Corporate Board Secure | BGCWC Staff Intranet

Character &
Leadership
Education  &
Career
Health &
Life Skills

The Arts
Fitness &
Recreation

 

Torch Clubs are chartered, small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 11 to 13.
C.J. and Sedona help pick up
Rooselvet Park
 
 
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 life. 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 each area. Each year, Torch Club members from across the country take part in a service learning experience through the National Torch Club Project. Cash awards ranging from $500 to $2,500 are presented to the top entries.
 
 

Ve serves Tacos to
fellow Club members
This unique leadership development experience provides opportunities for young people ages 14 to 18. Youth participate, both in and out of the Club, in activities in three focus areas: academic success, career preparation and community service. With the guidance of an adult advisor, Keystone Clubs aim to have a positive impact on members, the Club and community .
 

Established in 1947, Youth of the Year is BGCA’s premier recognition program for Club members, promoting service to Club, community and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability.


  
Ashley
2011 Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County Youth of the Year.

The program is most effective when used as a year-round tool for fostering young people’s character, personal growth and leadership qualities. Local Clubs recognize members ages 14 to 18 as Youth of the Month winners and select a Youth of the Year, who then participates in state competitions. State winners each receive a $1,000 scholarship and participate in regional competitions. Five regional winners each receive a $10,000 scholarship and compete on the national level. The National Youth of the Year receives up to an additional $50,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States.

Junior Staff is a small-group program that is both practical and user friendly.
 
It assists Club members ages 13 to 18 in exploring a career in youth or human services, particularly Boys & Girls Club work. Young people prepare for future roles as human services professionals by participating in career development activities, discovering the importance of community service, building customer service skills and completing a Club apprenticeship. Clubs that implement this program make an investment in the development of Club members’ interpersonal skills, work ethic and sense of community responsibility.
 
Jr. Staff helps child create straw tower.

 

Game Tech provides Club members, ages 10 to 13, a fun introduction to the field of video game development and principles of game design, animation mechanics and software.
Club members work with Scratch software to
create fun games.
Working both digitally and non-digitally, members learn to animate a character and begin the process to design their own video game.

 

Robotics may seem daunting, but the Robo Tech program, for members ages 6 to 13, is an easy and fun way to explore science, technology, engineering and math.
The Bellingham Club completes their Robot and begins to program it for the First Lego League competition.
Using Lego Mindstorms® – a self-contained kit that provides an introduction to robotics – members, working in groups, use the kits and tutorials to build and program a robot that interacts with its environment in numerous ways.

Club Tech is an ambitious, multi-year initiative that provides all Boys & Girls Clubs with state-of-the-art software; a comprehensive array of programs to help Club professionals build members’ computer skills and integrate technology in all Core Program Areas; and extensive, ongoing training for Club professionals. Club Tech helps Clubs incorporate technology in every aspect of their operation.
Most importantly, young people develop the technology skills necessary to succeed in school and the job market. Club Tech resources and programs are available through www.myclubmylife.com , BGCA’s web site for teens.
 
Project Learn reinforces the academic enrichment and school engagement of young people during the time they spend at the Club.
 
Spencer T. eagerly finishes his math
This strategy is based on research demonstrating that students do much better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun, but academically beneficial, 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, tutoring and games (such as Scrabble), that develop young people’s cognitive skills.
 
Power Hour: Making Minutes Count provides Club professionals with the strategies, activities, resources and information to create an engaging homework help and tutoring program that encourages Club members at every age to become self-directed learners.

Elan E. completes her homework in
Power Hour
The Power Hour materials provide practical tips and best practices for recognition and incentives, behavior management, volunteer recruitment and training, collaboration with other organizations and use of technology and the Internet.
 
Money Matters promotes financial responsibility and independence among Club members ages 13 to 18. Participants learn how to manage a checking account, create a budget, save and invest, start small businesses and pay for college.
The Money Matters Facilitator’s Guide provides Club staff and volunteers with basic financial information and instructions for the small-group activities that are easy to implement. The fun, attractive Teen Personal Finance Guide contains practical tips and activities to help teens learn to balance a checkbook, create a budget and save and invest for college and retirement. The Money Matters website helps teens build their money management skills through interactive activities, games and tools such as a savings and financial aid calculator to help them plan for college.
 
Preparing teens for our nation's workforce.
CareerLaunch encourages Club members ages 13 to 18 to assess their skills and interests, explore careers, make sound educational decisions and prepare to join our nation's work force. Club staff or volunteers use the Career Exploration Quick Reference Guide to work with teens individually or in small groups to build their job-search skills and job readiness. The easy-to-read CareerLaunch Teen Tips is pocket sized and full of practical job-hunting advice for young people. The CareerLaunch website, www.careerlaunch.net , provides Club teens, staff and volunteers with online career exploration, college and job search information and interactive activities. Mentoring, job shadowing and training opportunities round out the program.
 
Passport to Manhood promotes and teaches responsibility in Club boys ages 11 to 14.

Passport to Manhood consists of 14 sessions, each concentrating on a specific aspect of character and manhood through highly interactive activities. Each Club participant receives his own "passport” to underscore the notion that he is on a personal journey of maturation and growth. The program includes a service project where boys learn the importance of giving back to the community. Passport to Manhood represents a targeted effort to engage young boys in discussions and activities that reinforce character, leadership and positive behavior.
 
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 to 17.
The program is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable early adolescent girls to develop to their full potential.
 
The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) prevention/education program addresses problems such as drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity.
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 to 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.
 
HEALTHY HABITS: A Component of the Triple Play Program.
Designed to incorporate healthy living and active learning in every part of the Club experience, Healthy Habits emphasizes good nutrition, regular physical activity and improving overall well-being.
The program, for ages 6 to 15, is the Mind component of Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul.
 
Clay Tech is a fun, hands-on introduction to animation for members, especially those ages 13 to 18, that promotes the importance of teamwork and provides an educational, engaging and fun experience.
Emily H. takes pictures of her clay creation that will later become a movie.
Members work in groups to create clay characters and storyboards, then they film and edit their own movies. Clay Tech exposes Club members to the art and science involved in creating animation and introduces them to a variety of career options of which they may be unaware.
 
Club Tech’s Digital Arts Suite teaches members ages 6 to 18 how to create computer-generated art. The festivals showcase members digitally created masterpieces.

In each of the five tutorials (Web Tech, Design Tech, Photo Tech, Music Tech and Movie Tech), members advance through three levels of animated lessons online at www.myclubmylife.com and participate in instructor-led group activities. Club members ages 10 to 18 are invited to submit their artwork to the annual Club Tech Digital Arts Festivals, which celebrate Club members' creativity in graphic design, photo illustration, digital music composition animation and video production. The regional and national winning artworks can be sampled by going to the Digital Arts Festival Gallery site, www.bgca.org/digitalart . The Club Tech Digital Arts Suite and Festivals are components of a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and founding partner Microsoft to equip America’s youth with essential digital literacy skills.
 
This year-round program encourages Club members ages 6 to 18 to learn and practice black-and-white, color, digital and alternative process photography.
Club Member applies what she learned in Image Makers
 
The ImageMakers National Photography Program Resource Guide is full of fun, creative activity ideas for three skill levels, contains a brief, user-friendly guide for advisors and details information about the annual photography contest that provides local, regional and national recognition. Club members’ photographs selected at the contest’s national level are exhibited at BGCA’s National Conference and other events. Each winning artist’s work is featured in a virtual gallery on the ImageMakers Web site, www.imagemakersbgca.org .
 
This year-round program encourages artistic expression among Club members ages
6 to 18 through drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, mixed media and sculpture displayed at local and regional exhibits.

Using the interactive National Fine Arts Program Guide, staff can guide youth through the various art projects with step-by-step instructions and instructional videos. A panel of distinguished judges selects works for inclusion in the National Fine Arts Exhibit, which is displayed throughout the ensuing year at BGCA events, including the annual National Conference.

Visit our National Fine Arts Exhibit which highlights the artistic talents of our Club members. Enjoy!
 
 
Triple Play A Game Plan for Mind, Body and Soul
Triple Play, BGCA’s first comprehensive health and wellness program, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, strives to improve the overall health of Club members ages 6-18 by increasing their daily physical activity, teaching them good nutrition and helping them develop healthy relationships.
The Mind component encourages young people to eat smart through the Healthy Habits program, which covers the power of choice, calories, vitamins and minerals, the food pyramid and appropriate portion size. The Body component boosts Clubs’ traditional physical activities to a higher level by providing sports and fitness activities for all youth. Body programs include six Daily Fitness Challenges; teen Sports Clubs focused on leadership development, service and careers in athletics; and Triple Play Games Tournaments, inter-Club sectional tournaments that involve multiple team sports. The Soul component helps build positive relationships and cooperation among young people.