Character and 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.
TEENSupreme 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 TEENSupreme Keystone Club program is sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation.

National TEENSupreme Keystone Conference Keystone Club members from across the country gather in a different city each year to develop leadership skills, exchange ideas, debate and discuss current issues, and make friends.Each year, Keystoners select a national project for local Keystone Clubs to complete. The combined action of hundreds of local Keystone Clubs throughout the nation results in a project of national significance. The National TEENSupreme Keystone Conference is sponsored by the Taco BellFoundation.
TEENSupreme Centers By the year 2000, this new program sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation will fund the establishment of 100 TEENSupreme Centers in selected Boys & Girls Club facilities nationwide. Clubs with a significant teen population and demonstrating relevant teen programming are eligible to become a TEENSupreme Center site.

National Youth of the Year

Sponsored by The Reader’s Digest Association, 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 $2,000 scholarship and enter a national competition held in Washington, DC. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $8,000 scholarship and is installed bythe President of the United States.

Torch Club

This small-group leadership development program, sponsored by THE ALLSTATE FOUNDATION, is targeted for youngsters ages 11 to 13. Within some 339 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
61% of our Club members are from minority families
Education and Career
These programs help youth create aspirations for the future, providing opportunities for career exploration and educational enhancement.

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. The JCPenney Afterschool CAN DO initiative is generously sponsoring Project Learn.

Power Hour

A comprehensive homework help and tutoring program, POWER HOUR is designed to raise the academic proficiency of Club members ages 6-12. The POWER HOUR program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company.
Ultimate Journey
This internationally recognized, award-winning program leads Club members ages 6-12 on a fun-filled journey into the amazing world of plants and animals. The Ultimate Journey motivates young people to develop an understanding of and sensitivity to the environment, helping them build the knowledge and motivation to protect our natural resources.

Goals For Growth

This program teaches young people ages 8-12 skills for setting and achieving their own personal, education and career goals. The Goals for Growth program is sponsored by Best Buy Children’s Foundation.
Career Explorers Club
This small group program introduces young people ages 13-15 to a wide range of career opportunities by taking them where the action is – work sites, businesses, government agencies, colleges, universities and vocational schools. Sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation as part of the TEENSupreme Career Prep
program, Career Explorers Club provides youth with information about career options and helps them identify the education and training required to reach their goals.

Job Ready

Sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation as part of the TEENSupreme Career Prep program, JOB READY! is a comprehensive program that teaches young people ages 16-18 effective job-hunting techniques and helps them develop the skills necessary to be successful once on the job.

ClubService

This program, the result of a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Corporation for National 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.
Homework Tip #3: Form a study club. Work with your friends together on homework. (B&GCA’s
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 the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc.

Act SMART

Developed as a joint project between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Red Cross, Act SMART is an HIV/AIDS prevention program designed for Club members ages 6-17.
KIDS IN CONTROL
KIDS IN CONTROL is a 15-session 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. KIDS IN CONTROL is
sponsored by Brink’s Home Security, Inc.
Street SMART
Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Street SMART initiative, funded by THE ALLSTATE FOUNDATION, consists of three components designed to help young people ages 11-13 effectively resist gangs and violence, resolve conflicts and be positive peer helpers in their communities. It also allows them the opportunity to hold annual events that celebrate anti-gang, anti-violence themes. Street SMART serves as the National Project for Torch Clubs annually, and is available for all Boys & Girls Clubs to use.
The Arts
hese 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:
National Fine Arts Exhibit Program Sponsored by L’Oreal, this program, 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. The most outstanding works are sent on for regional judging; selected regional artwork goes on for national
judging. Artwork selected by national judges is displayed at B&GCA’s annual National Conference.

National Photography Contest

This annual contest encourages girls and boys to learn and practice photography, expressing themselves in creative and unusual ways. The program provides both local recognition and national awards. Winning photos are displayed at B&GCA’s annual National Conference.
Bonnie Raitt/Fender Music Eduction Program This program provides guitar lessons for Club members, primarily girls ages 9 – 14, who could not otherwise afford them. Funded by popular musician Bonnie Raitt and Fender, the program has provided 1,400 guitars to 120 Clubs across the country. Ms. Raitt met with groups of Boys & Girls Club guitar students throughout her 1998 concert tour.
66% of Club alumni in a recent survey said outings, trips and cultural activities were very important Club activities. (Louis Harris & Associates, 1999)
Sports, Fitness & Recretation
These programs help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment, and social and interpersonal skills.
NIKE Sports Program
The NIKE Sports Program is composed of the following components: NIKE University, NIKE SWOOSH Clubs, NIKE Sports Leadership Camps, NIKE Girls Sports, NIKE Games, and NIKE Daily Challenges. A program overview brochure is available upon request.

NIKE University

NIKE University is a comprehensive sports training program for Club athletic directors. There are three trainings available: NIKE 101 provides participants with essential resources to conduct diverse, high quality physical education and sports programs in Clubs. NIKE 202 is a train-the-trainer course preparing athletic directors to train volunteer coaches in their sports program. NIKE 303 provides resources, information and strategies to increase the scope and quality of the Clubs sports and fitness programs for girls.
NIKE SWOOSH 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. SWOOSH Club members ages 13-18 volunteer at least 25 hours as referees, coaches, or in other athletic department support roles. SWOOSH Club leaders can attend NIKE Sports Leadership Camps in each of B&GCA’s five regions after the completion of their 25 volunteer hours.
NIKE Sports Leadership Camps
NIKE Sports Leadership Camps are annual, fun-filled, skill and leadership development events held regionally on college campuses for NIKE SWOOSH Club members and their staff chaperones. Each three-day, two-night NIKE Sports Leadership Camp provides opportunities to learn and play new sports, meet NIKE athletes, explore careers in sports and receive tips from college officials about admissions.

NIKE Girls Sports Program

If a girl doesn’t participate in sports by age 10, her chances of participating by the time she is 25 are less than 10 percent. NIKE and B&GCA want to assist and guide Clubs in making their sports and fitness programs more equitable for girls. The NIKE Girls Sports Program provides grants, training and development resources, collaborations, and programs.
NIKE Games
The NIKE Games 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.

NIKE Daily Challenges

Fitness and fun combined make NIKE Daily Challenges a non-competitive, yet challenging, popular series of programs. The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Challenge helps girls build new skills via a fun fitness circuit. The Michael Jordan Invent-A-Sport Challenge encourages creativity and fitness, allowing
youngsters to create their own game or sport, illustrate and demonstrate the activity and play with peers. In the Ken Griffey Jr. Home Run Challenge, members build basic motor skills through throwing, catching and running games. The Dawn Staley Basketball Challenge offers instruction and practice in dribbling, assisting and shooting. The Jump Rope Challenge improves strength, skills and endurance as participants jump against the clock.

NIKECORPS

This NIKE program helps place volunteer college-age coaches in Boys & Girls Clubs in targeted cities. Through NIKECORPS, 100 coaches will be selected and trained each year. Each NIKECORPS coach will receive a $500 stipend to apply toward his or her college tuition in exchange for 100 hours of service in a Boys & Girls Club.
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI)
Through a collaboration with Major League Baseball, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has expanded or established baseball and fast-pitch softball programs in more than 50 communities nationwide. All RBI leagues incorporate Quick SMART!, a condensed version of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s SMART Moves prevention/education program designed to teach players to avoid alcohol and other drug use and premature sexual involvement.
Women who were active in sports and recreational activities as girls feel greater confidence, self-esteem and pride in their physical and social selves than those who were sedentary as kids.
(Miller Lite Report,
1985)

Specialized Programs

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.
Gang Prevention/Intervention Through Targeted Outreach In response to the number of youth gangs growing in cities and expanding to suburban and rural communities, B&GCA 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 Support
Family support activities, programs and events are designed to benefit Club members by promoting family stability, cohesion and connection. Examples include family fun nights, parenting classes, referral services, job skills training programs and single-parent support groups. This program is funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.