Survey: Kids Wish Parents Would Work Less, Spend More Outdoor Time With Them, Adults Spending Little Time Supervising Kids Online; Boys & Girls Clubs of America Launches Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids September 16

ATLANTA, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ — A survey of more than 1,500 Boys & Girls Club members from across the nation has identified how young people define meaningful time. The results show kids wish parents would work less and spend more outdoor time with them. It also shows adults are spending little time supervising their kids online. The survey was conducted for the first “Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids,” a new national event on Sept. 16.

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On Sept. 16, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) will launch “Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids,” a major new family event on our nation’s calendar. Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids (BGC Day for Kids) will be an annual event highlighting the value of meaningful time between caring adults and children. BGC Day for Kids will be celebrated with millions of adults and kids participating in some 2,000 events at Boys & Girls Clubs and other locations nationwide.

BGC Day for Kids Survey

A survey conducted this summer of more than 1,500 Boys & Girls Club members from across the nation identified how young people define meaningful time.

    – The results revealed that most young people (78%) feel they do spend      enough meaningful time with their parents.    – BUT  …  The young people surveyed (39%) said they want their parents      to work less and spend more outdoor time with them (43%).    – Young people (68%) say their parents or guardians are the most      important role models in their lives and that the most important thing      they learn from them are positive values (37%).    – While most (79%) say their parents have talked with them about Internet      safety, most parents never or very rarely (67%) surf the Internet with      their children or ask them who they are talking to online (55%).    – Most young people are participating in physical activities and games      with their parents several times a week (55.1%) and eating home-cooked      dinners together regularly (77%).   

Events, celebrity appearances and special promotions will highlight BGC Day for Kids. National spokespersons for the day, platinum-selling recording artist and actor Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley Cyrus, both of Disney Channel’s hit series “Hannah Montana,” will kick off the day in Los Angeles.

“Miley and I have a great relationship,” said Cyrus. “I think it’s important as parents and neighbors that we spend quality time with children and to encourage others in our communities to do the same.”

Added Miley: “My dad and I talk all the time about the important stuff in my life. He and my mom know how much I appreciate them and our relationship is good because we spend time together. I am happy to be a part of this day to help other kids feel the same way.”

Unlike most other industrialized nations, the U.S. is one of the few nations that does not have an official day set aside to honor its young people. In a country ranked first in wealth and productivity, we do not have a day in which we recognize our most precious resource. Americans recognize the link between spending meaningful time with their kids and the tough issues facing young people, but say they don’t have the time, skills or resources to do as much for their children as they feel they should.

BGCA is spearheading a national effort to establish Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids as an “official day” on the National Calendar. But while September 16 is the official day, created to bring attention to the messages of Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids, in reality every day should be a day for kids.

To assist parents, practitioners and other caring adults, BGCA has created engaging educational resources to help them encourage and develop positive relationships with kids. A year-round web site, http://www.dayforkids.org/, also launches this week, providing tools, resources and tips that support their interactions with young people.

Blockbuster Inc., a founding sponsor of the Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids initiative, will encourage people to invest in America’s youth. Blockbuster will support BGC Day for Kids through an in-store promotion. The public can stop by local participating BLOCKBUSTER(R) stores starting September 12 to learn how they can make a difference.

American Express is a presenting sponsor of BGCA’s Centennial 2006 Celebration and is supporting BGC Day for Kids with local events, Cardmember and online promotions at http://www.mylifemycard.com/bgca.

More than 2,000 Day for Kids events are planned nationwide (all events open to the public) including:

    – Los Angeles – Activities at the Santa Monica Pier featuring an      appearance by Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus and other activities at the      Pacific Park Amusement Park.    – Dallas – More than 3,000 youth will enjoy a day at the Bahama Beach      Waterpark, including games, face painting, free school supplies and      appearances by Dallas Mavericks players.    – NYC – A street festival in the Bronx, including song and dance, a back-      to-school fashion show, the NY Mets mascot, a health fair and equipment      from the NY Police and Fire Depts.   

“We created Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids to foster stronger relationships between adults and children by educating them on the importance and value of spending meaningful time together,” says Roxanne Spillett, president, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “BGC Day for Kids will provide the opportunity for every adult to take a break, celebrate and renew their commitment to the nation’s children.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of America leads the national campaign with support from American Express, Blockbuster Inc. and Disney. Non-profit partners include America’s Promise, Association of Children’s Museums, Association for Library Service to Children, Communities in Schools, Home Safety Council, National AfterSchool Association, National Neighbor Day, National Wildlife Federation and Youth Service America.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (http://www.bgca.org/) comprises a national network of more than 3,900 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving some 4.6 million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances. Known as “The Positive Place for Kids,” the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 6-18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

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Boys & Girls Clubs of America

CONTACT: Mitch Leff, +1-404-861-4769, or mitch@leffassociates.com, orJulie Herron Carson, +1-404-285-3434, or jhcarson@bellsouth.net, both for Boys& Girls Clubs of America

Web site: http://www.bgca.org/http://www.dayforkids.org/http://www.mylifemycard.com/bgca