BE GREAT: Graduate

Addressing the drop-out rate in this country is a national initiative for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. BE GREAT: Graduate (BGG) is a formal collaboration between Bellevue School District (BSD), The Gates Foundation, King County Housing Authority and Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue (BGCB) designed to help youth in grades 6-12 be more successful in school. With one-on-one mentoring, tutors, and academic planning, the program helps to identify and break down barriers for youth struggling in school and ensure each individual gets what they need to achieve academic success and graduate on time.

 
What students can expect:

• Increased achievement – students will be accountable to mentors for turning in assignments and maintaining grades

• Individualized support – students will work with mentors and school staff to identify specific areas of difficulty and specialized strategies

• Positive adult mentorship – mentors are there to encourage and facilitate student success

• Incentives and rewards – the BGG program offers individual and group incentives for students who meet and exceed their academic goals

• Access to the club – BGG enrollees get a free BGC club membership ($27 annual) that gives them access to programming at The Club teen center as well as the Main Club

What school staff can expect:

• Minimal invasive time commitments – occasional check-in’s via email on student progress; mentors are careful to make life easier for school staff, not add more responsibility

• Minimal class time disruption – students will meet with mentors during electives, tutorial, or after school at the BGG tutoring center (transportation available)

• Increased student achievement – students will be accountable to mentors for turning in assignments and maintaining grades

• Family support – BGG mentors work directly with student families to ensure that academic and behavioral expectations are being maintained both inside and outside of school

What parents can expect:

• Increased student achievement – students will be accountable to mentors for turning in assignments and maintaining grades

• Mentorship for your student – your student will be paired directly with a BGG mentor who will work with them directly to support academic achievement and provide positive role model

• School and mentor support – school staff and your BGG mentor will work together with you to support your student and provide cohesive and meaningful guidance for achievement

• Accountability – students are expected to check in with mentors regularly (students at The Club must check-in with mentors before joining drop-in programming)

• Regular communication – mentors will regularly check-in with families on student progress and are readily available to work with families to provide incentives and restrictions that foster student achievement

Participation in the Be GREAT: Graduate Program is absolutely free for all eligible youth (must be enrolled in the Bellevue School District). In addition to the mentorship available to students officially enrolled in the program, BGG offers drop-in tutoring after school until 6pm every day for any BGCB members. We offer transportation from the following schools directly after school gets out.

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To enroll or participate in our program, simply show up!  If you’d like to check with us before coming down, or you have any other questions, feel free to contact us at begreat@bgcbellevue.org and one of our mentors will get back to you with any information you might need. Email is the preferred method of communication, as mentors often move from site to site throughout the day. However, you can call the Be GREAT! Graduate tutoring center directly at 425-644-7889. You can also contact individual mentors directly through the staff list on the right side of this page.