Fact Sheet: SMART Moves

GOAL: To help young people resist the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and postpone sexual activity.

WHY: Young people need viable solutions that enhance their life skills, build their resiliency, improve their health and strengthen their leadership skills.

WHO: Boys & Girls Club members ages 6 to 12

WHAT:  SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) is a nationally acclaimed comprehensive prevention program that helps young people resist alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and avoid premature sexual activity. The program features interactive, small-group activities designed to increase participants’ peer support, enhance life skills, build resiliency and strengthen leadership skills. This year-round program uses age-specific modules that engage Club staff, volunteer community members, and peer leaders in a team approach to prevention.

Fact Sheet: CareerLaunch

GOAL: To help young people explore a variety of careers, make sound educational decisions and prepare for the world of work.

WHY: Our nation’s teens need support and guidance in setting career goals and improving their employability skills.

WHO: Boys & Girls Club members ages 13–18

WHAT: CareerLaunch is BGCA’s premier career development program providing a range of services to help Club members develop the skills essential for workforce success. This includes not only getting and keeping a job, but also finding a career that fits each member’s interests and talents.

GOAL: To teach and promote responsibility, reinforce positive behavior and develop character in adolescent males

WHY: The passage from boyhood to manhood is challenging, requiring adolescent males to understand and manage many issues and transitions. Passport to Manhood addresses critical issues that young men face during this time, such as ethics, decision making, wellness, fatherhood, employment and careers, cooperation and conflict, diversity, relationships and self-esteem.

WHO:  Male Club members age 11-18

WHAT:  Passport to Manhood is a 14-session program that concentrates on specific aspects of manhood through highly interactive activities. Each club member participant is issued his own “passport” to underscore his personal journey of maturation and growth. One session is conducted each week, with each activity to be completed within 60 to 90 minutes. Sessions cover a range of topics such as “Values in Personal Decision Making”, “Responses to Authority”, “Relationships with Girls”, “Fatherhood and the Family”, and “Cooperation and Conflict.”

Fact Sheet: SMART Girls

GOAL: To help girls develop and adopt a healthy attitude and lifestyle, as well as acquire and maintain a positive self-concept, sound decision-making skills and mentor relationships.

WHY: Female Club members need a safe setting in which they can address health and social issues unique to them and build the necessary skills to resist negative influences such as drugs, alcohol and premature sexual activity.

WHO: Female Club members ages 9-18

WHAT:  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. The program is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable early adolescent girls to develop to their full potential. Sessions incorporate learning experiences that include mentors, guest speakers, hands-on activities and field trips.

Fact Sheet: Youth for Unity

GOAL: To engage members and parents in activities designed to promote diversity and combat prejudice, bigotry and discrimination.

WHY: As our nation becomes increasingly diverse, young people need the knowledge and skills to thrive in a globally connected society and world.

WHO: Boys & Girls Club members age 6-12

WHAT: Youth for Unity consists of a comprehensive, broad-based set of programmatic interventions that build the capacity of local Clubs to help their Club members:

·    Appreciate themselves as unique and special individuals;

·    Understand our society’s diversity;

·    Recognize bias and unfairness; and

·    Take personal leadership in confronting bias.

Fact Sheet: Torch Clubs

GOAL:  To instill qualities of tolerance, civic responsibility, community involvement and leadership that promote an appreciation for the American way and democratic process in adolescent members

WHY: Younger adolescents need positive group experiences that help them cultivate good character and effective leadership skills so they can become productive, responsible and caring citizens.

WHO:  Boys & Girls Club members age 11 to 13

WHAT:  Torch Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls. The program is a powerful vehicle through which Club staff can help meet the special needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their development. Torch Club members learn to work together to plan and implement activities in four areas: service to Club and community, education, health and fitness and social recreation.

Fact Sheet: Citigroup

GOAL: To teach and promote responsibility when dealing with money by informing youth on how to spend, save, invest, borrow and manage debt wisely.

WHY: We support financial education because it helps people understand how to use those resources and raise the quality of their lives. Financial education is a natural extension of the work we do and helps us make a difference in communities where we live and work.

WHO:  Boys & Girls Club members age 6 to 18

WHAT:  The Citigroup curriculum is designed to help youth understand how to spend, save, invest, borrow and manage debt wisely. This is done through age appropriate games, activities, fun sheets, guest speakers, and interactive lessons. The program is divided into three components: K-2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th and up. Members are also required to access and complete the Citigroup interactive lessons online.

Fact Sheet: DramaMatters

GOAL: To capitalize on young people’s love of drama by increasing their appreciation of this art form and building their self confidence, spark creativity and boosting academic achievement.

WHY: Whether you start a drama program to expose your Club members to drama, to focus on building new skills, as a tool to recruit new Club members or because young people at your Club are interested in drama, TNT DramaMatters Afterschool will challenge and support you and your Club members as you expand your horizons together through drama.

WHO: Boys & Girls Club members ages 6 to 18

WHAT: The comprehensive TNT DramaMatters Afterschool Program Guide contains two components to help Clubs develop and implement their own unique drama program in accord with the interests of the youth they serve and their available resources, no matter how limited. Inspirational case studies show how other Clubs have developed drama programs and give tips for conducting drama activities effectively. The implementation guide also contains useful worksheets and templates and other resources for starting, promoting and building their programs.