Merrilee Logue (National Labor Office), Keisha Adams (Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) and Jennifer Bateman (Boys & Girls Clubs of America) joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to provide an update on the partnership between BCBSA companies and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. They highlighted the first discussion of the collaboration on AWF back in May 2024, then discussed the implementation of trauma-informed practices, the impact of trauma-informed specialists and the Apprenticeship Readiness Workshop initiative.

Adams explained that the partnership aims to implement trauma-informed practices in over 5,500 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide by 2026. With 79 percent of clubs already exposed to this work, nearly 40,000 youth are supported by trained staff. The initiative focuses on three main areas: the Trauma-Informed Network, trauma-informed specialists and an advanced intensive on-the-ground experience for committed clubs. To date, nearly 10,000 training experiences have been provided through this partnership.

Bateman continued by discussing the role of trauma-informed specialists in expanding the program's impact. She explained that club professionals undergo rigorous six-month training to become regional leaders, delivering trauma-informed training virtually and in person to their communities. The partnership will fund 60 new specialists by 2026, with 22 already trained in 2024. Bateman said the specialists create a ripple effect, influencing clubs and broader community systems that support youth, Adams said

Finally, Logue discussed the National Labor Office’s Apprenticeship Readiness Workshop to introduce young people and their families to union apprenticeship opportunities. Still in its pilot phase, this initiative combines workforce development with emotional well-being support. It helps youth understand apprenticeships, qualification requirements and the long-term benefits of union membership, while fostering a sense of belonging and community connection.

Listen to the full episode for more on the partnership between BCBSA and the Boys & Girls Club of America.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

BCBSA and Boys & Girls Clubs partner to improve youth mental health

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