Programs >
After School Program
The Arts
A Fine Arts Exhibit Program is held year-round and encourages artistic expression among members 6-18 through drawing, printmaking, collage, mixed media, and sculpture. Artwork is displayed at local and regional exhibits. A panel of distinguished judges selects works for inclusion in the National Final Arts Exhibit, which debuts at the Club’s annual National Conference and is displayed throughout the year at other Club events. Program materials are provided free to the units each year and are also available online. The program is sponsored by L’Oreal.
In partnership with the local dance company Dance Alive, the club established a dance program in 2006 that continues to be well received. This year, approximately 60 children participated in the program at the NW and Rotary Units twice a week for an hour. They also had the opportunity to perform at several local functions.
Sports, Fitness and Recreation
The Club offers a variety of daily fitness programs, such as Nike Daily Challenges and Nike Games. The Club also offers competitive sports that build teamwork. In 2008, the Club continued to offer flag and tackle football (more than 54 teams competed), co-ed basketball leagues, girls’ volleyball league, wrestling, track & field, golf, cheerleading, tennis, and our award-winning Endeavor Baseball League (a league for children with mental and physical disabilities). In addition, it also began softball for girls and Lacrosse for high school age boys and girls. The Club also has taken over the Alachua County middle school football program and plans to expand and add more schools. In partnership with the United States Tennis Association, a tennis program has also been established.
Character and Leadership Development
The Youth of the Year recognition program promotes and celebrates Club members’ service to the Club, community, and family; academic excellence; spiritual values; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability. The program serves a year-round tool for fostering personal growth and leadership qualities among young people ages 14-18. Each unit selects a candidate who competes locally for the opportunity to represent Alachua County at the Southeast Regional and National Youth of the Year competition. The Youth of the Year program has been sponsored by Reader’s Digest for more than 50 years.
The TEENSupreme® Keystone Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 14-18. Keystoners elect officers and plan and implement their own activities in six areas: service to Club and community, leadership development, education and career exploration, unity, free enterprise, and social recreation. The group meets on a weekly basis for 1 ½ hours.
Torch Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 11-13. Torch Club members elect officers and work together to plan and implement activities in four areas: service to Club and community, education, health and fitness, and social recreation. The group meets on a weekly basis for 1 ½ hours.
Health and Life Skills
SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) is a nationally-acclaimed comprehensive prevention program that helps young people resist alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, as well as premature sexual activity. The program features engaging, interactive, small-group activities that increase peer support, enhance life skills, build resilience, and strengthen leadership skills. Conducted year-round, the program encourages collaboration among Club staff, youth, parents, and representatives from other community organizations. Its components include:
Another component of this family of programs is SMART Girls, first offered by the Club in 2003-2004, which addresses the developmental needs of two age groups: 8-12 and 13-17. SMART Girls is a small-group program that enhances girls’ physical and emotional well-being and increases their self-esteem. Through dynamic weekly sessions, highly participatory activities, field trips, and mentoring opportunities 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 positive relationships with peers and adults.
FAME (previously called “RIGHT Steps”) is a science-based program delivered daily by youth development professionals and mental health agencies. The program is aimed at reducing the propensity for violence and other juvenile delinquent behavior by providing conflict mediation training; group, individual, and family counseling/instructional sessions; daily interaction with program coordinators; and organized youth development activities that promote positive lifestyles. Youth participate in a minimum of one 10-week module.
The primary goal of the FAME program is to counter risk factors of target youth by providing skills training and professional counseling services that will cultivate individual ability to better handle the challenges faced in life. The ability to better handle challenges has a direct correlation with success at school, in family and social relationships, and in resisting the temptations of negative behavior. Beyond the counseling and anger management/conflict mediation training, youth have continual access to mentors and are engaged in a range of complementary programming that comprehensively addresses both risk and protective factors (based on the 8 core elements of the CASASTART Program of Columbia University). The FAME program employs evidence-based strategies that are effective in preventing and/or reducing delinquency in youth. Strategies employed to minimize these risk factors and maximize protective factors are:
Interactive Teaching Techniques—The interactive process provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas between peers.
Social Skills Training—Social Skills Training focuses on a range of social competency skills (e.g. developing self-control, stress management, responsible decision-making, social problem solving, and communication skills).
Comprehensive, Multi-Component Approach—Programs that use a combination of approaches are more successful in preventing drug use, crime and delinquency than using a single approach.
Refusal/Resistance Skills Training—Activities that teach refusal or resistance skills are incorporated into the program along with opportunities for practice.
Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation—Programs that teach students to manage anger, control aggressive responses, and understand conflict, allow them to avoid and diffuse potentially violent confrontations.
Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach (GPTTO), another program implemented daily at the Club, seeks to identify at-risk youth who show a propensity for gang-related activity and behavior. It includes refusal/resistance skills training, and conflict resolution and peer mediation. The staff work with parents and teachers to involve these young people in the Club’s gang prevention program. We continue to monitor targeted at-risk youth through our law enforcement contacts and home visits. The program is offered daily at the Woodland Park Unit and the Rotary Unit, providing approximately 50 youth with a safe location in their community to spend after-school and summer hours. As a part of this program, the Club offers an adult literacy program for the families of targeted youth. In addition, the Club participates in Gang Summits held two or three times per year by the Gainesville Police Department to address identified problems (based on the intelligence information) before they escalate.
Another program, Street SMART, seeks to counteract the lure of gangs, violence, and the streets on adolescents ages 11-13. While building awareness and resistance skills, participants develop the knowledge and confidence needed to make positive choices. Street SMART’s three modules teach young people how gangs work and how to resist being recruited, how to recognize and resolve conflicts peacefully, and how to become positive peer helpers. Participants reinforce what they have learned and share it with others by organizing community events that promote the positive messages of Street SMART.
Developed in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Child Safety and Protection is a comprehensive child victimization prevention program. The program includes safety awareness training for youth, parents, and staff; safety policies and procedures; background screening guidelines for staff and volunteers; training for staff and volunteers; and strategies for ensuring Club members’ well-being. The program is ongoing, with training being provided year-round.
A Fine Arts Exhibit Program is held year-round and encourages artistic expression among members 6-18 through drawing, printmaking, collage, mixed media, and sculpture. Artwork is displayed at local and regional exhibits. A panel of distinguished judges selects works for inclusion in the National Final Arts Exhibit, which debuts at the Club’s annual National Conference and is displayed throughout the year at other Club events. Program materials are provided free to the units each year and are also available online. The program is sponsored by L’Oreal.In partnership with the local dance company Dance Alive, the club established a dance program in 2006 that continues to be well received. This year, approximately 60 children participated in the program at the NW and Rotary Units twice a week for an hour. They also had the opportunity to perform at several local functions.
Sports, Fitness and Recreation
The Club offers a variety of daily fitness programs, such as Nike Daily Challenges and Nike Games. The Club also offers competitive sports that build teamwork. In 2008, the Club continued to offer flag and tackle football (more than 54 teams competed), co-ed basketball leagues, girls’ volleyball league, wrestling, track & field, golf, cheerleading, tennis, and our award-winning Endeavor Baseball League (a league for children with mental and physical disabilities). In addition, it also began softball for girls and Lacrosse for high school age boys and girls. The Club also has taken over the Alachua County middle school football program and plans to expand and add more schools. In partnership with the United States Tennis Association, a tennis program has also been established.Character and Leadership Development
The Youth of the Year recognition program promotes and celebrates Club members’ service to the Club, community, and family; academic excellence; spiritual values; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability. The program serves a year-round tool for fostering personal growth and leadership qualities among young people ages 14-18. Each unit selects a candidate who competes locally for the opportunity to represent Alachua County at the Southeast Regional and National Youth of the Year competition. The Youth of the Year program has been sponsored by Reader’s Digest for more than 50 years.
The TEENSupreme® Keystone Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 14-18. Keystoners elect officers and plan and implement their own activities in six areas: service to Club and community, leadership development, education and career exploration, unity, free enterprise, and social recreation. The group meets on a weekly basis for 1 ½ hours.Torch Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 11-13. Torch Club members elect officers and work together to plan and implement activities in four areas: service to Club and community, education, health and fitness, and social recreation. The group meets on a weekly basis for 1 ½ hours.Health and Life Skills
SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) is a nationally-acclaimed comprehensive prevention program that helps young people resist alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, as well as premature sexual activity. The program features engaging, interactive, small-group activities that increase peer support, enhance life skills, build resilience, and strengthen leadership skills. Conducted year-round, the program encourages collaboration among Club staff, youth, parents, and representatives from other community organizations. Its components include:- SMART Kids, for ages 6-9;
- Start SMART, for ages 10-12;
- Stay SMART, for ages 13-15;
- SMART Girls, for ages 8-12 and 13-17); and
- SMART Parents.
Another component of this family of programs is SMART Girls, first offered by the Club in 2003-2004, which addresses the developmental needs of two age groups: 8-12 and 13-17. SMART Girls is a small-group program that enhances girls’ physical and emotional well-being and increases their self-esteem. Through dynamic weekly sessions, highly participatory activities, field trips, and mentoring opportunities 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 positive relationships with peers and adults.FAME (previously called “RIGHT Steps”) is a science-based program delivered daily by youth development professionals and mental health agencies. The program is aimed at reducing the propensity for violence and other juvenile delinquent behavior by providing conflict mediation training; group, individual, and family counseling/instructional sessions; daily interaction with program coordinators; and organized youth development activities that promote positive lifestyles. Youth participate in a minimum of one 10-week module.The primary goal of the FAME program is to counter risk factors of target youth by providing skills training and professional counseling services that will cultivate individual ability to better handle the challenges faced in life. The ability to better handle challenges has a direct correlation with success at school, in family and social relationships, and in resisting the temptations of negative behavior. Beyond the counseling and anger management/conflict mediation training, youth have continual access to mentors and are engaged in a range of complementary programming that comprehensively addresses both risk and protective factors (based on the 8 core elements of the CASASTART Program of Columbia University). The FAME program employs evidence-based strategies that are effective in preventing and/or reducing delinquency in youth. Strategies employed to minimize these risk factors and maximize protective factors are:
Interactive Teaching Techniques—The interactive process provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas between peers.
Social Skills Training—Social Skills Training focuses on a range of social competency skills (e.g. developing self-control, stress management, responsible decision-making, social problem solving, and communication skills).
Comprehensive, Multi-Component Approach—Programs that use a combination of approaches are more successful in preventing drug use, crime and delinquency than using a single approach.
Refusal/Resistance Skills Training—Activities that teach refusal or resistance skills are incorporated into the program along with opportunities for practice.
Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation—Programs that teach students to manage anger, control aggressive responses, and understand conflict, allow them to avoid and diffuse potentially violent confrontations.
Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach (GPTTO), another program implemented daily at the Club, seeks to identify at-risk youth who show a propensity for gang-related activity and behavior. It includes refusal/resistance skills training, and conflict resolution and peer mediation. The staff work with parents and teachers to involve these young people in the Club’s gang prevention program. We continue to monitor targeted at-risk youth through our law enforcement contacts and home visits. The program is offered daily at the Woodland Park Unit and the Rotary Unit, providing approximately 50 youth with a safe location in their community to spend after-school and summer hours. As a part of this program, the Club offers an adult literacy program for the families of targeted youth. In addition, the Club participates in Gang Summits held two or three times per year by the Gainesville Police Department to address identified problems (based on the intelligence information) before they escalate.
Another program, Street SMART, seeks to counteract the lure of gangs, violence, and the streets on adolescents ages 11-13. While building awareness and resistance skills, participants develop the knowledge and confidence needed to make positive choices. Street SMART’s three modules teach young people how gangs work and how to resist being recruited, how to recognize and resolve conflicts peacefully, and how to become positive peer helpers. Participants reinforce what they have learned and share it with others by organizing community events that promote the positive messages of Street SMART.
Developed in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Child Safety and Protection is a comprehensive child victimization prevention program. The program includes safety awareness training for youth, parents, and staff; safety policies and procedures; background screening guidelines for staff and volunteers; training for staff and volunteers; and strategies for ensuring Club members’ well-being. The program is ongoing, with training being provided year-round.
Education and Career Development
Held daily during school months, Power Hour helps Club members ages 6-18 become more successful in school by providing homework help and tutoring, and by encouraging members to become self-directed learners. The Homework Room is open Monday through Friday for 4 hours per day. Each child who attends the Club is required to participate in a minimum of 30 minutes of daily homework assistance. During the time allotted to Power Hour, children complete school assignments, read Accelerated Reading Tests, or complete age- and grade-appropriate worksheets provided by the Club. The Power Hour program kit includes a manual, a guidebook for helpers and tutors, and charts for tracking and rewarding participants’ progress.
Failure Free Reading (FFR) is a research-proven web-based language development and reading comprehension program. Started in 1988, the program has been implemented in thousands of schools across the United States, and has been used by tens of thousands of students. The program has a success rate of 85% or higher with the lowest literacy readers. Students enter the program at their age or grade level. Testing is then conducted to determine a level that is challenging and stimulating to them. Students do not have to know how to read to begin to work with the program. Both non-readers and beginner readers are able to engage in the program, and are provided with the appropriate materials.
Project Learn (the Educational Enhancement Program) is a community-based program that includes five components: (1) homework help and tutoring; (2) high-yield learning activities; (3) incentives; (4) parental involvement; and (5) collaboration with schools. Project Learn uses the after-school hours to reinforce and enhance the skills and knowledge young people learn at school. This comprehensive program strategy is based on Dr. Reginald Clark’s research showing that the ways in which students from disadvantaged circumstances use their time in school and out of school are important predictors of their academic success. In partnership with the School Board, the Club offers the Project Learn mentoring program at its four program sites. Learning activities include leisure reading, discussions with knowledgeable adults, service learning, homework help and tutoring, and games like Scrabble that develop cognitive skills. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement and collaboration with school professionals as critical factors in creating the best after-school learning environment for Club members. Extensively field tested and formally evaluated by Columbia University with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Project Learn has been proven to boost the academic performance of Club members.
Goals for Graduation, a Project Learn resource, introduces academic goal setting to Club members ages 13-15 by linking their future aspirations with concrete actions today. In goal-setting sessions with a Club youth development professional, members set achievable “Know I Can” goals, more challenging “Think I Can” goals, and annual “Believe-I-Can” goals. Participants then create an action plan featuring daily and weekly goals leading to short- and long-term achievements. A comprehensive guidance strategy helps members connect their smallest results to their highest dreams. An encouraging recognition strategy buoys members as their successes, with participants being recognized and supported at every step of their journey towards goal achievement.
Club Tech is an ambitious, multi-year initiative to provide all Boys & Girls Clubs with state-of-the-art computer software; new programs and resources that will help Club professionals build members’ computer skills and integrate technology into all Core Program Areas; and extensive, ongoing training for Club professionals. Club Tech programming resources include the Skill Tech basic computer skills program, which develops Club members’ proficiency with word processing, spreadsheet, and other productivity software through fun, hands-on, engaging lessons and projects for four age groups. Technology is used as a tool to improve student achievement and inspire youth to become self-directed learners. B&GCA software and websites provide daily opportunities for members to practice fundamental academic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics, in interesting and engaging ways. In addition, members use the Internet on a regular basis to develop the technological competencies required for being productive in today’s ever-changing digital age. The Core Tech resource guide to technology is a user-friendly collection of activities that staff from all Core Program Areas can conduct with members in the Club technology center. The Activity Exchange is a searchable, interactive database of easy-to-use activities from every Core Program Area, which is accessible from www.bgca.net.
The JOB READY! program prepares Club members ages 15-18 to enter into and be successful in the world of work. Club staff can use the program’s comprehensive materials and assessment tools to tailor the program to meet their members’ specific needs. Teens learn how to identify job opportunities, write effective résumés, perform well in interviews, dress appropriately, develop good work habits, and get along with others in the workplace.
B&GCA’s Career Prep family includes several other programs. In Career Explorers’ Club, members ages 13-15 become familiar with the working world and explore career options and their educational/training requirements. Goals for Growth teaches Club members ages 8-12 skills in setting and achieving goals, and helps them identify their own strengths. CLUBService provides AmeriCorps education awards to members ages 17and 18 and alumni ages 19-24 who serve their Clubs and communities. Junior Staff Career Development assists members ages 11-18 in exploring a career in youth or human services, particularly Boys & Girls Club work. The Web-based CareerLaunch program helps young people ages 13-18 assess their skills and interests, make sound educational decisions, explore careers, and prepare for the world of work.
Held daily during school months, Power Hour helps Club members ages 6-18 become more successful in school by providing homework help and tutoring, and by encouraging members to become self-directed learners. The Homework Room is open Monday through Friday for 4 hours per day. Each child who attends the Club is required to participate in a minimum of 30 minutes of daily homework assistance. During the time allotted to Power Hour, children complete school assignments, read Accelerated Reading Tests, or complete age- and grade-appropriate worksheets provided by the Club. The Power Hour program kit includes a manual, a guidebook for helpers and tutors, and charts for tracking and rewarding participants’ progress.Failure Free Reading (FFR) is a research-proven web-based language development and reading comprehension program. Started in 1988, the program has been implemented in thousands of schools across the United States, and has been used by tens of thousands of students. The program has a success rate of 85% or higher with the lowest literacy readers. Students enter the program at their age or grade level. Testing is then conducted to determine a level that is challenging and stimulating to them. Students do not have to know how to read to begin to work with the program. Both non-readers and beginner readers are able to engage in the program, and are provided with the appropriate materials.
Project Learn (the Educational Enhancement Program) is a community-based program that includes five components: (1) homework help and tutoring; (2) high-yield learning activities; (3) incentives; (4) parental involvement; and (5) collaboration with schools. Project Learn uses the after-school hours to reinforce and enhance the skills and knowledge young people learn at school. This comprehensive program strategy is based on Dr. Reginald Clark’s research showing that the ways in which students from disadvantaged circumstances use their time in school and out of school are important predictors of their academic success. In partnership with the School Board, the Club offers the Project Learn mentoring program at its four program sites. Learning activities include leisure reading, discussions with knowledgeable adults, service learning, homework help and tutoring, and games like Scrabble that develop cognitive skills. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement and collaboration with school professionals as critical factors in creating the best after-school learning environment for Club members. Extensively field tested and formally evaluated by Columbia University with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Project Learn has been proven to boost the academic performance of Club members.
Goals for Graduation, a Project Learn resource, introduces academic goal setting to Club members ages 13-15 by linking their future aspirations with concrete actions today. In goal-setting sessions with a Club youth development professional, members set achievable “Know I Can” goals, more challenging “Think I Can” goals, and annual “Believe-I-Can” goals. Participants then create an action plan featuring daily and weekly goals leading to short- and long-term achievements. A comprehensive guidance strategy helps members connect their smallest results to their highest dreams. An encouraging recognition strategy buoys members as their successes, with participants being recognized and supported at every step of their journey towards goal achievement.Club Tech is an ambitious, multi-year initiative to provide all Boys & Girls Clubs with state-of-the-art computer software; new programs and resources that will help Club professionals build members’ computer skills and integrate technology into all Core Program Areas; and extensive, ongoing training for Club professionals. Club Tech programming resources include the Skill Tech basic computer skills program, which develops Club members’ proficiency with word processing, spreadsheet, and other productivity software through fun, hands-on, engaging lessons and projects for four age groups. Technology is used as a tool to improve student achievement and inspire youth to become self-directed learners. B&GCA software and websites provide daily opportunities for members to practice fundamental academic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics, in interesting and engaging ways. In addition, members use the Internet on a regular basis to develop the technological competencies required for being productive in today’s ever-changing digital age. The Core Tech resource guide to technology is a user-friendly collection of activities that staff from all Core Program Areas can conduct with members in the Club technology center. The Activity Exchange is a searchable, interactive database of easy-to-use activities from every Core Program Area, which is accessible from www.bgca.net.The JOB READY! program prepares Club members ages 15-18 to enter into and be successful in the world of work. Club staff can use the program’s comprehensive materials and assessment tools to tailor the program to meet their members’ specific needs. Teens learn how to identify job opportunities, write effective résumés, perform well in interviews, dress appropriately, develop good work habits, and get along with others in the workplace.B&GCA’s Career Prep family includes several other programs. In Career Explorers’ Club, members ages 13-15 become familiar with the working world and explore career options and their educational/training requirements. Goals for Growth teaches Club members ages 8-12 skills in setting and achieving goals, and helps them identify their own strengths. CLUBService provides AmeriCorps education awards to members ages 17and 18 and alumni ages 19-24 who serve their Clubs and communities. Junior Staff Career Development assists members ages 11-18 in exploring a career in youth or human services, particularly Boys & Girls Club work. The Web-based CareerLaunch program helps young people ages 13-18 assess their skills and interests, make sound educational decisions, explore careers, and prepare for the world of work.
