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Great Futures Start Here.
 

Youth

High-Quality Club Experience

Positive Outcome in these Areas:

  • Young people make informed, healthy decisions that contribute to their overall well-being.

  • Young people stay true to their values, demonstrate good citizenship and drive positive change.

  • Young people are self-directed learners who succeed academically with a plan after high school.

  • Young people are equipped to navigate adulthood and pursue a fulfilling, economically viable career.

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Health & Well-being Programs

82% of Boys & Girls Club youth say they can care for their own feelings and emotions 

95% of Boys & Girls Club youth feel they do what’s right, even if no one is watching

SMART Moves Skills Mastery and Resilience Training prevention and education program addresses problems such as drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. Young people ages 6-18 engage in discussion and role-playing, practicing resilience and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence. The ultimate goal is to promo9te abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior.

Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul is BGCA’s proven health and wellness program co-sponsored by the Anthem Foundation and founding partner The Coca-Cola Company. Since launching in 2005, Triple Play has made more than 14.4 million connections with kids and teens, promoting the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition through the program’s three components: mind, body and soul.

Healthy Habits (Mind): Addresses the ways an individual’s 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.

Daily Challenges (Body): Intentional focus on physical literacy: Ability – Increasing capability in basic movement skills and overall fitness; Confidence -the knowledge of the ability to play sports or enjoy other physical activities and Motivation- the intrinsic enthusiasm for physical activity for members to be physically active for life.

Social Recreation (Soul): Emphasis on social and emotional development, or the social, cognitive, and behavioral skills that youth need to be healthy and productive. There is an explicit focus on emotional regulation, healthy relationships (with self and others), and responsible decision-making.

Passport to Manhood encourages boys age 8 to 14 to develop and mature into young men. A targeted effort is made to engage young boys in discussions and activities that reinforce character, leadership and positive behavior. Each participate receives a “passport” to underscore the notion that he is on a personal journey of maturation and growth. Each of the program’s 14 sessions use interactive activities to focus on a specific aspect of character and manhood. It also includes a service project where boys learn the importance of giving back to the community.

ALL STARS Teaching Athletic Fundamentals, Teaching Team Building and Leadership. Seasonal program offered at multiple Club locations when funding is available. An organized league sports and recreation program offering flag football, basketball and soccer, volleyball and more for youth ages 6-18 yrs. ALL STARS is primarily funded by Buffalo Wild Wings and aims to increase opportunities for physical activity, social interaction, and recognition through high-quality structured sports programming. Millions of Club youth have participated on organized ALL STARS sports teams. Playing sports is about igniting a passion, belonging to a team, sportsmanship, teamwork and building self-esteem. Every child should have the chance to experience team sports and learn skills that will help them compete both on the field and in life.

SMART Girls Skills Mastery and Resistance Training: helps girls develop toward healthy attitudes. SMART Girls is a small-group health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program designed to meet the developmental needs of girls in three age groups, spanning ages 8 to 18. Through dynamic sessions, participatory activities, field trips and mentoring opportunities with adult women, Club girls explore their own and societal attitudes and values as they build skills for eating right, staying physically fit, getting good health care and developing positive relationships with peers and adults.

Junior Giants is a free, noncompetitive baseball and softball program. More than 28,000 youth across California, Nevada and Oregon participate annually. The program offers equipment, uniforms, program incentives and coaches training. Junior Giants celebrates diversity - all are welcome to play. *Offered exclusively at the Juvenile Justice Campus Boys & Girls Club

Academic Success

91% of Boys & Girls Club youth believe they can do well in school

95% of Boys & Girls Club youth are on track to graduate and on grade level

Project Learn reinforces the academic enrichment and school engagement of young people during the time they spend at the Club.

Students do much better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun, but academically beneficial, activities. Through Project Learn, Club staff use all the areas and programs in the Club to create opportunities for these high-yield learning activities, including leisure reading, writing activities, discussions with knowledgeable adults, helping others, homework help, tutoring and games that develop young people’s cognitive skills. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement as well as collaboration between Club and school professionals.

Ultimate Journey is an environmental education program, created in partnership with the National Park Service. It is a hands-on STEM curriculum, designed for ages 9-13 (4th-8th grade), and totally revamped for the 21st century. It is super flexible, designed to last for eight weeks with two to four activities per week, though Clubs can easily break it up. Each activity also has variations and options, so Clubs can adapt it to multiple age groups, and with or without the technology components.

Diplomas 2 Degrees a college readiness program, guides Club members as they work toward high school graduation and prepare for post-secondary education and career success. D2D helps teens develop both short- and long-term goals, while familiarizing them with post-secondary education through experiences like college tours. It also assists youth in securing financial aid and fosters supportive relationships with adults who can provide support throughout the college experience.

Lyricism 101 is a program designed to cultivate and amplify the powerful, formidable voices of Club teens.

Recognizing the power of the literary arts, Lyricism 101 positions Club members as torchbearers and experts in the ancient oral poetic traditions that continue to thrive around the world. The program gives teens 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.

Homework-help program encourages youth to be self-directed learners.

Power Hour: Making Minutes Count helps Club members ages 6-18 achieve academic success by providing homework help, tutoring and high-yield learning activities and encouraging members to become self-directed learners.

Designed specifically to help kids and teens with homework, this program is available after school at Clubs. Dedicated youth development professionals and volunteers supervise each session and help youth members complete their assignments for the day. When they finish their work, they may choose to participate in a variety of other engaging and educational activities to develop their skills even further.

Power Hour is a great opportunity for kids and teens to get their homework completed in a quiet place with support from trained, caring staff at a Boys & Girls Club.

Money Matters financial literacy and entrepreneurship program develops financial skills that lead to workplace readiness, lifelong financial stability and overall success. Money Matters: Make it Count has taught teens how to set goals, budget, save and invest. Staff-led financial literacy sessions young people practice their financial decision-making skills through fun, engaging digital tools and games. Teens who complete money matters show improved financial management skills, including saving money and sticking to a budget.

Summer Brain Gain is comprised of one-week modules with fun, themed activities for elementary school, middle school and high school students that are aligned with common core anchor standards. Each module takes a project-based learning approach: youth engage in a process of learning through discovery, creative expression, group work and a final project or production. As a result, kids develop higher-order thinking skills through the Summer Brain Gain modules while staying on track for the coming school year.

DIY STEM is a hands-on, activity-based STEM curriculum which connects youth aged 9 to 12 to science themes they encounter regularly. The newly updated DIY STEM program allows Club kids to practice STEM skills in authentic ways that reflect how working scientists and engineers conduct experiments in the lab.

Through collaborative and open-ended activities, students learn principles of science, engineering, technology, and math. Each team explores a scientific phenomenon as they develop their own experiments and take on different roles within the team, creating a dynamic, unique learning experience for each member.

MyFuture Online Learning Activities Now more than ever, youth need digital literacy skills in order to connect with friends and family, learn online, and prepare for great futures. Digital Literacy Essentials activities are engaging and exciting project experiences. They guide youth ages 8-15 to explore digital safety, digital privacy, digital presence, online communication and retro gaming. Delivered through MyFuture, Digital Literacy Essentials activities allow youth to upload projects, build a digital portfolio, and earn stars and badges.

This year-round program encourages Club members ages 6 to 18 to learn and practice black-and-white, color, digital and alternative process photography.

The annual contest is supported by Sony and by our National Photography Program, designed to help Club members go beyond taking simple snapshots and develop the skills to produce photographs that can truly impact a viewer.

DramaMatters Afterschool is a drama education program for Clubs that encourages members ages 6 to 18 to engage in hands-on performing arts activities.

Drama education builds self-confidence, sparks creativity and boosts academic achievement. The DramaMatters Afterschool Program Guide is a weekly program consisting of 60 minute sessions segmented for beginner, intermediate and advanced members. Each session can be adapted to fit the age of participants as well. Sessions consist of a short warm-up; a main activity of games, script work or performance; and a 10-minute cool-down.

Character & Leadership

96% of Boys & Girls Club youth feel they can make a positive difference in their community 

94% of Boys & Girls Club youth feel like they can stand up for what they think is right, even if their friends disagree

Keystone Club is The Boys & Girls Club Movement’s ultimate teen program.

Keystone Clubs provide leadership development opportunities for young people ages 14 to 18. Youth participate in activities in three focus areas: academic success, career preparation and community service. With the guidance of an adult advisor, Keystone Clubs aim to have a positive impact on members, the Club and community.

BGCA hosts an annual National Keystone Conference for Boys & Girls Club teens that brings together members from all across the globe. Throughout the conference, Keystone members engage and socialize with peers, explore relevant issues, and develop skills to support and enhance efforts in their local Boys & Girls Clubs and communities.

Torch Clubs are chartered, small-group character and leadership clubs for boys and girls ages 11 to 13.

Torch Club is a “club within the Club,” helping to meet the special character-development needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their life.

A Torch Club is a powerful vehicle through which young people develop and strengthen their 21st-century leadership skills, giving them a firm foundation of good character and integrity. Torch Club members elect officers and work together to implement projects in the four focus areas: service to Club and community; education; health and fitness; and social recreation.

Youth of the Year 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.

In the 21st-century world and workplace, leadership skills such as communication, goal-setting and teamwork are essential for everyone – especially young people preparing to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood. With a grassroots beginning in 1947, Youth of the Year has evolved into a comprehensive leadership development program, which includes:

Youth of the Month – Leadership Recognition Program

Junior Youth of the Year – Leadership Readiness Program, and

Youth of the Year – Leadership Development Program

Life & Workforce Readiness

89% of Boys & Girls Club youth feel prepared to manage their finances  

90% of Boys & Girls Club youth feel when they grow up, they can have any job they want to have

CareerLaunch prepares teens for our nation’s workforce.

CareerLaunch encourages Club members ages 13 to 18 to assess their skills and interests, explore careers, make sound educational decisions and prepare to join our nation’s work force. Club staff or volunteers help teens build their job-search skills and job readiness by using the CareerLaunch Facilitator Guide and working with teens individually or in small groups. The CareerLaunch page provides Club teens, staff and volunteers with online career exploration, college and job search information and interactive activities. Mentoring, job shadowing and training opportunities round out the program.

Youth Worker Program From an early age through high school, supportive Club mentors provide opportunities to explore careers and prepare youth with employability skills for future success. Clubs also connect teens to real-life work experiences such as internships and apprenticeships.

Supportive relationships help youth develop coping skills

All Ages

Grief is an all too familiar experience for many of the young people we serve. One in 12 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18, with the vast majority of youth experiencing the loss of a family member or friend by the time they complete high school.

The financial decisions that young people make today will impact their future. Clubs pair youth with supportive Club mentors and volunteers to develop the financial skills that can lead to workplace readiness, lifelong financial stability and overall success. Money Matters: Make it Count has taught teens how to set goals, budget, save and invest. In addition to staff-led financial literacy sessions, young people practice their financial decision-making skills through fun, engaging digital tools and games. Teens who complete Money Matters show improved financial management skills, including saving money and sticking to a budget.

Data - Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National Youth Outcomes Survey, Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County 2025