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Club Programs

Education

Designed to complement and reinforce what youth learn during the school day, Clubs create experiences that invite kids to fall in love with learning. Rooted in social-emotional youth development practices, our Academic Success programs enable youth to be effective, engaged, adaptive learners who are on track to graduate with a plan for their future.

Tynker is the fun way to learn programming and develop problem-solving & critical thinking skills. Our new bundles include live expert coaching to get your child off to a fast, confident start.

Varsity Tutors partners with educational leaders to build customized learning solutions to equitably improve outcomes for all students and expand teacher capacity at scale.

STEM programs bridge the gap between STEM and real world scenarios focusing on hands on, project based learning for students to explore the different disciplines of STEM helping to build excellent soft skills in the “four Cs”— collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication.

Summer Brain Gain provides engaging, hands-on, project-based experiences to spark youth’s curiosity for learning and encourage them to explore their interests. A key Academic Success program, Summer Brain Gain is comprised of one-week modules that offer fun, themed activities for elementary school, middle school, and high school students to ensure youth avoid summer learning loss.

MyFuture provides members with a safe, fun digital platform where they can showcase their work and earn recognition in the form of stars, badges, and master badges. It’s a space where kids can interact with each other – free from the prospect of cyberbullying – learn new skills and share their accomplishments. By using MyFuture with their members, Club staff can help youth make friends and build a positive self-image through online achievement.

PowerHour: Making Minutes Count helps Club members achieve academic success with engaging homework help, tutoring and high yield learning activities (HYLA). This program encourages members of all ages to become self-directed learners.

Project Learn reinforces the academic enrichment and school engagement of young people during the time they spend at the Club. A holistic strategy supporting Youth-Centered Learning in Clubs, Project Learn includes experiential learning, allowing youth to actively engage through a “hands-on and mind-on” approach.

 

Career Development

To help young people meet the workforce challenges of tomorrow, they need safe spaces, positive mentorship, and work experiences. As they prepare to enter the workforce, young people receive formal and informal career exposure to help them explore interests and passions. They also apply knowledge to real-world work experiences and develop skills, like time management, for employability. Through work-based learning opportunities like internships and first jobs, members can explore potential careers - opening them up to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

diplomas2Degrees (d2D), a college readiness program, provides a range of services to guide Club members as they work toward high school graduation and prepare for post-secondary education and career success.

Career Launch prepares teens for the world of careers and work. Through Career Launch, Club teens embark on a journey to explore possible vocations, make sound educational decisions, and find success in the world of work. This program is designed to support youth in preparing for their first job, internships, summer employment, and more.

Club Leaders-in-Training program is a job readiness, character development, and service-learning program for high school members at our Clubhouses. Participating teens take part in professional development workshops, resume and portfolio development, and hands-on work experience. Successful completion of the Club LIT program provides youth with lasting leadership skills and connects them to summer employment opportunities.

Money Matters was designed using the latest research on financial education, behavioral economics, and youth development to promote financial responsibility and independence among Club members ages 13-18. Participants learn how to manage a checking account, create a budget, save and invest, start small businesses and pay for college. This curriculum helps teens develop the financial literacy skills that can lead them to workplace readiness, lifelong financial stability, and overall success.

 

Character & Leadership

Our leadership and service programs help youth become responsible, caring citizens who acquire skills to participate in the democratic process. Program participants also develop leadership skills and gain opportunities for planning, decision-making, and contributing to their Club and community while celebrating our national heritage.

The Young J.E.D.I. Council offers youth a safe space to engage, use their voices and share their passion for advocacy. Focused on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.), these internal councils provide a forum for youth to address concerns, stand up, speak out, express themselves and produce solutions.

Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier recognition program. It is our signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy.

Distinct from the National Youth of the Year program, Junior Youth of the Year seeks to develop junior leaders ages 10-13 within the Club environment. The program fosters Club members’ emerging leadership abilities while preparing them for later participation in the Youth of the Year program. In addition to recognizing the leadership achievements of Club youth, Junior Youth of the Year also cultivates their leadership potential, providing the foundation they need for advanced leadership development, academic excellence and postsecondary success. Through this program, Club youth become motivated to seek opportunities for leadership and to act as responsible citizens and change agents.

Keystone Club is the Boys & Girls Club’s most dynamic teen program for youth ages 14 and up. This program provides leadership development opportunities both in and out of the Club. Teens gain valuable leadership and service experience by conducting activities in four areas: Academic Success, Career Exploration, Community Service, and Teen Outreach.

Torch Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for youth ages 10-13. A Torch Club is a powerful vehicle that helps Club staff meet the special character development needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their life. Torch Club members learn to elect officers and work together to implement activities in four areas: Service to Club & Community, Education, Health & Fitness, and Social Recreation.

 

Healthy Lifestyles

Health and wellness programs develop young people’s capacity to engage in positive behaviors, nurture their well-being, set personal goals, and grow into self-sufficient adults. Designed to help youth develop the mind, body and soul, kids and teens learn skills to manage stress, eat right, keep physically fit, and develop healthy relationships.

Focused on social and emotional learning, the BE A STAR program gives Club members ages 11-13 the tools they need to enhance their learning, decision making, creativity, relationships, and mental health.

Active Kids + Minds is a physical activity program for kids of all ages and abilities. The Active Kids program includes lesson plans, training, and support needed to get kids moving for up to 45 minutes a day. It also includes shorter movement breaks, games, and activities tailored to your needs as an educator or parent.

Youth ages 6-15 learn how individual health behaviors are influenced by personal beliefs and exposure to positive modeling. In addition to nutrition education, activities focus on helping youth assess, practice, identify, consider, and recognize health behaviors and messages.

An evidence-based program for youth ages 6-18 that works to build self-esteem, interest in learning, and promote pro-social behaviors in youth. The Thoughts-Actions-Feelings Circle (TAF) illustrates how this works in life: our thoughts lead to actions and those actions lead to feelings about ourselves, which in turn lead to more thoughts. The essence of the program is to emphasize those actions that promote a healthy and positive cycle.

A prevention and education program that addresses problems such as drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. Using a team approach involving Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives, young people ages 6 to 15 engage in discussion and role-playing to analyze media and peer influence, practice resilience and refusal skills, develop assertiveness and strengthen decision-making skills.

Triple Play, BGCA’s comprehensive health and wellness initiative, strives to improve the overall health of members, ages 6-18, by increasing their daily physical activity, teaching them good nutrition, and helping them develop healthy relationships.

 

The Arts

Creative Arts Programs are designed to help young people develop cultural awareness, spark creativity, and amplify their voices through artistic expression. Through Digital, Visual, Performing and Applied Arts experiences, kids of all ages can access imagination, build self-confidence, and discover new ways to express themselves.

DramaMatters Afterschool is a drama education program for Clubs that encourages members ages 6 to 18 to engage in hands-on performing arts activities. The program guide is a weekly program consisting of 60-minute sessions segmented for beginner, intermediate and advanced members. Sessions consist of a short warm-up; a main activity of games, script work or performance; and a 10-minute cool-down. The Lessons in Stagecraft Program Guide includes many different ways for members to express themselves creatively, from costumes to set design or directing.

A year-round program for Club members ages 6-18, ImageMakers helps youth learn the art and science of photography through multiple categories: Culture and Tradition, Portraits, Nature and Surroundings, Fashion and Style, Editing and Filter. This National Photography Program is designed to help youth go beyond snapshots and develop skills to take impactful photographs.

Designed to cultivate and amplify the powerful, formidable voices of Club teens, Lyricism 101 recognizes the power of literary arts. This program provides teens ages 13-18 an opportunity to tell their stories, build community and express their artistic visions through the music of hip-hop culture and the culture of the cipher.

This year-round program encourages artistic expression among Club members ages 6 to 18 through drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, mixed-media and sculpture.

Created to offset the lack of contemporary music programs and equipment in schools, Notes For Notes® provides youth ages 6-18 with free access to musical instruments, instruction and recording studio environments. Designed to produce positive social-emotional and creative growth, youth receive access to top-of-the-line instruments, gear, technology and instruction. Notes for Notes® Studios provide youth with the space, encouragement and freedom to discover, explore and produce music.

 

Sports, Fitness, & Recreation

Sports and Recreation programs are designed to help all youth become physically literate - having the competence, confidence and intrinsic motivation to be physically active every day. These programs help develop physical fitness, reduce stress and promote a positive use of leisure time, as well as appreciation for the environment and interpersonal skills.

Club members ages 6-18 years engage in high-quality organized flag football, basketball, and soccer programs. ALL STARS aims to increase opportunities for physical activity, social interaction and recognition through high-quality structured sports programming.