Below are the programs currently being offered
at the Club:
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 8 to17. 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. Learn more about SMART Girls.
Passport
to Manhood
Passport to Manhood
promotes and teaches responsibility while reinforcing positive behavior in male Club members ages 11 to14. 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.
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.
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 to12.
ImageMakers:
National Photography Program
View the 2007
ImageMakers National Photography Exhibit Virtual Gallery.
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.
MusicMakers
This year-round program, developed in collaboration with
NAMM, the International Music Products Association, encourages Club members ages 6 to 18 to have fun exploring music making
and learning to play drums and guitar. Clubs provide step-by-step activities for drums and guitar in beginner, intermediate
and advanced skill levels. Funded by NAMM.
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. In 2007, long-time supporter
Best Buy Children's Foundation joined forces with BGCA and Microsoft to equip America's youth with essential digital literacy skills.
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 through Digital Arts Suite and Festivals;
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.
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.