Research

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BGCAZ-Impact-Hero

Research

We measure what matters, and we keep learning from it.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley is the largest youth-serving organization in Arizona, serving more than 20,000 young people at 30-plus Clubs each year. We don't think "trust us" is good enough, so we study our own work and invite outside researchers to check it - economists at ASU, an independent evaluation firm, the Aspen Institute.

Every study below is dated, sourced, and linked to the report or a summary of it. Start here if you fund youth programs, set policy for young people, or cover them in the press.


SKIP TO RECENT RESEARCH:

  1. Phoenix AV Youth Mobility Study
  2. Economic Impact of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley
  3. Whole Child Approach: Mental Wellness Outcomes
  4. Economic Impact of AZYouthforce
  5. State of Play Arizona
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1. The Phoenix AV Youth Mobility Study

Funded by Legacy Institute of Colorado Springs and the Donnell-Kay Foundation · Independent evaluation by Radiant Global Insights · Summer 2026 · Randomized controlled trial

Transportation is one of the quietest reasons a teenager turns down a good job. In summer 2026, BGCAZ ran the first randomized study of autonomous-vehicle rides for working teens: 30 AZYouthforce interns were randomly assigned to ride Waymo vehicles to their internships, or get there as they otherwise would. Radiant Global Insights, an independent firm, designed the study and analyzed the results. Waymo provided the vehicles and trip data. BGCAZ paid the fare for every study ride, with funding from Legacy Institute. Waymo had no role in the analysis or the findings.

FINDINGS

  • Among teens who rode, transportation stress fell from 86% to 43% over the summer. In the comparison group, it did not move.
  • 539 rides. Zero safety incidents.
  • Both groups gained the same job skills from the internship itself. What the rides changed was access: whether getting to work was a source of stress for the teen, and for the household.
Read the full report from Legacy Institute

IN THE NEWS

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2. The Economic Impact of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

Arizona State University, Seidman Research Institute · Independent economic analysis · 2025 · Updated every few years

Every few years, economists at ASU's Seidman Research Institute put a dollar value on what the Clubs produce for Arizona - jobs, graduation rates, lifelong health outcomes. Seidman writes the report, not BGCAZ, using its own independent methodology.

  • Every $1 invested returns $14.79 in benefits to Arizona - $398.5 million total against $27 million in costs (2025).
  • The largest benefit: $210.8 million a year to working families, supporting 5,640 households to keep a job because their kids have somewhere safe to be.
  • 94% of parents say the Clubs help them keep their jobs.
Read the 2025 Economic Impact Summary

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3. Whole Child Approach: Mental Wellness Outcomes

Delivered with Terros Health · Independent evaluation by LeCroy & Milligan Associates · Year 3 report, July 2025 · Ongoing annual evaluation

Arizona ranks 50th in the nation for youth mental health. Our answer: Wellness Coaches embedded in the Clubs, every day, teaching kids to name what they feel, settle themselves, and get back to the game - with a bridge to clinical care through Terros Health when a family needs more.

An independent evaluator, LeCroy & Milligan Associates, has assessed the program every year since it launched.

FINDINGS

  • Reported behavioral incidents fell 54%, from 1,892 to 878, between Year 2 and Year 3.
  • 93% of members can identify and name their own emotions, up from 89% the year before.
  • 451 BGCAZ staff - 73% of the organization - are trained in de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and Youth Mental Health First Aid.

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4. The Economic Impact of AZYouthforce

Arizona State University, Seidman Research Institute · Independent economic analysis · 2025

AZYouthforce is our workforce program for teens 14–21: a paid internship, a 30-hour academy, and a case manager who stays with each teen for up to two years after. ASU's Seidman Research Institute measured what it has produced since 2018, using a deliberately conservative methodology that counts only benefits it can monetize.

FINDINGS

  • 80% of teens who complete an AZYouthforce internship go on to college or post-secondary training, against an Arizona average of 48%.
  • Since 2018: 983 teens served, 887 internships completed with 23 employer partners, and more than $1.25 million earned in wages.
  • Seidman identified $6.3–$6.6 million in monetized benefits to date, with 202 teens employed after the program (2025).
Read the AZYouthforce Economic Impact overview

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5. State of Play Arizona

The Aspen Institute, Sports & Society Program · With Phoenix Elementary School District and Arizona's professional sports community · In progress

Nationally, about 58% of kids play sports; the Aspen Institute has set a goal of 63% by 2030. Nobody knows the number for Phoenix - that's the gap this study closes. BGCAZ is leading a multi-year study with Aspen's Project Play team, Phoenix Elementary School District, and local sports organizations, looking at who plays, who doesn't, and what stands in the way.

This is the research behind AZ Plays. Findings will appear here when published.

Findings expected 2028. Study partners:

  • Thunderbirds Charities
  • Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation
  • Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury Foundation
  • Fiesta Sports Foundation
  • Phoenix Raceway
  • Arizona Soccer Association

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How We Measure, Every year

The studies above are the deep dives. Underneath them is a measurement routine that runs every year, in every Club.

  • National Youth Outcomes Initiative (NYOI). A national survey, run by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, measuring academic confidence, healthy decisions, character, and readiness for adult life. In 2024–25, 95% of BGCAZ teens were on track to graduate - about 6.5 points above our service-area average.
  • Annual Report. Participation, demographics, program hours, meals served, and outcomes for the fiscal year, published every fall. Read the FY2024–25 Annual Report →
For Funders and Researchers

Partner with us on research

Two of the studies on this page began with a funder who had a question, and wanted it answered rigorously. If you have one, we would like to hear it. BGCAZ can offer a large, diverse population of young people, 30-plus sites, program data going back years, and staff who are used to working with outside evaluators.

Contact: Josh Stine, josh.stine@bgcaz.org

FOR POLICYMAKERS AND MEDIA

Request a Briefing

We brief legislators, agency staff, and reporters on what the research shows about out-of-school time in Arizona, and we can arrange Club visits.

Contact: Josh Stine, josh.stine@bgcaz.org

Thank you to the Valley of the Sun United Way for your support of quality after school programs at our BGCAZ Clubs.