On November 15, Jim Clark, Boys & Girls Clubs of America President and CEO, joined other youth development leaders as a panel speaker for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Corporate Citizenship Conference in Washington, D.C. In addition to BGCA, this year’s event, themed Better Together, brought business leaders and cross-sector partners together to collaborate around a shared vision of progress. During the “Collaboration Reimagined” session, Clark, along with representatives from other youth serving organizations, including 4-H, YMCA and Girl’s Inc., addressed how these four organizations have united to bridge the STEM gap among under-represented youth and inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.

Moderator Dalila Wilson-Scott, Senior Vice President of Community Impact for Comcast Corporation, and President of the Comcast NBC Universal Foundation, set the stage for the discussion by highlighting the active partnerships Comcast has with each of the nonprofit organizations represented on the panel. Focused on how these organizations came together to collaborate and share resources, the panel explained their commitment to making STEM programs available to all of America’s youth, regardless of the circumstances that surround them. All four organizations serve youth during important out-of-school time hours and offer STEM-focused programs and activities.

For example, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Comcast NBCUniversal partnered to create My.Future in 2014. An online platform that prepares children to thrive in today’s digital world, My.Future provides access to a variety of programs that encourage youth to develop a range of knowledge, skills and behaviors that are required for success in any career – from cultivating technical skills like coding to building social and emotional competencies like problem-solving and innovative thinking. “The world we live in runs on technology, and digital skills are essential for any future career,” said Jim Clark. “Thanks to our long-time partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, we’re able to help young people in underserved communities prepare for and compete in today's and tomorrow’s digital workplace.”

This year’s conference took place during My.Future Week, November 12 – 16, the annual recognition of the partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs and Comcast NBCUniversal. My.Future Week also highlights the ongoing importance of digital literacy and access to digital devices for all young people.