Boys & Girls Clubs of America's national programs have taken members from the Clubhouse to the White House; from the games room to the corporate boardroom; from the high school orchestra to Carnegie Hall. 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. More than 25 national programs are available in the areas of: Character & Leadership, Education & Career, Health & Life Skills, The Arts, Sports, Fitness, & Recreation,and Specialized Programs.

• Character & Leadership
• Education & Career
• Health & Life Skills
• The Arts
• Sports, Fitness, & Recreation
• Specialized Programs

KEYSTONE:

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 TEEN Supreme Keystone Club program is sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation.

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. Clubs select a Youth of the Year who receives a certificate and medallion then enters state competition. State winners receive a plaque and enter the regional competition. Regional winners receive a $5,000 scholarship and enter a national competition held in Washington, DC. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $10,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States.

TORCH CLUB:

Torch Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 11-13. A Torch Club is a powerful vehicle through which Club staff can help meet the special character development needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their development. Torch Club members learn to elect officers and work together to implement activities in four areas: service to Club and community, education, health and fitness and social recreation. The Staples National Torch Club Awards are presented annually to Torch Clubs with outstanding programs and activities in the four areas. Each year, Torch Club members from all over the country take part in a service-learning experience through the National Torch Club Project. Staples Foundation for Learning, Inc. and Staples, Inc. sponsor the Torch Club program.

GOALS FOR GROWTH:

Goals for Growth teaches Club members ages 8-12 skills for setting and achieving goals, helps them identify their own strengths and enhances their self-esteem by reinforcing their progress and recognizing their success in realizing their goals. Members set goals in six areas: Club involvement; discovery of new knowledge, skills or pastimes; service to others; school improvement; personal improvement and career awareness.

POWER HOUR:

A comprehensive homework help and tutoring program, POWER HOUR is designed to raise the academic proficiency of Club members ages 6-12. POWER HOUR is sponsored by The JCPenney Afterschool Fund.

CLUB Service:

This program, the result of a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps), provides education awards to Club members ages 17 and 18 and Club alumni ages 19-24 who serve their Clubs and communities. CLUBService recognizes young people’s service, helps them access higher education opportunities and encourages them to pursue future careers as Club professionals.

MONEY MATTERS:

Money Matters promotes financial responsibility and independence among Club members ages 13-18 by building their basic money management skills. Participants learn how to manage a checking account, budget, save and invest. They also learn about starting small businesses and paying for college. Money Matters features three components. The Teen Personal Finance Guide is a fun, attractive booklet containing practical tips and activities to help teens learn the important skills of balancing a checkbook, creating a budget and saving and investing for college and retirement. The Facilitator's Guide provides Club staff and volunteers with basic financial information and instructions for easy-to-implement small-group activities.

JUNIOR STAFF CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

Junior Staff Career Development is a comprehensive small-group program designed to guide youth toward careers in youth development or human services by nurturing their leadership skills and providing guided, practical experiences. While a career in human service may not be appropriate for all Boys & Girls Club members, staff will at a minimum guide the development of interested and concerned youth toward volunteer involvement in community service activities. The manual also includes information on the CLUB Service and Leaders in Training programs, bringing all Club-based volunteerism programs together in one cohesive resource.

PROJECT LEARN:

Project Learn reinforces and enhances the skills and knowledge young people learn at school during the hours they spend at the Club. This comprehensive strategy is based on Dr. Reginald Clark's research showing that students do much better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun, educational activities. Through Project Learn, Club staff use all the areas and programs in the Club to create opportunities for these high-yield learning activities, which include leisure reading, writing activities, discussions with knowledgeable adults, helping others, homework help and tutoring, games like Scrabble that develop young people's cognitive skills, and incentives to reward Club members for positive academic participation. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement and collaboration between Club and school professionals as critical factors in creating the best after-school learning environment for Club members ages 6-18. Extensively field-tested and formally evaluated by Columbia University with funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Project Learn has been proven to boost the academic performance of Club members. The JCPenney Afterschool Fund underwrote the initial implementation of this educational enhancement approach in Clubs across the nation.

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.

SMART MOVES:

This nationally acclaimed comprehensive prevention program helps young people resist alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, as well as premature sexual activity. The program features engaging, interactive small group activities designed to increase participants' peer support, enhance their life skills, build their resiliency and strengthen their leadership skills. This year-round program encourages collaborations among Club staff, youth, parents and representatives from other community organizations. The program’s components include: SMART Kids, for children ages 6-9, Start SMART, for youth ages 10-12, Stay SMART, for youth ages 13-15 and SMART Parents, for parents of Club members participating in SMART Moves. The recent updating and revision of SMART Moves was made possible through funding from the DeWitt Wallace – Reader’s Digest Fund.

KIDS IN CONTROL:

KIDS IN CONTROL is a safety awareness program designed to help Club members ages 8-10 develop the personal safety habits and practical skills needed to be safe at the Club, at home and in the neighborhood. The program offers interactive approaches to building Club members’ crime prevention and personal safety skills through role-playing, games and other participatory activities.

SMART GIRLS:

An outgrowth of the popular SMART Moves program, SMART Girls is a health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program for girls ages 8-17. The program focuses on issues specific to female Club members and is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable those members to develop to their full potential. From interactive role playing to more tailored mentoring, girls are given the opportunity to explore personal and societal values as they build skills for eating right, staying fit, getting good health care and developing positive relationships. The current version of SMART Girls was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

ARTS & CRAFTS:

Every day, the children get to experience new and creative projects. Projects ranging from: Italy to Mexico.

SCRAP GALLERY:

TEEN SPORTS CLUB:

These groups are teen leadership groups that promote fitness, sports and potential athletics-related careers in Boys & Girls Clubs. Members meet on a regular basis to learn about issues inside and outside their Club related to sports and fitness. Teen Sports Club members ages 13-18 volunteer at least 25 hours as referees, coaches or in other athletic department support roles.

SECTIONAL SPORTS TOURNAMENTS:

These tournaments encourage Inter-Club competition within a city or region, allowing youngsters in teams from four or more Clubs to compete in basketball, soccer, volleyball, mini-soccer, track and field, softball and street hockey. Tournaments occur throughout the year. Awards include individual and team recognition.

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 and intolerance. Youth for Unity is a program that promotes and celebrates diversity in an effort to prevent 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.