Expanding youth mental health support

Investment from Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies helps Boys & Girls Club staff engage in trauma-informed trainings.

After spending months learning specialized techniques to create a welcoming environment for youth who may have experienced some form of trauma, Laura Magnotta is ready to start implementing what she’s learned at the Connecticut-based Wakeman Boys & Girls Club. She’s among the first cohorts to receive the training through an investment from Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies.

As a Boys & Girls Club staff member, Magnotta knows the value of training in trauma-informed practices. She has seen firsthand the impact of trauma on kids. She’s also seen firsthand how staff need the right tools to help kids feel safe and supported.

"Our staff want to be here. They love what they do. They love the kids,” says Magnotta. “But day-to-day, it can be hard. A lot of staff are asking, 'How can we do more for our Club youth?'" 

A partnership that makes the training possible

In 2023, BCBS companies committed $10 million to help Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BCGA) scale exposure to trauma-informed (TI) practices in all 5,000+ Clubs across the country. 

"The partnership between Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies and Boys & Girls Clubs of America is supporting Club professionals at every level to be trauma-informed in their work with young people. This truly gets at the heart of our mission at Boys & Girls Clubs. Families and children will know, even before they walk in our doors, that they will be treated with emotional and physical safety at all times."

Laura Magnotta, director, Safety and Leadership Development for the Connecticut-based Wakeman Boys & Girls Club

Magnotta is one of 25 Club staff — the first of several cohorts — to complete six months of training in trauma-informed practices. Like others who receive the training, she will go on to spread her knowledge to staff at other Clubs in her region. This approach will bring trauma-informed training to more than 48,000 staff by 2026 in Clubs across the nation.

About trauma-informed practices

The training helps staff:

• Recognize the signs of trauma.
• Promote an emotionally safe, inclusive environment where youth feel valued and understood.
• Guard against reactivating stress from trauma, whether that trauma is a one-time event or an ongoing issue, such as abuse or neglect.
• Interact with kids in ways that respect their strengths while acknowledging difficult experiences.
• Build resiliency skills in young people, helping them to manage their emotions in healthy ways.
• Foster advocacy, self-confidence, problem-solving, and adaptability in young people by modeling, teaching and guiding them through situations that encourage these skills.
• Understand and promote the importance of personal wellness for both staff and youth.

Magnotta says Clubs are already well-positioned to be these welcoming spaces.

"A youth member came to the Club and shared something with a staff member, something that they held in all day at school. That speaks volumes that they knew the Club was a safe environment where they could speak up, where they know they will be received with care, understanding and support," says Magnotta.

The vision: Every Club across the country engaged in trauma-informed training

Through investment from BCBS companies, BGCA is moving toward an ultimate vision of all Clubs practicing a trauma-informed approach. Clubs across the country will be even better equipped to meet young people where they are and connect them to additional help, if needed.

This is just one example of how BCBS is playing a role in supporting local communities, while encouraging preventive care within the broader mental health care continuum. Addressing childhood trauma and investing in trauma-informed practices expands access to behavioral health care for youth. The joint project aims to change the trajectory of youth mental health.