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Welcome to Confluence Conversations, where we explore the partnerships, programs, and experiences that elevate student success across Confluence Academies.
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I'm your host, Dr.
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Ava Smith, and today we're talking about a long-standing partnership that has supported students far beyond the classroom.
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The Boys and Girls Club of Greater St.
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Louis has impacted generations of young people through after school programming, athletics, academic support, summer enrichment, and mentorship, providing safe spaces for students to learn and grow.
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Today, we'll explore how that partnership is helping confluence students succeed.
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So joining us today is Brandon Williams, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater St.
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Louis.
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We also have Dr.
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Leslie Mohammed, Director of Student Services and Parent Involvement for Confluence Academies.
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And last but not least, Old North Academy student Agent Smith, who has participated in the Boys and Girls Club programming.
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So let's go ahead and get started.
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Mr.
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Williams, the Boys and Girls Club have a rich history in St.
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Louis.
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Why has this organization remained such an important part of the community for generations?
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I really think it's because it's been around so long, and everyone, I always say that it's probably 95% of the people in this community in St.
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Louis either have gone to one of the clubs or they know someone, had a had a child, had an uncle, brother, sister, cousin, some form or fashion have been attached to the club, right?
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And the outcomes really speak for themselves.
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Over the 60, since 1960, over two million uh young people have been mentored, served, uh, coached, helped in any in in so many different ways, right?
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And so I think just the longevity of being able to do that really speaks to the community as well because people continue to support the boys and girls clubs of Greater St.
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Louis because they know how impactful it can be.
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Uh and so I'm just excited that we can continue to grow it, evolve it, and do different things.
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Absolutely.
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I know the mission focuses on helping young people reach their full potential.
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Um, what does it look like?
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What does that everyday action look like?
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Yeah, so our two main um opportunities that we really try to pour into the community is after school programming and then summer camp programming.
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Our third pillar uh leans heavily on sports and activities, right?
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Uh so when you look at how we communicate what we do with after school, it's not just a place to come and sit and play basketball, right?
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It's a really safe space for that 3 to 7 uh p.m.
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time frame where you can come still get literacy, mentorship, connect with uh peers, and be able to have a space where you can be comfortable with yourself.
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A lot of times when we sit and talk to people who are alumni, they typically talk about the relationships they made, the confidence that they were able to build, the character development, the leadership development that tends to happen when you um, or a club kid, as we call it.
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And then summer camp is where you you really get to just explore everything that the club has to offer.
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And and I was a club kid myself.
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I started off in summer summer camps and I went on to play football at Matthew's Dickey.
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And so for me, it was really a lifelong opportunity to learn about leadership, character development, what it coaching, the coach uh player relationship, and and what that really looks like.
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And then just walking those halls and being able to see some of the great people that they brought in, right?
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So it's not just uh the the counselors and the administrators, but we you bring in athletes, you bring in doctors, CEOs, uh people who have started businesses and continue to be successful, and they want to pour back into St.
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Louis and the young people.
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And so being able to be exposed to people like that is is really, really important for uh, you know, a young person.
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Yeah.
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Thank you for that.
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Uh Dr.
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Mohammed, why has this partnership been such a valuable resource for the Confluence Academies?
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Well, I believe um I've been here since uh God, 2006.
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And from the moment I've stepped into Confluence, you all have provided I would say so much to our students.
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Um, not just the enrichment of being able to have that connection, but it has really developed our children, the whole child totally.
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So the breaking all the barriers down, for example, transportation being one of those barriers, we never had a problem.
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Our buses would come and they would pick up the students and drop them right off at you all's door.
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We didn't have to worry about food, you know, because snacks were provided.
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And then just the connection of the people who were there on the receiving end.
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So I think about our students um being excited about signing up to go to your programming after school, and then also hearing them, you know, if they won their games or we go to them and we see them playing their games, you can see the development of them and how much you all poured into them.
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Not to mention the tutoring and other aspects.
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And I think our parents, in the long run, their feedback has always been positive about Matthew Dickies.
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And in the community, you all have been that pillar.
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As you stated, two million, and many of those were our students.
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So the partnership with Matthew Dickies has been a great one.
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It has been a collaborative partnership.
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Um, we've worked together over the years, and we look forward to continuing collaboration and referring our students and letting our parents know about what programs and the new upcoming things you have.
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Thank you, thank you.
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Egypt.
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Before joining the program, what did you know about the Boys and Girls Club and what made you want to get involved?
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Um, I knew about the Boys and Girls Club on the internet, and my mom she um asked me that I want to join, and I said, sure.
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I wanted a new place to find new friends and have a new experience.
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So I joined and I made new friends and basically had a good time and a good environment.
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That's good.
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I'm happy to hear that.
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Um, so let's move a little to something different.
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Dr.
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Mohammed, Confluence Academy's mission is to educate the whole child.
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How does this partnership help bring that mission to life?
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Very good.
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So statistically, it shows when children are involved in extracurricular activities, it increases their knowledge in a multitude of ways.
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You're learning how is Egypt just shared, how to make friends, right?
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The social emotional aspect that you all provide with the counselors and people there to really um address everything that you can think that a child may have, that connection.
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We also think about how the parents are connected.
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So we, if anybody knows anything about Matthew Dickies, it's a family atmosphere.
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I was a part of Matthew Dickeys.
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As you shared, Mr.
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Williams started off in the camps and then began to play AAU basketball there.
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It was just an exciting event.
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So when we think about the whole child, it hits every aspect, even from the nutritional aspect, getting them to be able to communicate on a better level.
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Every coach that my own children had really developed them to be the men that they are today.
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And I know you spoke about this a little bit earlier.
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Um you said the Boys and Girls Club helps remove those barriers for students with transportation, scholarship bills, and so forth.
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How impactful is that support?
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The feedback from the parents is very impactful because they're at peace of mind.
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When they know their children are Matthew Dickey's, they know they're going to be engaged in activities.
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They're not just sitting there, you know, wasting time, that it's very thoughtful that you, the programming that you all put on is intentional.
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And so we continue to hear positive things and those barriers are broken for broken down for our families where they feel like they don't have to worry about all of those things that other parents may have to worry about when they're trying to get their students involved in activities.
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Yeah, and that's what when you speak of the parents, that's one of the things that we have started to lean into a little bit more.
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We always understand that the child is first, right?
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And making sure that they have that psychological safety.
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They have environments where they can come in and be uh impacted, right?
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But we know when they leave us, they're going home.
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And if we aren't creating a space where uh the parents can say, I am comfortable with them coming to the club.
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I am actually comfortable with walking in the building myself and talking to uh a site director, a counselor, or whatnot, because I have a relationship with them.
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Those are some of the things that we're starting to build with.
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Uh, we've created a position called Parent uh Engagement Coordinator.
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And we started off at our Herbert Hoover Club site with that, with that engagement coordinator.
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And so we'll continue to expand that.
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But as you as you stated, having those programs at each one of our club sites and then being able to duplicate the experience, right?
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Because we have six six sites now, right?
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So Matthew Dickey, Herbert Hoover, uh, our teen center of excellence in Ferguson, Bethauto, Illinois Club across the river, uh, our Adams Park location in the Grove.
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And then we have a school site in at Larimore Elementary, which is in Hazelwood, Spanish Lake, right?
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So our goal is to really continue to create those experiences all across the region, right?
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And be able to say have the same experience at Matthews Dickey that you have at Herbert Hoover.
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Then you go to the teen center.
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And so that's that's our challenge, right?
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And making sure we're doing that.
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That's amazing.
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Absolutely.
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Uh, Mr.
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Williams, why is it important for organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, you know, to support students beyond academics alone?
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It's it's extremely important because your life doesn't start and stop with the books.
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Right?
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That is a tool, that is a resource to make sure that you can bring value to your community, bring value to your family that you want to eventually build.
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But if you don't, like Dr.
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Muhammad talked about, if you don't have the social emotional skills, right, to traverse through tough times, to traverse through chaos, right?
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In our day and age right now, we're dealing with so many mental health issues, so many mental health challenges.
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And I feel like sometimes we're we're using mental health as a wall instead of a bridge to have tough conversations, right?
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And so I think some of the programs that we do have and that we are partnered with Confluence on or helping young people not only understand that academics is important, but having communication skills is important.
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Being able to walk in a room and introduce yourself and talk about yourself and have confidence in who you are is extremely important, knowing that my attitude really can determine how my day goes.
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And I have a choice to show up in this certain type of way.
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I don't have to walk into the room and just because everybody else is mad, oh, I'm mad too.
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No, I have I'm coming in the room.
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Oh, y'all upset?
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Well, let me tell a joke, let me uplift the room, let me come in and be my best self, right?
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And that's a part of getting in the room, like Egypt said, and and meeting new friends because they all don't live in the same place.
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So they have different experiences and stories, and you can come in and you can ask your friend questions, like, hey, you you seem like you're not happy today.
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What's going on?
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You good?
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You was we were excited yesterday, but now today we're on this, right?
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So those types of skills and creating those uh dialogues and those those bridges and their relatability helps you build a network, which helps you build out uh infrastructure to say, well, you now live in Texas or you live in Florida and I'm coming to visit or I want to get a job here or you work at this company, and we all know everybody has a master's in the doctor now, right?
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And and what's the differentiator?
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The differentiator is that I I was on a podcast with Dr.
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Mohammed and I know what she's talking about, and I want her to come in my organization, right?
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That that's it, right?
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And so we've built that rapport, but that starts when you're seven, eight years old.
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It doesn't start when you're 25, right?
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So that's that's what the importance of outside of education.
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Gotcha.
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Thank you for that.
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Egypt, what are some of the ways the boys and girls club has supported you outside the classroom?
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Um, one way was like mental support.
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You know, if I had a problem, I could ask anybody, a coach or a friend.
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Yeah, and they benefit me in every way, every emotional way.
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How did you first get involved with the boys and girls club?
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Um, I wanted to play football and you know my mom had a friend whose son played for Matthew Dickey, and she was communicating with other people to try to sign me up for Matthew Dickey, and it was very easy because a lot of people was in the side of Matt Matthew Dickey.
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So she signed me up and I had a great experience.
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Do you think um being at Matthew Dickey's has helped you academically, socially, personally?
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Can you speak to some of that?
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Um definitely socially.
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Um it's a new experience outside of school.
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It's more engaging than school.
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Gotcha.
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So I'm assuming you love going there and meeting new people, right?
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The place to be.
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Yes.
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Gotcha.
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Mr.
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Williams, the clubs offer everything from athletics to tutoring to technology and esports.
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Why is it important to provide students with so many different opportunities?
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Because experiences matter.
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And the more um environments you can put yourself in, the more things you can experience.
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Um, the farther your mind starts to go.
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And everything from the human experience starts in the mind, right?
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I mean, when I was growing up, we had the Encyclopedia Britannica, right?
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And we had all these books, and it was, it would tell you all the countries and all these different things, and we would see them in pictures.
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And and now they can young people can literally explore the world virtually on the internet, like Egypt was saying, I can just pop on the internet and I can be in another world, right?
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Now we're creating virtual worlds, and so it's it's all about expanding the mind.
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And so when you have the opportunity to, let's say, do culinary, which is healthy lifestyle, healthy living, and understanding nutrition, and that leads you to, oh, well, I like to cook.
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Uh what can I grow my own food?
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Right?
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Oh, well, what does that mean?
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Do I need a big old form?
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No, you don't need a big form.
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You need a little plot of land that you can probably do in your backyard, or you can take some pots in your in your in your house and start growing stuff, right?
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But if you never put a young person in an environment where that's a reality, that's a possibility, they won't ever think about doing it.
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For me, when I was younger, uh and I was playing football at the club, we brought in the St.
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Louis Rams when they first came to St.
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Louis, and I got to be on the field with NFL players.
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And for me at that time, I wasn't thinking about going to the NFL.
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I was just, I just wanted to play football and I was having fun.
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But I think through osmosis and those interactions of sitting with NFL players and talking to them and having a real conversation with someone who plays in the NFL, it started to it planted a seed in me that eventually, eventually I got to the point where there's no question that I'm going to the NFL.
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It's not even a thought.
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Like if somebody said, Oh, do you think you can play in the NFL?
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I've like, do you think I'm not playing in the NFL?
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Like, what are we talking about here?
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So that, but that experience of meeting NFL players at the club was my first experience.
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And being able to have that was a reference point in my mind that, oh, I've been around NFL players before.
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Why can't I be one?
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Right.
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As opposed to just I'm watching it on TV.
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That's cool.
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But being able to have a physical connection with someone that really lasts a lifetime because those the guys that I met when I was seven, well, 10 years old at Matthews Dickey when they brought the Rams in, I still know some of them now at 42, right?
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And and they I tell them these stories, and some of them remember and some of them don't, but at the same time, it's like, oh man, that that was you.
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That was you was that little guy?
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Yeah, I was that little guy, right?
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So it's extremely important.
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Dr.
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Mohammed, what have you seen happen when students have safe spaces where they feel supported, connected, and engaged outside the classroom?
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Well, I would like to first use Egypt as an example.
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Um, he has really from the time I remember, remember him, excuse me, when he first came in or I first came into the schools, he has really truly grown.
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So the maturity aspect comes along with um this interaction that he's having outside of school academically.
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He is a bright student.
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Um I would put him up against any other student in any other district.
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And I akin that not only to the support of his parents, but the support of Matthew Dickeys, like that whole child aspect.
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Um, that's one of the very things that I think sticks out the most.
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And just to hear the conversation.
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So I don't know if you know, but I'll just say it that our students talk a lot about Herbert Hoover, Matthew Dickey's Boys Club.
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So when they're with other students, it is intriguing to them to want to come and join.
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The best thing you can do is have a walking person that has had had that experience, that can express that experience to other students and they're able to get them engaged and wanting to come.
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And I think also what I've noticed in our school systems, and a lot of our coaches can test to this.
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A lot of our students that are in any type of uh basketball, football, they have all had some roots within Matthew Diggie's or roots in Herbert Hoover.
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And to me, that speaks volume.
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So those are the kind of experiences that I think come to mind.
00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:18.720
Um, and I also think they're the ones that stick out the most in our schools, whether that's academically, whether that is behaviorally, and then most important for some of them is the sports, being able to have that connection with other people who have played, you know, semi-professional or professional, they're meeting them in their everyday lives.
00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:19.680
Absolutely.
00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:21.599
Absolutely, especially the sports aspect.
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:22.079
Yes.
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:22.559
Uh, Mr.
00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:26.079
Williams, I know that the kids are out for summer break and summer programming.
00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:26.799
Great.
00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:27.359
What's the break?
00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:29.599
We don't get no breaks, keep it going.
00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:30.319
Right, right.
00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:31.839
I know it's critical for students, right?
00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:32.640
The summertime.
00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.440
So, what opportunities are available during the summer months?
00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:44.240
Well, we uh again, uh, we have our summer camps that we have that started in early June and run through the end of July.
00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:49.440
And once you are plugged into the summer camp, those opportunities are really endless.
00:18:49.599 --> 00:19:09.359
They do a tremendous job in coordinating and planning and making sure that the eight, nine weeks that the young people are attached to that summer camp, they get so many different diverse experiences uh from educational to the arts to STEM, STEAM, going on field trips.
00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:14.799
I I mean they take multiple field trips a week at each one of the club sites.
00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:20.079
Um, and so just having sports experiences as well is is is truly important.
00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:27.519
Um, and for us, it's really being able to make uh these experiences in summer camp affordable for the community.
00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:41.359
Uh I have children myself, so I understand how important it is to have your your child in some type of activity in the summer, but the the detering factor is always like it costs$200 a week.
00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:42.160
What?
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:48.799
That's a lot of a lot of money to add to my budget that I've already been focused on this year.
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:56.079
But with us, um our summer camp typically that costs someone$200 plus dollars a week.
00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:58.000
Ours is for the entire summer.
00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.039
And we typically have scholarship opportunities.
00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:07.200
We have um, you know, all these different ways that we we like to say we don't want to turn anyone down, right?
00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:11.359
We want to make sure that our community can get served with all the things that we do.
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:27.200
But again, I'll go back to the parents and us being able to engage parents better because we've talked about with Egypt as an example, sports and sports as an aspect of the club.
00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:37.039
What I'm really interested in is how can we take one experience that you have at the club and turn that into two or three experiences?
00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:40.880
Because what tends to happen is somebody will be only after school.
00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:43.200
They're only coming for the summer camp.
00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.880
They only play sports.
00:20:45.039 --> 00:21:00.720
And I think you're really missing out on all the things that the club can actually be a resource to you if you only sit in that one bucket, if you don't come back and see what's after school like or what the summer camp is like or what our slip program is like, right?
00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:03.759
Because we're giving away scholarships all the time.
00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:10.079
We're exposing young people to different rooms that can elevate them and take them to the next level all the time.
00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:13.839
You would not, you may not always get esports if you're playing sports.
00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:16.480
You'll get esports in a different capacity.
00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:21.519
But if you only come for this one component, uh, you won't know, right?
00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:25.440
It's people that just really don't know all the things that we actually offer.
00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:27.039
And that's not their fault.
00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:28.160
That's our problem.
00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:39.039
And we have to fix that, and we have to make sure that we're communicating that, and we have to make sure we're connecting with parents on a level where it's like, oh, I didn't even know that you guys offered this too and that too.
00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:47.440
And that how we were talking earlier, we want to create a few more virtual opportunities so that it's not a transportation barrier, right?
00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:59.759
So that you can be at home and do a hybrid model where, hey, we we're engaging your student while they're at home after school, as opposed to the only way you can tap after school is if you actually.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.400
There.
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:00.799
Right.
00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:20.480
So those are things that we as an organization that's been around since 1960 has to continuously innovate and have those conversations because we need to meet the students and the young people where they're at, as opposed to just simply always trying to give them a goal to hit based on our thoughts and where we think they should be going.
00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:20.799
Right.
00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:22.880
So that's that's the thing about us.
00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:23.759
Gotcha.
00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:29.759
So when we talk about athletics, mentorship enrichment activities, um, those absolutely help students, right?
00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:33.039
But how do those prepare students for life after school?
00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.759
I would go back to one of the things that I I typically talk about.
00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:43.759
It's a few different things I talk about, but um I I would say uh the use the acronym ACE.
00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:46.480
So attitude, communication effort.
00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:51.759
Um your attitude, how you show up somewhere is so important.
00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:59.680
And in in the sports environment, you cannot come into this environment with the wrong attitude, you will not get the right outcome.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:22:59.920
Right.
00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:00.480
Right.
00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:07.039
And and then even when you show up at school and you may be having a bad day.
00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:08.799
Are you communicating?
00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:10.000
I had a bad day.
00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:18.079
I had a bad last night, and now I'm showing up um and and I'm telling somebody that this is going on with me.
00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:25.279
So now there is a certain space that can be uh created because you have communicated that, right?
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:27.279
And then there's that effort, right?
00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:31.680
You're you you can't there's no there's no output without an input.
00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:47.279
So if you're not putting in the effort, you're gonna get the result because the the result is gonna be not so great, because the either you're gonna put in a lot of effort and get a max out your result, you're gonna put in a little effort, and that's what you're gonna you you're gonna get out of that, right?
00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:50.720
And so I try to use uh the the ACE acronym.
00:23:50.799 --> 00:24:00.880
Uh I use um the PI method is another one that I use when I talk to students, performance, image, um, and exposure, right?
00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:06.319
So we all understand uh I'm sitting up here with two doctors, right?
00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:08.400
So you know you have to get the grades.
00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:10.720
You have to perform, right?
00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:16.160
In in in whatever educational capacity, uh corporate capacity you have to perform.
00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:18.319
That just gets you in the door.
00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:19.279
Uh, image.
00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:20.400
How do you show up?
00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:21.359
How do you dress?
00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:22.319
How do you stand?
00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:23.119
How do you talk?
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.079
What's your cadence?
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:25.519
Do you look people in the eye?
00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:27.759
What that's that's the image you portray.
00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:31.440
Like it or not, people judge you on how what they see.
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:32.640
They don't know you.
00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:36.799
So don't give them an opportunity to judge you negatively, right?
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:38.480
Your image is important.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:42.880
And we tend to over-index on the performance and the image, right?
00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:45.440
We can look good, we can show up.
00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:52.400
We we know what we know, but are you connecting with people to get more exposure?
00:24:52.880 --> 00:25:06.079
Are you talking to people so that they can take you to different rooms, give you opportunities in different places because you can have the best app in the world, but if nobody is downloading it, it doesn't matter.
00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:10.559
It can help, it can help cure cancer, but nobody is using it.
00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.720
So your exposure matters, right?
00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:19.680
Just like with the human experience, exposure matters because it can take you into different rooms like we talked about earlier.
00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:22.799
It can take you places that your education can't take you, right?
00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:24.079
So it's important.
00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:25.359
Thank you, thank you.
00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:30.319
What has been your favorite experience or opportunity being at the boys and girls club?
00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:34.720
I love it.
00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:39.440
Has any of those programs or just being at the boys and girls club changed how you see your future?
00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:40.640
Um yes.
00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:54.559
Um one of the football coaches, he definitely gave me uh advice on how to keep my mental mind up and my physical body up and stay healthy and yeah, do better.
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:57.599
So you do a hundred push-ups a day, that's what you're telling me?
00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:00.480
You you already did a hundred this morning or you do them at night?
00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:03.440
I got you.
00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:03.920
I got you.
00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:06.160
Mr.
00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.599
Williams, some very notable St.
00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:10.240
Louisans have participated in the Boys and Girls Cuts program.
00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:15.119
Could you tell us about a few of them and how their stories influence current participation?
00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:16.559
Oh wow.
00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:19.599
Um Sterling K.
00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:22.240
Brown is one that comes to mind, right?
00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:25.359
Um, he has been extremely impactful.
00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:31.519
He just his diverse background going to private school and then going and becoming an actor.
00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:35.279
He was a Matthew Sticky um uh alumni himself.
00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:38.160
Um and just so how how dynamic he is.
00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:49.359
And he talks about his experience at the club and and who he met and the relationships that he's built and how that has strengthened him and continued to push him where he is.
00:26:49.519 --> 00:27:05.279
Um, Kalia Collier, who is an amazingly talented woman in the sports space, who the youngest or probably the only woman, not the only, but the youngest woman to own her own basketball team, professional women's basketball team, which she still owns today.
00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:09.519
She became the commissioner of the league that the basketball team was in.
00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:20.240
And now she works for the Dallas Mavericks as a chief of staff, but she started off in the clubs playing basketball, building relationships, and really doing uh amazing things for herself.
00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:34.880
Um, you you look at some some athletes like the Jason Tatums, the Bradley Bills, Ezekiel Elliott's, Isaiah Williams, and Jameson Williams, like these are young people who came up through the club and have done some amazing things.
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:39.359
Uh my my younger brother, Walter Powell, he made it to the NFL as well.
00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:48.480
And then he was one uh a tech entrepreneur who was um one of the first African Americans to raise over a million dollars for a startup company, right?
00:27:48.720 --> 00:28:14.319
So these these young people started it, these people started in a place that is the same place that Egypt is starting, running around the same halls on the same fields, probably some of the same coaches, getting some of the same experiences, and those things matter and they're important, but having that network and that familiarity where you can say, Oh, I identify with this person because I know they came from where I came from.
00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:15.200
Gotcha.
00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:15.920
Dr.
00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:19.680
Mohammed, what does success look like for a partnership going forward?
00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:41.839
I think success looks like being able to examples of people who have gone through Herbert Hoover Boys Club, and you can see the development of the development of that child, how far their trajectory is based on their really their collaboration, their partnership, the communication that we have with them.
00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:43.680
To me, that is showing.
00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:53.519
I also want to say being able to reflect on people who've come through our schools and now are doing great things, and the the heart of it is them being a part of your club.
00:28:53.759 --> 00:29:08.960
And I think that we have some examples of our students, as you and I both know, that have, as she was speaking earlier, we get athletes that come in and we know for a fact that your tutelage, your assistance and partnership with us has helped develop them.
00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:17.680
So by the time they get to high school, not only are they intrigued about playing the sports, but we can really see them being the ambassadors in our schools.
00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:30.000
I also think a great partnership would be us being able to continue to have more of a collaborativeness where our parents are understanding what supports they can get right here in their community.
00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:32.720
They don't have to go outside of their community.
00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:46.880
And uh lastly, I would think then I think um being able to provide on our end what we can provide to our parents and our students that would help them not continue, as we've done in the past, not to have any barriers.
00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:48.079
The sky is the limit.
00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:53.759
And I think lastly, I just want to say that, you know, our tagline is student achievement and community achievement.
00:29:53.839 --> 00:30:00.799
And we really believe in the community aspect, and we know that you all are literally working in the community.
00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:05.200
You have grown leaps and bounds, and we look forward to that partnership continuing.
00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:06.640
That to me is success.
00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:07.440
That's success.
00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:08.240
Yes, ma'am.
00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:08.559
Thank you.
00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:10.559
Egypt, one last question for you.
00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:15.440
What would you say to another student who might be thinking about getting involved with the Boys and Girls Club?
00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:29.440
I would explain to them how it's a great experience to find to find a better opportunity to learn, engage in sports and all type of um activities.
00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:30.480
Thank you.
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:31.119
Dr.
00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:37.519
Mohammed, for you, um, I know we have families and students and parents who might want to get involved or get their students involved.
00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:41.839
Um, is there any feedback that you can give, ways they can reach you, reach the confluence academies?
00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:42.880
Absolutely.
00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:51.440
So uh first initially would like to say that um we always will send out information that Matthew Dickens has given us, even for their summer programs.
00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:54.000
We've emailed it, we've texted the information out.
00:30:54.079 --> 00:30:58.079
So not only do they have it verbally, but they also have it in their hands.
00:30:58.319 --> 00:31:05.119
I would also say the parents can reach out to me, the district office at the 314-588-A554 number.
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:17.920
And then um lastly, we have persons within our school buildings that can connect with our parents, our school social workers, our counselors, and obviously our coaches too, that can provide more information so that there is a direct connection.
00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:18.799
Okay, thank you.
00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:19.279
And Mr.
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:24.240
Williams, last but not least, um, how can families reach out to you or, you know, I don't know, straight to the source.
00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:25.920
How can they reach the boys and girls club?
00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:32.640
Yeah, they can go to bgcstl.org and see just about any and everything that's going on with us.
00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:36.240
One of our biggest uh pushes right now is volunteerism.
00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:41.519
Uh, we we always are looking for more volunteers to be a part of what we have going on.
00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:44.000
Um, and volunteerism looks different for everybody.
00:31:44.079 --> 00:32:03.839
So we try to make sure that we fit people into what they actually want to do, whether that's um a mentor uh after school, power hour, being a study buddy, whether that's helping us with a uh capital project in terms of helping us clean up this room or move these boxes or make this space um look better, right?
00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:11.519
Even if it's a it's a volunteer or a parent who is a painter, electrician, all your skill set can come over.
00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.680
And even coaching, right?
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:20.000
You do not, I'm not looking for volunteers that are um the next Bill Belichick, right?
00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:31.200
I just want a parent who can come in and help us manage 50 kids on a football team or a basketball team and just come in uh or or just be a parent that is an assistant coach.
00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:36.720
You don't have to be the head person, but volunteer volunteering is is extremely important.
00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:44.640
Uh for us, you can always go to any one of our club sites uh and just knock on the door and we uh hey, what's going on?
00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:53.680
And I want more information about this, and and there'll be plenty of information, but the fastest way is is obviously going to bgcstl.org.
00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:56.880
We have our social media at BGCSTO as well.
00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:04.400
So that's Instagram and Facebook, and we pretty much post 900 times a day just trying to make sure we hit that algorithm, right?
00:33:04.559 --> 00:33:06.720
And that's that's really how we how we get it.
00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:07.599
Thank you, thank you.
00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:14.640
Well, I personally want to say thank you to all of our guests for sharing your insights, your experiences, and your commitment to supporting our students across the community.
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:18.400
And thank you to our listeners for joining us at Confluence Conversations.
00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:28.960
Be sure to follow, share, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss a conversation about the partnerships and programs shaping student success across Confluence Academies.
00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:20.399
Welcome to Confluence Conversations, where we explore the partnerships, programs, and experiences that elevate student success across Confluence Academies.
00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:21.519
I'm your host, Dr.
00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:27.519
Ava Smith, and today we're talking about a long-standing partnership that has supported students far beyond the classroom.
00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:29.359
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater St.
00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:40.399
Louis has impacted generations of young people through after school programming, athletics, academic support, summer enrichment, and mentorship, providing safe spaces for students to learn and grow.
00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:44.880
Today, we'll explore how that partnership is helping confluence students succeed.
00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:50.880
So joining us today is Brandon Williams, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater St.
00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:51.439
Louis.
00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:52.479
We also have Dr.
00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:57.759
Leslie Mohammed, Director of Student Services and Parent Involvement for Confluence Academies.
00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:04.560
And last but not least, Old North Academy student Agent Smith, who has participated in the Boys and Girls Club programming.
00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:06.560
So let's go ahead and get started.
00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:07.200
Mr.
00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:10.400
Williams, the Boys and Girls Club have a rich history in St.
00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:10.879
Louis.
00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:15.200
Why has this organization remained such an important part of the community for generations?
00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:26.079
I really think it's because it's been around so long, and everyone, I always say that it's probably 95% of the people in this community in St.
00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:37.920
Louis either have gone to one of the clubs or they know someone, had a had a child, had an uncle, brother, sister, cousin, some form or fashion have been attached to the club, right?
00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:41.280
And the outcomes really speak for themselves.
00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:53.760
Over the 60, since 1960, over two million uh young people have been mentored, served, uh, coached, helped in any in in so many different ways, right?
00:01:53.840 --> 00:02:02.879
And so I think just the longevity of being able to do that really speaks to the community as well because people continue to support the boys and girls clubs of Greater St.
00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:05.599
Louis because they know how impactful it can be.
00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:11.439
Uh and so I'm just excited that we can continue to grow it, evolve it, and do different things.
00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:12.560
Absolutely.
00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.240
I know the mission focuses on helping young people reach their full potential.
00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:17.439
Um, what does it look like?
00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:19.120
What does that everyday action look like?
00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:29.520
Yeah, so our two main um opportunities that we really try to pour into the community is after school programming and then summer camp programming.
00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:34.319
Our third pillar uh leans heavily on sports and activities, right?
00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:43.280
Uh so when you look at how we communicate what we do with after school, it's not just a place to come and sit and play basketball, right?
00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:47.840
It's a really safe space for that 3 to 7 uh p.m.
00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:57.360
time frame where you can come still get literacy, mentorship, connect with uh peers, and be able to have a space where you can be comfortable with yourself.
00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:12.400
A lot of times when we sit and talk to people who are alumni, they typically talk about the relationships they made, the confidence that they were able to build, the character development, the leadership development that tends to happen when you um, or a club kid, as we call it.
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:17.919
And then summer camp is where you you really get to just explore everything that the club has to offer.
00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:20.000
And and I was a club kid myself.
00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:25.520
I started off in summer summer camps and I went on to play football at Matthew's Dickey.
00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:36.879
And so for me, it was really a lifelong opportunity to learn about leadership, character development, what it coaching, the coach uh player relationship, and and what that really looks like.
00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:43.280
And then just walking those halls and being able to see some of the great people that they brought in, right?
00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:57.120
So it's not just uh the the counselors and the administrators, but we you bring in athletes, you bring in doctors, CEOs, uh people who have started businesses and continue to be successful, and they want to pour back into St.
00:03:57.280 --> 00:03:58.560
Louis and the young people.
00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:06.639
And so being able to be exposed to people like that is is really, really important for uh, you know, a young person.
00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:07.039
Yeah.
00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:08.080
Thank you for that.
00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:08.879
Uh Dr.
00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:13.360
Mohammed, why has this partnership been such a valuable resource for the Confluence Academies?
00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:18.240
Well, I believe um I've been here since uh God, 2006.
00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:26.079
And from the moment I've stepped into Confluence, you all have provided I would say so much to our students.
00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:34.800
Um, not just the enrichment of being able to have that connection, but it has really developed our children, the whole child totally.
00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:41.600
So the breaking all the barriers down, for example, transportation being one of those barriers, we never had a problem.
00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:46.480
Our buses would come and they would pick up the students and drop them right off at you all's door.
00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:50.800
We didn't have to worry about food, you know, because snacks were provided.
00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:54.720
And then just the connection of the people who were there on the receiving end.
00:04:54.879 --> 00:05:11.279
So I think about our students um being excited about signing up to go to your programming after school, and then also hearing them, you know, if they won their games or we go to them and we see them playing their games, you can see the development of them and how much you all poured into them.
00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:13.759
Not to mention the tutoring and other aspects.
00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:19.439
And I think our parents, in the long run, their feedback has always been positive about Matthew Dickies.
00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:23.120
And in the community, you all have been that pillar.
00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:27.040
As you stated, two million, and many of those were our students.
00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.720
So the partnership with Matthew Dickies has been a great one.
00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:33.120
It has been a collaborative partnership.
00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:42.560
Um, we've worked together over the years, and we look forward to continuing collaboration and referring our students and letting our parents know about what programs and the new upcoming things you have.
00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:44.160
Thank you, thank you.
00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:45.040
Egypt.
00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:50.639
Before joining the program, what did you know about the Boys and Girls Club and what made you want to get involved?
00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:59.759
Um, I knew about the Boys and Girls Club on the internet, and my mom she um asked me that I want to join, and I said, sure.
00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:03.600
I wanted a new place to find new friends and have a new experience.
00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:11.040
So I joined and I made new friends and basically had a good time and a good environment.
00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:11.920
That's good.
00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:13.199
I'm happy to hear that.
00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:15.839
Um, so let's move a little to something different.
00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:16.319
Dr.
00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:19.839
Mohammed, Confluence Academy's mission is to educate the whole child.
00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:22.959
How does this partnership help bring that mission to life?
00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:23.839
Very good.
00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:32.399
So statistically, it shows when children are involved in extracurricular activities, it increases their knowledge in a multitude of ways.
00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:36.319
You're learning how is Egypt just shared, how to make friends, right?
00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:47.680
The social emotional aspect that you all provide with the counselors and people there to really um address everything that you can think that a child may have, that connection.
00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:50.560
We also think about how the parents are connected.
00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:55.360
So we, if anybody knows anything about Matthew Dickies, it's a family atmosphere.
00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:56.879
I was a part of Matthew Dickeys.
00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:58.240
As you shared, Mr.
00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:03.439
Williams started off in the camps and then began to play AAU basketball there.
00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:04.959
It was just an exciting event.
00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:14.720
So when we think about the whole child, it hits every aspect, even from the nutritional aspect, getting them to be able to communicate on a better level.
00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:19.920
Every coach that my own children had really developed them to be the men that they are today.
00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:22.800
And I know you spoke about this a little bit earlier.
00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:28.240
Um you said the Boys and Girls Club helps remove those barriers for students with transportation, scholarship bills, and so forth.
00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:30.079
How impactful is that support?
00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:34.079
The feedback from the parents is very impactful because they're at peace of mind.
00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:38.639
When they know their children are Matthew Dickey's, they know they're going to be engaged in activities.
00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:46.319
They're not just sitting there, you know, wasting time, that it's very thoughtful that you, the programming that you all put on is intentional.
00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:59.680
And so we continue to hear positive things and those barriers are broken for broken down for our families where they feel like they don't have to worry about all of those things that other parents may have to worry about when they're trying to get their students involved in activities.
00:07:59.920 --> 00:08:06.079
Yeah, and that's what when you speak of the parents, that's one of the things that we have started to lean into a little bit more.
00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:10.160
We always understand that the child is first, right?
00:08:10.319 --> 00:08:13.680
And making sure that they have that psychological safety.
00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:17.839
They have environments where they can come in and be uh impacted, right?
00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.959
But we know when they leave us, they're going home.
00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:27.920
And if we aren't creating a space where uh the parents can say, I am comfortable with them coming to the club.
00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:35.919
I am actually comfortable with walking in the building myself and talking to uh a site director, a counselor, or whatnot, because I have a relationship with them.
00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:38.720
Those are some of the things that we're starting to build with.
00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:43.279
Uh, we've created a position called Parent uh Engagement Coordinator.
00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.759
And we started off at our Herbert Hoover Club site with that, with that engagement coordinator.
00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:50.080
And so we'll continue to expand that.
00:08:50.399 --> 00:09:00.720
But as you as you stated, having those programs at each one of our club sites and then being able to duplicate the experience, right?
00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.360
Because we have six six sites now, right?
00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:13.840
So Matthew Dickey, Herbert Hoover, uh, our teen center of excellence in Ferguson, Bethauto, Illinois Club across the river, uh, our Adams Park location in the Grove.
00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:18.960
And then we have a school site in at Larimore Elementary, which is in Hazelwood, Spanish Lake, right?
00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:25.440
So our goal is to really continue to create those experiences all across the region, right?
00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:31.120
And be able to say have the same experience at Matthews Dickey that you have at Herbert Hoover.
00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:32.320
Then you go to the teen center.
00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:34.159
And so that's that's our challenge, right?
00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:35.679
And making sure we're doing that.
00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:36.960
That's amazing.
00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:37.840
Absolutely.
00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:38.480
Uh, Mr.
00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:44.960
Williams, why is it important for organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, you know, to support students beyond academics alone?
00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:50.799
It's it's extremely important because your life doesn't start and stop with the books.
00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:51.519
Right?
00:09:51.679 --> 00:10:00.000
That is a tool, that is a resource to make sure that you can bring value to your community, bring value to your family that you want to eventually build.
00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:01.360
But if you don't, like Dr.
00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:10.240
Muhammad talked about, if you don't have the social emotional skills, right, to traverse through tough times, to traverse through chaos, right?
00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:16.799
In our day and age right now, we're dealing with so many mental health issues, so many mental health challenges.
00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:24.960
And I feel like sometimes we're we're using mental health as a wall instead of a bridge to have tough conversations, right?
00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:40.080
And so I think some of the programs that we do have and that we are partnered with Confluence on or helping young people not only understand that academics is important, but having communication skills is important.
00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:52.559
Being able to walk in a room and introduce yourself and talk about yourself and have confidence in who you are is extremely important, knowing that my attitude really can determine how my day goes.
00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:56.720
And I have a choice to show up in this certain type of way.
00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:01.279
I don't have to walk into the room and just because everybody else is mad, oh, I'm mad too.
00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:03.039
No, I have I'm coming in the room.
00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:03.919
Oh, y'all upset?
00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:09.679
Well, let me tell a joke, let me uplift the room, let me come in and be my best self, right?
00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:16.720
And that's a part of getting in the room, like Egypt said, and and meeting new friends because they all don't live in the same place.
00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:24.720
So they have different experiences and stories, and you can come in and you can ask your friend questions, like, hey, you you seem like you're not happy today.
00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:25.519
What's going on?
00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:26.240
You good?
00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:30.159
You was we were excited yesterday, but now today we're on this, right?
00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:54.480
So those types of skills and creating those uh dialogues and those those bridges and their relatability helps you build a network, which helps you build out uh infrastructure to say, well, you now live in Texas or you live in Florida and I'm coming to visit or I want to get a job here or you work at this company, and we all know everybody has a master's in the doctor now, right?
00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:56.799
And and what's the differentiator?
00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:59.840
The differentiator is that I I was on a podcast with Dr.
00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:04.159
Mohammed and I know what she's talking about, and I want her to come in my organization, right?
00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:05.279
That that's it, right?
00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:10.240
And so we've built that rapport, but that starts when you're seven, eight years old.
00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:12.639
It doesn't start when you're 25, right?
00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:16.799
So that's that's what the importance of outside of education.
00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:17.519
Gotcha.
00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:18.159
Thank you for that.
00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:23.039
Egypt, what are some of the ways the boys and girls club has supported you outside the classroom?
00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:27.120
Um, one way was like mental support.
00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:31.840
You know, if I had a problem, I could ask anybody, a coach or a friend.
00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:36.240
Yeah, and they benefit me in every way, every emotional way.
00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:38.639
How did you first get involved with the boys and girls club?
00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:58.639
Um, I wanted to play football and you know my mom had a friend whose son played for Matthew Dickey, and she was communicating with other people to try to sign me up for Matthew Dickey, and it was very easy because a lot of people was in the side of Matt Matthew Dickey.
00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:01.919
So she signed me up and I had a great experience.
00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:07.759
Do you think um being at Matthew Dickey's has helped you academically, socially, personally?
00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:09.120
Can you speak to some of that?
00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:11.919
Um definitely socially.
00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.840
Um it's a new experience outside of school.
00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:18.399
It's more engaging than school.
00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:19.200
Gotcha.
00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.240
So I'm assuming you love going there and meeting new people, right?
00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:23.679
The place to be.
00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:24.399
Yes.
00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:25.360
Gotcha.
00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:25.919
Mr.
00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:30.559
Williams, the clubs offer everything from athletics to tutoring to technology and esports.
00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:34.559
Why is it important to provide students with so many different opportunities?
00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:36.960
Because experiences matter.
00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:43.840
And the more um environments you can put yourself in, the more things you can experience.
00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:47.120
Um, the farther your mind starts to go.
00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:50.879
And everything from the human experience starts in the mind, right?
00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.799
I mean, when I was growing up, we had the Encyclopedia Britannica, right?
00:13:54.879 --> 00:14:02.080
And we had all these books, and it was, it would tell you all the countries and all these different things, and we would see them in pictures.
00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:12.480
And and now they can young people can literally explore the world virtually on the internet, like Egypt was saying, I can just pop on the internet and I can be in another world, right?
00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:17.840
Now we're creating virtual worlds, and so it's it's all about expanding the mind.
00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:29.120
And so when you have the opportunity to, let's say, do culinary, which is healthy lifestyle, healthy living, and understanding nutrition, and that leads you to, oh, well, I like to cook.
00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:31.200
Uh what can I grow my own food?
00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:31.759
Right?
00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:33.039
Oh, well, what does that mean?
00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:34.639
Do I need a big old form?
00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:36.320
No, you don't need a big form.
00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:44.639
You need a little plot of land that you can probably do in your backyard, or you can take some pots in your in your in your house and start growing stuff, right?
00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:54.159
But if you never put a young person in an environment where that's a reality, that's a possibility, they won't ever think about doing it.
00:14:54.320 --> 00:15:00.480
For me, when I was younger, uh and I was playing football at the club, we brought in the St.
00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:03.120
Louis Rams when they first came to St.
00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:06.639
Louis, and I got to be on the field with NFL players.
00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:10.240
And for me at that time, I wasn't thinking about going to the NFL.
00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:12.960
I was just, I just wanted to play football and I was having fun.
00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:32.960
But I think through osmosis and those interactions of sitting with NFL players and talking to them and having a real conversation with someone who plays in the NFL, it started to it planted a seed in me that eventually, eventually I got to the point where there's no question that I'm going to the NFL.
00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:34.159
It's not even a thought.
00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:37.519
Like if somebody said, Oh, do you think you can play in the NFL?
00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:39.679
I've like, do you think I'm not playing in the NFL?
00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:40.879
Like, what are we talking about here?
00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:48.000
So that, but that experience of meeting NFL players at the club was my first experience.
00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:53.919
And being able to have that was a reference point in my mind that, oh, I've been around NFL players before.
00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:55.279
Why can't I be one?
00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:55.679
Right.
00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.000
As opposed to just I'm watching it on TV.
00:15:58.080 --> 00:15:58.879
That's cool.
00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:18.080
But being able to have a physical connection with someone that really lasts a lifetime because those the guys that I met when I was seven, well, 10 years old at Matthews Dickey when they brought the Rams in, I still know some of them now at 42, right?
00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:26.720
And and they I tell them these stories, and some of them remember and some of them don't, but at the same time, it's like, oh man, that that was you.
00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:28.240
That was you was that little guy?
00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:30.159
Yeah, I was that little guy, right?
00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:32.000
So it's extremely important.
00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:33.039
Dr.
00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:39.679
Mohammed, what have you seen happen when students have safe spaces where they feel supported, connected, and engaged outside the classroom?
00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.559
Well, I would like to first use Egypt as an example.
00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:52.080
Um, he has really from the time I remember, remember him, excuse me, when he first came in or I first came into the schools, he has really truly grown.
00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:59.679
So the maturity aspect comes along with um this interaction that he's having outside of school academically.
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:01.600
He is a bright student.
00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:05.039
Um I would put him up against any other student in any other district.
00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:11.920
And I akin that not only to the support of his parents, but the support of Matthew Dickeys, like that whole child aspect.
00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:15.440
Um, that's one of the very things that I think sticks out the most.
00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:17.519
And just to hear the conversation.
00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:25.359
So I don't know if you know, but I'll just say it that our students talk a lot about Herbert Hoover, Matthew Dickey's Boys Club.
00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:30.319
So when they're with other students, it is intriguing to them to want to come and join.
00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:38.880
The best thing you can do is have a walking person that has had had that experience, that can express that experience to other students and they're able to get them engaged and wanting to come.
00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:44.480
And I think also what I've noticed in our school systems, and a lot of our coaches can test to this.
00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:55.279
A lot of our students that are in any type of uh basketball, football, they have all had some roots within Matthew Diggie's or roots in Herbert Hoover.
00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:57.119
And to me, that speaks volume.
00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:00.240
So those are the kind of experiences that I think come to mind.
00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:18.720
Um, and I also think they're the ones that stick out the most in our schools, whether that's academically, whether that is behaviorally, and then most important for some of them is the sports, being able to have that connection with other people who have played, you know, semi-professional or professional, they're meeting them in their everyday lives.
00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:19.680
Absolutely.
00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:21.599
Absolutely, especially the sports aspect.
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:22.079
Yes.
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:22.559
Uh, Mr.
00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:26.079
Williams, I know that the kids are out for summer break and summer programming.
00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:26.799
Great.
00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:27.359
What's the break?
00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:29.599
We don't get no breaks, keep it going.
00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:30.319
Right, right.
00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:31.839
I know it's critical for students, right?
00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:32.640
The summertime.
00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.440
So, what opportunities are available during the summer months?
00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:44.240
Well, we uh again, uh, we have our summer camps that we have that started in early June and run through the end of July.
00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:49.440
And once you are plugged into the summer camp, those opportunities are really endless.
00:18:49.599 --> 00:19:09.359
They do a tremendous job in coordinating and planning and making sure that the eight, nine weeks that the young people are attached to that summer camp, they get so many different diverse experiences uh from educational to the arts to STEM, STEAM, going on field trips.
00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:14.799
I I mean they take multiple field trips a week at each one of the club sites.
00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:20.079
Um, and so just having sports experiences as well is is is truly important.
00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:27.519
Um, and for us, it's really being able to make uh these experiences in summer camp affordable for the community.
00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:41.359
Uh I have children myself, so I understand how important it is to have your your child in some type of activity in the summer, but the the detering factor is always like it costs$200 a week.
00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:42.160
What?
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:48.799
That's a lot of a lot of money to add to my budget that I've already been focused on this year.
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:56.079
But with us, um our summer camp typically that costs someone$200 plus dollars a week.
00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:58.000
Ours is for the entire summer.
00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.039
And we typically have scholarship opportunities.
00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:07.200
We have um, you know, all these different ways that we we like to say we don't want to turn anyone down, right?
00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:11.359
We want to make sure that our community can get served with all the things that we do.
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:27.200
But again, I'll go back to the parents and us being able to engage parents better because we've talked about with Egypt as an example, sports and sports as an aspect of the club.
00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:37.039
What I'm really interested in is how can we take one experience that you have at the club and turn that into two or three experiences?
00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:40.880
Because what tends to happen is somebody will be only after school.
00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:43.200
They're only coming for the summer camp.
00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.880
They only play sports.
00:20:45.039 --> 00:21:00.720
And I think you're really missing out on all the things that the club can actually be a resource to you if you only sit in that one bucket, if you don't come back and see what's after school like or what the summer camp is like or what our slip program is like, right?
00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:03.759
Because we're giving away scholarships all the time.
00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:10.079
We're exposing young people to different rooms that can elevate them and take them to the next level all the time.
00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:13.839
You would not, you may not always get esports if you're playing sports.
00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:16.480
You'll get esports in a different capacity.
00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:21.519
But if you only come for this one component, uh, you won't know, right?
00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:25.440
It's people that just really don't know all the things that we actually offer.
00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:27.039
And that's not their fault.
00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:28.160
That's our problem.
00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:39.039
And we have to fix that, and we have to make sure that we're communicating that, and we have to make sure we're connecting with parents on a level where it's like, oh, I didn't even know that you guys offered this too and that too.
00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:47.440
And that how we were talking earlier, we want to create a few more virtual opportunities so that it's not a transportation barrier, right?
00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:59.759
So that you can be at home and do a hybrid model where, hey, we we're engaging your student while they're at home after school, as opposed to the only way you can tap after school is if you actually.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.400
There.
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:00.799
Right.
00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:20.480
So those are things that we as an organization that's been around since 1960 has to continuously innovate and have those conversations because we need to meet the students and the young people where they're at, as opposed to just simply always trying to give them a goal to hit based on our thoughts and where we think they should be going.
00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:20.799
Right.
00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:22.880
So that's that's the thing about us.
00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:23.759
Gotcha.
00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:29.759
So when we talk about athletics, mentorship enrichment activities, um, those absolutely help students, right?
00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:33.039
But how do those prepare students for life after school?
00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.759
I would go back to one of the things that I I typically talk about.
00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:43.759
It's a few different things I talk about, but um I I would say uh the use the acronym ACE.
00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:46.480
So attitude, communication effort.
00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:51.759
Um your attitude, how you show up somewhere is so important.
00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:59.680
And in in the sports environment, you cannot come into this environment with the wrong attitude, you will not get the right outcome.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:22:59.920
Right.
00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:00.480
Right.
00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:07.039
And and then even when you show up at school and you may be having a bad day.
00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:08.799
Are you communicating?
00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:10.000
I had a bad day.
00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:18.079
I had a bad last night, and now I'm showing up um and and I'm telling somebody that this is going on with me.
00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:25.279
So now there is a certain space that can be uh created because you have communicated that, right?
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:27.279
And then there's that effort, right?
00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:31.680
You're you you can't there's no there's no output without an input.
00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:47.279
So if you're not putting in the effort, you're gonna get the result because the the result is gonna be not so great, because the either you're gonna put in a lot of effort and get a max out your result, you're gonna put in a little effort, and that's what you're gonna you you're gonna get out of that, right?
00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:50.720
And so I try to use uh the the ACE acronym.
00:23:50.799 --> 00:24:00.880
Uh I use um the PI method is another one that I use when I talk to students, performance, image, um, and exposure, right?
00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:06.319
So we all understand uh I'm sitting up here with two doctors, right?
00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:08.400
So you know you have to get the grades.
00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:10.720
You have to perform, right?
00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:16.160
In in in whatever educational capacity, uh corporate capacity you have to perform.
00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:18.319
That just gets you in the door.
00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:19.279
Uh, image.
00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:20.400
How do you show up?
00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:21.359
How do you dress?
00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:22.319
How do you stand?
00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:23.119
How do you talk?
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.079
What's your cadence?
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:25.519
Do you look people in the eye?
00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:27.759
What that's that's the image you portray.
00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:31.440
Like it or not, people judge you on how what they see.
00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:32.640
They don't know you.
00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:36.799
So don't give them an opportunity to judge you negatively, right?
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:38.480
Your image is important.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:42.880
And we tend to over-index on the performance and the image, right?
00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:45.440
We can look good, we can show up.
00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:52.400
We we know what we know, but are you connecting with people to get more exposure?
00:24:52.880 --> 00:25:06.079
Are you talking to people so that they can take you to different rooms, give you opportunities in different places because you can have the best app in the world, but if nobody is downloading it, it doesn't matter.
00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:10.559
It can help, it can help cure cancer, but nobody is using it.
00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.720
So your exposure matters, right?
00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:19.680
Just like with the human experience, exposure matters because it can take you into different rooms like we talked about earlier.
00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:22.799
It can take you places that your education can't take you, right?
00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:24.079
So it's important.
00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:25.359
Thank you, thank you.
00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:30.319
What has been your favorite experience or opportunity being at the boys and girls club?
00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:34.720
I love it.
00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:39.440
Has any of those programs or just being at the boys and girls club changed how you see your future?
00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:40.640
Um yes.
00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:54.559
Um one of the football coaches, he definitely gave me uh advice on how to keep my mental mind up and my physical body up and stay healthy and yeah, do better.
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:57.599
So you do a hundred push-ups a day, that's what you're telling me?
00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:00.480
You you already did a hundred this morning or you do them at night?
00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:03.440
I got you.
00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:03.920
I got you.
00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:06.160
Mr.
00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.599
Williams, some very notable St.
00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:10.240
Louisans have participated in the Boys and Girls Cuts program.
00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:15.119
Could you tell us about a few of them and how their stories influence current participation?
00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:16.559
Oh wow.
00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:19.599
Um Sterling K.
00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:22.240
Brown is one that comes to mind, right?
00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:25.359
Um, he has been extremely impactful.
00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:31.519
He just his diverse background going to private school and then going and becoming an actor.
00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:35.279
He was a Matthew Sticky um uh alumni himself.
00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:38.160
Um and just so how how dynamic he is.
00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:49.359
And he talks about his experience at the club and and who he met and the relationships that he's built and how that has strengthened him and continued to push him where he is.
00:26:49.519 --> 00:27:05.279
Um, Kalia Collier, who is an amazingly talented woman in the sports space, who the youngest or probably the only woman, not the only, but the youngest woman to own her own basketball team, professional women's basketball team, which she still owns today.
00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:09.519
She became the commissioner of the league that the basketball team was in.
00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:20.240
And now she works for the Dallas Mavericks as a chief of staff, but she started off in the clubs playing basketball, building relationships, and really doing uh amazing things for herself.
00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:34.880
Um, you you look at some some athletes like the Jason Tatums, the Bradley Bills, Ezekiel Elliott's, Isaiah Williams, and Jameson Williams, like these are young people who came up through the club and have done some amazing things.
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:39.359
Uh my my younger brother, Walter Powell, he made it to the NFL as well.
00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:48.480
And then he was one uh a tech entrepreneur who was um one of the first African Americans to raise over a million dollars for a startup company, right?
00:27:48.720 --> 00:28:14.319
So these these young people started it, these people started in a place that is the same place that Egypt is starting, running around the same halls on the same fields, probably some of the same coaches, getting some of the same experiences, and those things matter and they're important, but having that network and that familiarity where you can say, Oh, I identify with this person because I know they came from where I came from.
00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:15.200
Gotcha.
00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:15.920
Dr.
00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:19.680
Mohammed, what does success look like for a partnership going forward?
00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:41.839
I think success looks like being able to examples of people who have gone through Herbert Hoover Boys Club, and you can see the development of the development of that child, how far their trajectory is based on their really their collaboration, their partnership, the communication that we have with them.
00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:43.680
To me, that is showing.
00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:53.519
I also want to say being able to reflect on people who've come through our schools and now are doing great things, and the the heart of it is them being a part of your club.
00:28:53.759 --> 00:29:08.960
And I think that we have some examples of our students, as you and I both know, that have, as she was speaking earlier, we get athletes that come in and we know for a fact that your tutelage, your assistance and partnership with us has helped develop them.
00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:17.680
So by the time they get to high school, not only are they intrigued about playing the sports, but we can really see them being the ambassadors in our schools.
00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:30.000
I also think a great partnership would be us being able to continue to have more of a collaborativeness where our parents are understanding what supports they can get right here in their community.
00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:32.720
They don't have to go outside of their community.
00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:46.880
And uh lastly, I would think then I think um being able to provide on our end what we can provide to our parents and our students that would help them not continue, as we've done in the past, not to have any barriers.
00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:48.079
The sky is the limit.
00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:53.759
And I think lastly, I just want to say that, you know, our tagline is student achievement and community achievement.
00:29:53.839 --> 00:30:00.799
And we really believe in the community aspect, and we know that you all are literally working in the community.
00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:05.200
You have grown leaps and bounds, and we look forward to that partnership continuing.
00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:06.640
That to me is success.
00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:07.440
That's success.
00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:08.240
Yes, ma'am.
00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:08.559
Thank you.
00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:10.559
Egypt, one last question for you.
00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:15.440
What would you say to another student who might be thinking about getting involved with the Boys and Girls Club?
00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:29.440
I would explain to them how it's a great experience to find to find a better opportunity to learn, engage in sports and all type of um activities.
00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:30.480
Thank you.
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:31.119
Dr.
00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:37.519
Mohammed, for you, um, I know we have families and students and parents who might want to get involved or get their students involved.
00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:41.839
Um, is there any feedback that you can give, ways they can reach you, reach the confluence academies?
00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:42.880
Absolutely.
00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:51.440
So uh first initially would like to say that um we always will send out information that Matthew Dickens has given us, even for their summer programs.
00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:54.000
We've emailed it, we've texted the information out.
00:30:54.079 --> 00:30:58.079
So not only do they have it verbally, but they also have it in their hands.
00:30:58.319 --> 00:31:05.119
I would also say the parents can reach out to me, the district office at the 314-588-A554 number.
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:17.920
And then um lastly, we have persons within our school buildings that can connect with our parents, our school social workers, our counselors, and obviously our coaches too, that can provide more information so that there is a direct connection.
00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:18.799
Okay, thank you.
00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:19.279
And Mr.
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:24.240
Williams, last but not least, um, how can families reach out to you or, you know, I don't know, straight to the source.
00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:25.920
How can they reach the boys and girls club?
00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:32.640
Yeah, they can go to bgcstl.org and see just about any and everything that's going on with us.
00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:36.240
One of our biggest uh pushes right now is volunteerism.
00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:41.519
Uh, we we always are looking for more volunteers to be a part of what we have going on.
00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:44.000
Um, and volunteerism looks different for everybody.
00:31:44.079 --> 00:32:03.839
So we try to make sure that we fit people into what they actually want to do, whether that's um a mentor uh after school, power hour, being a study buddy, whether that's helping us with a uh capital project in terms of helping us clean up this room or move these boxes or make this space um look better, right?
00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:11.519
Even if it's a it's a volunteer or a parent who is a painter, electrician, all your skill set can come over.
00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.680
And even coaching, right?
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:20.000
You do not, I'm not looking for volunteers that are um the next Bill Belichick, right?
00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:31.200
I just want a parent who can come in and help us manage 50 kids on a football team or a basketball team and just come in uh or or just be a parent that is an assistant coach.
00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:36.720
You don't have to be the head person, but volunteer volunteering is is extremely important.
00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:44.640
Uh for us, you can always go to any one of our club sites uh and just knock on the door and we uh hey, what's going on?
00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:53.680
And I want more information about this, and and there'll be plenty of information, but the fastest way is is obviously going to bgcstl.org.
00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:56.880
We have our social media at BGCSTO as well.
00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:04.400
So that's Instagram and Facebook, and we pretty much post 900 times a day just trying to make sure we hit that algorithm, right?
00:33:04.559 --> 00:33:06.720
And that's that's really how we how we get it.
00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:07.599
Thank you, thank you.
00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:14.640
Well, I personally want to say thank you to all of our guests for sharing your insights, your experiences, and your commitment to supporting our students across the community.
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:18.400
And thank you to our listeners for joining us at Confluence Conversations.
00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:28.960
Be sure to follow, share, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss a conversation about the partnerships and programs shaping student success across Confluence Academies.
