virgenes, 1-818-880-8577, http://www.bgcconejo.org.