Press Release

ATLANTA (January 27, 2023) - Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the nation’s leading youth development organization, announced today that nearly all members of its Child Safety & Quality Assurance Team, along with many other National and local Club staff have been deemed a Certified Praesidium Guardian (CPG) by Praesidium, a national leader in risk management of sexual abuse of vulnerable populations. 

These individuals will join a community of professionals who have demonstrated that they are committed to creating a culture of safety through risk management and best practices in sexual abuse prevention.

The CPG certification was created to recognize individuals who are dedicated to the prevention of sexual abuse of vulnerable populations. To attain certification, all Boys & Girls Clubs professionals successfully completed a robust certification process, where they became proficient in best practices in organizational abuse prevention that includes specific steps to prevent incidents of abuse by employees, volunteers, or program participants.

Select National and local Club staff members also demonstrated their knowledge on how to respond effectively if an allegation or incident occurs, and how to ensure that Boys & Girls Clubs of America stays current and consistent in the implementation of abuse prevention best practices.

To become a Certified Praesidium Guardian, the trainees met requirements in three areas:

• Education - Completed pre-workshop assignment that included of six hours of online training
• Experience - Attended an immersive workshop experience, either virtually or in-person, amounting to 20 hours of learning, discussion, and application of abuse risk management skills rooted in Praesidium’s Safety Equation^TM
• Knowledge - Completed a post-workshop Impact Project where the Guardian demonstrated their abuse prevention knowledge by putting it into practice in a tangible way at their organization. The Impact Project is specific to each Guardian and their organization and is reviewed by an expert Praesidium Consultant.

The certification will remain valid for three years and will continuously hold all Club staff accountable for working towards creating a safe environment and demonstrating their commitment to protecting those in their care from abuse.

Praesidium and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are proud of all certified teams and staff members and their efforts to enhancing the culture of safety at Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation. Their continued work has helped remind staff of our commitment to child abuse prevention and that everyone has the responsibility to protect those in their care. They are an excellent resource for our organization and the surrounding community in sexual abuse prevention.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Nearly 5,000 Clubs serve over 3.6 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter.


About Praesidium
Praesidium specializes in preventing sexual abuse in organizations that serve youth and vulnerable adults.Over a period in excess of 30 years, the company has reviewed over 4,000 cases of abuse within organizations to determine the root causes of sexual abuse within organizational settings. Praesidium employs more than 50 staff, including licensed social workers, lawyers, health care researchers, and other experts. The company has served over 5,000 clients with a broad range of products and services to aid organizations in preventing abuse, including online and instructor–led trainings, organizational risk assessments, model policies, and background checks. Having trained more than one million people online and hundreds of thousands in person, Praesidium is the largest and most comprehensive sexual abuse risk management firm globally.

For more information about the Certified Praesidium Guardian program, please visit www.praesidiuminc.com or email pginfo@praesidiuminc.com.

Media Contacts 

Eliza Lynch
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
203-522-7010
elynch@bgca.org