Teens
Reaching and retaining teen members is critical to the success of our children as far too often parents feel that their pre-teens and teens no longer need the type of supervision offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs. This couldn’t be farther from the truth as the teen years are pivotal in a child’s life and often the period where they become involved in negative behaviors such as gang involvement, premature sexual activities and of becoming a school dropout. Statistically more children drop out of school during their freshman and sophomore years and teen pregnancy often occurs during those periods after school then they are left without adult supervision.
The Clubs newest stand-alone facilities are built with teens in mind and offer a number of amenities that help to encourage teen involvement including full gyms, dance studios, computer labs and teen only lounges and game rooms.
The Club experience makes a difference as teens that stay involved stay in school longer and graduate at a higher rate than the general school population. To keep teens actively involved the Boys & Girls Clubs provides numerous programs and activities which are designed to attract, retain and help teens reach their full potential. From sports such as basketball, tennis and golf to entrepreneurial programs such as the Rise & Shine Food Co-op and Job Smart to Job Start programs, which provide paid positions and hands on work experience, the Clubs are committed to increasing teen attendance. In addition, teens are offered a wide variety of prevention programs to help them combat negative or counter-productive peer pressure and to understand their potential if they stay the course. To that end the Club’s mantra is BE GREAT – GRADUATE.
As with all Club programs providing teens with a fun experience is critical to their participation and the Club is dedicated to making fun a priority with recreational programs and numerous field trips from attending plays, concerts and sporting events to visiting college campuses and leadership programs throughout the state.
The descriptions of just a few of the programs offered for our teens are as follows:
Rise & Shine – a teen operated and teen inspired food Co-op which provides families with a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and non-perishables every other week. The packages are prices at $15 for single/seniors or $30 for families and the participants are guaranteed a value of a minimum of twice what they would pay commercially.
Job Start to Job Start – An educational program which provides teens with information on obtaining and retaining employment covering items such as filling out an employment application, resume writing, dressing for success, skill training and work ethics. Youth who successfully complete the program are eligible for employment with the Clubs as junior staff throughout the year or the summer.
Passport to Manhood – Passport to Manhood promotes and teaches responsibility in club boys ages 11-14. Passport to Manhood consists of 14 sessioons, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood though highly interactive activities. Eachclub participant receives his own passport to underscore the notion that he is ona personal journey of maturation and growth.
SMART Girls- Smart Girls is a small group health fitness prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program designed to meet the developmental needs of girls ages 8-12 and 13-17 through dynamic session, highly particatory activities, field trips, mentoring opportunties with adult women. Club girls explore their own societal attitudes and values as they build skills for eating right, staying physically fit, getting good health care, and developing postive relationships with peers and adults.
SMART Moves – S.M.A.R.T. stands for Skills Mastery and Resistance Training. This is a nationally acclaimed comprehensice prevention program that helps young people resist acohol, tobacco, and other drup use, as well as premature sexual activity. SMART Moves feature engaging, interactive, small group activities that increase participants, peer support, enhance their life skills, build their resilency, and strengthen their leadership skills. The programs componets are: SMART kids, for ages 6-9, Start SMART for ages 10-12, Stay SMART ages 13-15, and smart parents.
