Scholars work independently and together to tinker, create, and problem solve in the Maker Space at Boys Hope Girls Hope’s new Rajan Center in Garfield Heights.

“At its best, Boys Hope Girls Hope complements and strengthens, arguably, the two most important experiences in a young person’s life, which are their home life and their school life. The real goal here is to complement the heavy lifting being done by the families and the heavy lifting being done by the schools.”

-Timothy Grady, Executive Director, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeastern Ohio

“It pushes me and keeps me motivated…They really listen to you here…It takes you out of your bubble…It’s a great way to meet new people and to make connections…If you are shy, it helps you to open up…It’s special…It’s a blessing…It’s forever.”

These are a few comments from high school students who have been participating in Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeastern Ohio’s (BHGH) Academy Program year-round since they were in sixth grade. All believe the time they have invested in the experience has been invaluable. They have improved their grades, developed long-lasting friendships, expanded their perspectives, and nurtured their self-esteem. Week after week, they have participated in grade level cohort meetings, engaged in problem-based STEM activities, volunteered in the community, cultivated new interests and skills, explored their entrepreneurial aptitude, and examined possible careers.

A Partnership for the Long Term

Executive Director Timothy Grady defines BHGH as a youth development program that is committed to working with young people outside of the classroom over a very long timeframe -- from sixth grade through high school and beyond. Since its founding in northeast Ohio in 1986 (one of 14 chapters throughout the country), BHGH has been committed to building and sustaining a long-term and meaningful partnership with each child they serve. The organization guides Scholars (the term used to describe students in the program) as they learn to take control of their own success by providing support in four key areas: intellectual growth, social-emotional development, holistic wellness, and college and career exposure.

“We are taking a young person outside of the classroom and helping them to develop themselves and exposing them to lifelong learning,” says Mr. Grady, who emphasizes that BHGH is meant to complement, not replace, life at home and at school. ”We work to activate their love of learning through problem- and project-based activities and by introducing them to a number of different experiences they normally would not encounter.

“The most important point about our program is that it is not school,” he adds. “This is a unique, out-of-school place where Scholars can cultivate their interests.”

Each year BHGH accepts 25 new Scholars, all fifth graders at the time, into the program. They attend public, private, and charter schools in Cleveland, Akron, and Garfield Heights, an inner ring Cleveland suburb where the BHGH facility is located. Teachers and guidance counselors refer highly capable prospects who fit the BHGH profile: academically strong, motivated, and well-behaved. These same students, however, are considered to be at-risk because they face limited opportunities due to low family income, enrollment in under-resourced schools, and a lack of exposure to higher education and diverse career pathways. That’s where BHGH aims to make a difference.

“With a long-term partner to help students cultivate their potential, you dramatically improve the odds of the child hitting his/her capabilities at a high level. And when that works, it is extraordinary,” says Mr. Grady, who has led the organization for the past 12 years.

Once a candidate is deemed a “good fit”, BHGH welcomes the child and his/her family into a supportive relationship that will continue for at least seven years. As of fall, 2020, 184 Scholars from 18 middle schools and 24 high schools participate in the program. They work with a trained staff who come to BHGH with varied backgrounds — education, sociology, counseling, and social work. Mr. Grady refers to them as “experienced youth development professionals.”

Expanded Capabilities Bring About Deeper Learning

In June, 2019, BHGH opened a new facility, the Rajan Center, in Garfield Heights. Due to the expanded physical space (21,000 sq. ft.) and continued grant support from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, the organization has worked to increase opportunities for Scholars and weave deep learning into the fabric of the Academy Program’s curriculum.

The new building includes a Maker Space and STEM lab, art studio, reading room, and ample flexible learning spaces, which have been useful for virtual learning during the pandemic. On the schedule before COVID-19 were a variety of STEM-based activities from circuitry and robotics to coding, stop animation, and 3-D printing. A mechanical engineering project that teaches Scholars how to dis-assemble and reassemble small engines was taking place in a shop located in the on-campus Hope Garage. An Entrepreneurial Mindset program was challenging students to design their own small businesses where they learn related tasks such as budgeting, pricing, marketing, investing, and working effectively in teams.

“With the new facility, we hope to layer in ways our Scholars can pursue and cultivate their interests at a deeper level,” explains Mr. Grady. He points to one example - the motorcycle repair program - that high school Scholars engaged in last year before schools closed due to COVID-19. The hands-on experience, he explains, exemplifies what BHGH is all about:

“What does getting your hands greasy and learning about a carburetor have to do with anything except possibly a hobby in your garage?” Mr. Grady asks. “Nothing,” he answers, “if you don’t help young people process the information. But, when they talk about it, learn the vocabulary, absorb knowledge in an area of life they had been uneducated about, they gain confidence and begin to explore and investigate other areas of the world.

“All these activities in isolation don’t necessarily result in what you would call deeper learning,” he continues. “But, when you layer in the conversation that comes before and after those moments, that is what lifelong learning is about. It’s curiosity, wanting to learn more about it, to discuss it, to analyze it.”

Last year Scholars also began to use a digital portfolio tool that will allow them to compile examples of their work and personal belief statements each year, tracing their own academic and intellectual growth during the seven years they spend with BHGH. “The discovery a child can have about their own growth over an extended period of time to me is so exciting,” says Mr. Grady. “This is an example of the commitment to deeper learning we have made to our Scholars.”

Another critical component to the Academy Program is its emphasis on holistic wellness. Mr. Grady describes the need for BHGH to address social and emotional health, particularly with Scholars who have experienced trauma in their lives: “We are trying very hard and partnering with folks in the community who use resiliency theory in programming,” he explains. “This teaches young people how to identify adversity and use a set of skills to cope and move ahead.” BHGH has also established community partners to provide counseling services to those needing professional treatment.

An Unusual Year

As it has with all educational experiences, COVID-19 has greatly interfered with BHGH’s plans for the Academy Program in 2020. Mr. Grady explains that 85 percent of their Scholars rely on the organization for transportation to and from the facility. With COVID-19 regulations and students attending classes both in schools and at home, that became a significant challenge. Interviewing for a new class of Scholars was postponed in the spring, a process staff hope to complete virtually in the fall. For the first time in 12 years, the annual 6-week summer mentoring program for new Scholars was canceled, and plans for enrichment activities have been revised several times to adapt to changing circumstances.

While the facilities were closed during the early months of the pandemic, Mr. Grady says BHGH still interacted with students and families through a grocery delivery program that extended for 23 weeks. “We are always thinking about what is the greatest need for our scholars. This year the greatest need was to do something we’ve never done before, which was to solve some of their basic needs,” he remarks. “That allowed us to stay connected with our families when we were not having day-to-day programming.”

Scholars began to return to the facility in October to participate in a pod learning program. In what Mr. Grady calls “a response to the moment” staff members have been available to work with Scholars who are comfortable coming to the center. “We want to make sure we are providing a supportive environment,” Mr. Grady says. “It’s not our core program, but we are offering students a safe, secure place with snacks, lunch, and access to enrichment.”

While anticipating the return to core programming as soon as possible, Mr. Grady and the staff at BHGH continue to invest in the close partnerships they have established with Scholars throughout the years. And their efforts are not lost on the lives they touch.

“They really care about you here,” remarks one of the high school Scholars in a zoom interview this fall. “I feel real special being a part of this program. It’s not like anything else I have ever been a part of. Everyone here is amazing, and I
love them.”

Boys Hope Girls Hope: A Long-Term Guiding Partnership

“The most important point about our program is that it is not school. This is a unique, out-of-school place where Scholars can cultivate their interests.”