Programs

Boys & Girls Clubs of America has a lineup of tested and proven nationally recognized programs that address today's most pressing youth issues, teaching young people the skills they need to succeed in life.

National programs are available in the areas of education, the environment, health, the arts, careers, alcohol/drug and pregnancy prevention, gang prevention, leadership development and athletics.

Education & Career
     Money Matters: Make It Count
     Project Learn
     Power Hour: Making Minutes Count
     Goals For Graduation
     CareerLaunch

The Arts
     ImageMakers: National Photography Program
     National Fine Arts Exhibit

Specialized Initiatives
     Club Tech
     Targeted Outreach Strategic Approaches
     Family P.L.U.S. (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) Initiative
     Youth for Unity

CHARACTER & LEADERSHIP
Helping youth become responsible caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in the democratic process is the main thrust of these programs. They also develop leadership skills and provide opportunities for planning, decision-making, contributing to Club and community, and celebrating our national heritage.

Keystone Clubs
Keystone Clubs are chartered small group leadership development clubs for young people ages 14-18. Keystoners elect officers, choose their own activities and plan and implement community service projects. A national charter entitles a Keystone Club to participate in regional and national Keystone conferences. The Keystone Club program is sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation.

National Youth of the Year
Sponsored by The Reader's Digest Foundation, the National Youth of the Year Program is designed to promote and recognize service to Club and community, academic performance and contributions to family and spiritual life. Competition begins with each Club selecting a Youth of the Year who receives a certificate and medallion then enters state competition. State winners receive a plaque and $1,000 scholarship then enter the regional competition. Each of the five regional winners receives a $10,000 scholarship and enters the national competition held in Washington, DC. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $15,000 scholarship, totaling $26,000 in scholarships, and is installed by the President of the United States.

Torch Club
This small-group leadership development program, sponsored by Staples, is targeted to youngsters ages 11 to 13. Within some 700 Torch Clubs across the country, members elect officers and plan and implement their own activities and community service projects. Each Torch Club receives an official charter from Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

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EDUCATION & CAREER
These programs help youth create aspirations for the future, providing opportunities for career exploration and educational enhancement.

Money Matters: Make It Count
Created with the Charles Schwab Foundation, this financial literacy program was designed specifically to help teens (ages 13-18) expand their knowledge of money management and learn the skills that lead to financial independence and well-being. The Money Matters: Make It Count program consists of five components: Teen Personal Finance Guide, Program Facilitator's Guide, Money Matters Web site, Schwab eEmployee Volunteer Program and the Money Matters Awards. Via the volunteer component, Schwab employees can pass financial expertise to Club teens through their volunteer involvement.

Project Learn
Project Learn reinforces and enhances the skills and knowledge young people learn at school through "high-yield" learning activities at the Club and in the home. Based on Dr. Reginald Clark's research that shows fun, but academically beneficial activities increase academic performance, these activities include leisure reading, writing activities, homework help and games like Scrabble® which develop young people's cognitive skills. Project Learn emphasizes collaborations between Club staff, parents and school personnel. Formally evaluated by Columbia University, Project Learn has been proven to boost the academic performance of Club members.

Power Hour: Making Minutes Count
A comprehensive homework help and tutoring program, POWER HOUR is designed to raise the academic proficiency of Club members ages 6-12.

Goals For Graduation
Goals for Graduation introduces Club members ages 6-15 to the concept of academic goal setting. In one-on-one sessions with Club professionals, members set achievable "Know-I-Can" goals, more challenging "Think-I-Can" goals and yearly "Believe-I-Can" goals, then create action plans. The program provides for recognition of members' achievements at every step of the journey.

CareerLaunch^TM
CareerLaunch^TM is a career exploration and mentoring program for teens ages 13-18. This program includes the CareerLaunch Web site that allows teens to take an interest survey, explore careers, identify training or college requirements, seek out financial aid and play skills-building games. There's also an easy-to-use Career Exploration Quick Reference Guide with a broad range of career planning and job skills activities that Club staff or volunteers can use with teens. The CareerLaunch Portfolio contains a Teen Tips booklet with helpful interviewing and on-the-spot job tips.

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HEALTH & LIFE SKILLS
These initiatives help youth achieve and maintain healthy, active lifestyles.

SMART Moves
The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery And Resistance Training) prevention/education program addresses the problems of drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. Based on proven techniques, the program uses a team approach involving Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives. More than simply emphasizing a "Say No" message, the program teaches young people ages 6-15 how to say no by involving them in discussion and role-playing, practicing resistance and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence. The ultimate goal: to promote abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior.

SMART Girls
An outgrowth of the popular and effective SMART Moves program, SMART Girls is a health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program for girls ages 10-15. The program is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable early adolescent girls to develop to their full potential. The SMART Girls program is sponsored by Tupperware Brands Corporation.

Passport to Manhood
Passport to Manhood promotes and teaches responsibility while reinforcing positive behavior in male Club members ages 11-14. Passport to Manhood consists of 14 small-group sessions, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood through highly interactive activities. Each participant is issued his own "Passport" to underscore the idea that he is on a journey of maturation and personal growth.

Cavity-Free Zone
Cavity-Free Zone was developed in response to the recent U.S. Surgeon General's report on oral health which revealed a silent epidemic of oral disease in America, especially among disadvantaged youth. Underwritten by Crest, Cavity-Free Zone aims to improve the oral health of Club members ages 6-18 nationwide. Through oral health educational program materials, a Web site and collaborative efforts with local dental schools, dental societies and other health care agencies, Cavity-Free Zone will be a catalyst for change in providing dental services to disadvantaged youth.

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THE ARTS
These initiatives help young people enhance self-expression and creativity, develop multicultural appreciation, provide exposure to and develop skills in crafts and visual, performing and literary arts:

ImageMakers: National Photography Program
Funded by the Circuit City Foundation, this comprehensive photography program encourages girls and boys to learn and practice photography, expressing themselves in creative and innovative ways. The national initiative delivers a state-of-the-art photography curriculum, provides photographic resources and opportunities for Club members to compete on a national level. ImageMakers provides local, regional and national recognition through an annual photography contest. Winning photos will be displayed nationwide at museums as well as at BGCA's annual National Conference.

The Circuit City Foundation ImageMakers funding is being passed through to 60 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide to help them implement a photography curriculum. Ten additional sites were selected for grants to strengthen and highlight excellent photography programs in place. All Boys & Girls Clubs across the country receive the ImageMakers resource guide and materials.

National Fine Arts Exhibit
This competition, which encourages creativity through a variety of media, is made up of local, regional and national exhibits. Young people are encouraged to create artwork in any of the following categories: monochromatic drawing, multicolored drawing, pastels, water color, oil or acrylic, print making, mixed media, collage and sculpture. Artwork selected through a national competition is displayed at BGCA's annual National Conference.

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SPORTS, FITNESS & RECREATION
These Club programs help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment, and social and interpersonal skills.

TRIPLE PLAY: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul
Triple Play, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Kraft Foods Inc., is a dynamic wellness program currently being offered in Boys & Girls Clubs that demonstrates how eating right, keeping fit and forming positive relationships add up to a healthy lifestyle. The goal of the Triple Play program is to improve Club members' knowledge of healthy habits; increase the number of hours per day they participate in physical activities; and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships.

Program components include:
• Healthy Habits Nutrition Curriculum
• Daily Challenges
• Sports Clubs
• Triple Play Games
• Social Recreation

Triple Play Parents Game Plan
Because parents play such a critical role in the development of a child's physical and social well-being, in February 2007, BGCA, Coca-Cola and Kraft launched a tool that could be used at home - where healthy habits start, are modeled and reinforced.

NFL Flag Football- Registration will begin Fall, 2009
NFL FLAG is the premier youth football league for boys and girls ages 9-12. The program provides young players a fun and exciting opportunity to engage in non-contact, continuous action while learning lessons in teamwork. Launched in 1996, the FLAG Football program is designed to educate young people about football while emphasizing participation and sportsmanship. Players learn skills and lessons that help them succeed both on and off the field.

Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA - Currently in season (Winter 2009)
This national youth basketball initiative, launched by the NBA and the WNBA, connects players, parents and coaches. The program, which is supported by an all-star Advisory Council as well as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other national youth organizations, provides unique information within its training guide curriculum. Subjects include advice for coaches from the first practice to the final game, ideas on creating a positive and fun environment for youth and tips for players ranging from skills to sportsmanship.

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SPECIALIZED INITIATIVES

ClubTech
Through Club Tech, and thanks to a more than $100 million donation from Microsoft, BGCA is providing Clubs with the tools to make Club members and staff effective technology users.

Clubs receive a comprehensive package of the latest Microsoft products - a combined $88 million software gift. With another $12.3 million in cash, BGCA has developed technology programs that will give members basic computer skills; introduce them to digital movie making, music making, photography, graphic design and Web development; and guide staff in using technology to enhance all program offerings. Club Tech also includes extensive technology training opportunities for Club staff at all professional levels.

These initiatives emphasize community mobilization and family involvement as strategies Clubs can use to better serve more young people and broaden the impact of all Club programs.

Targeted Outreach Strategic Approaches
In response to the number of youth gangs growing in cities and expanding to suburban and rural communities, BGCA has developed a special gang prevention and intervention initiative targeting youth ages 6-18. Through referrals from schools, courts, law enforcement and community youth service agencies, the tested and proven Targeted Outreach program identifies and recruits delinquent youth, or those "at risk" of delinquency, into ongoing Club programs and activities. This initiative is sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.

Family P.L.U.S. (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) Initiative
Family P.L.U.S., the Family Support Initiative generously funded by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, provides an opportunity for Clubs to receive pass-through funding to continue or initiate family inclusion activities and events in their Club community. The Family P.L.U.S. Initiative consists of five components from which Clubs select their focus. Each component is designed to fit specialized area(s) of need of Club families. Learn more about this exciting initiative and impressive advisory committee.

Youth for Unity
To help educate young people across the country about the importance of tolerance and diversity, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has joined forces with The Allstate Foundation to develop Youth for Unity, a diversity education program designed to combat prejudice, bigotry and discrimination. Youth for Unity is the umbrella title for a comprehensive set of programmatic interventions that will allow Clubs to help members appreciate and understand our society's diversity, recognize unfairness and take personal leadership in confronting bias. Under this initiative, an additional diversity module will be developed for the Street SMART Program.

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