A group of Salt Lake Community College students will host students from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake for a weekend of SLCC basketball games on December 15. SLCC and Boys & Girls Club students will attend SLCC basketball games against Snow College. The women's game will begin at 3:00 p.m. and the men’s at 5:00 p.m.
“Our goal is to familiarize youth with college expectations, benefits, and fundamental skills at an early age while assuaging any fears they may have of higher education,” SLCC student participant Keith McDonald said. “The connection between SLCC and the Boys & Girls Club of America is one that is can really be a positive benefit to many young people.”
As part of their business communication class, the students previously held tutoring sessions and a College tour for the young students. The group held the field trip to SLCC’s main campus for the Boys & Girls Club students for the service-learning component of their coursework.
The students in the business communications class prepared information tables, guest speakers, SLCC-themed handouts for the young people.
Prior to the field trip, SLCC students used the Boys & Girls Club’s Power Hour initiative from the Be Great Graduate program—an after school tutoring session that helps elementary school to high school students with homework, Internet safety tips, exploring career options, and teaches other valuable life skills—to conduct mentoring sessions at the Lied Club in Salt lake City.
The partnership between the College and the Boy’s & Girls Club makes available an educated pool of mentors to the BGCA and equipping potential college students with the tools they need to succeed, and gives current and future SLCC students an opportunity to meet with officials from with a non-profit that partners with companies like Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Microsoft, and Comcast.
The SLCC basketball games are the final part of the collegiate experience provided to the Boys & Girls Club students following their tours of the SLCC Markosian Library, Athletics Department, and Science Departments.
