Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson

Programs: The boys & girls clubs of tucson has six local clubhouses serving at-risk youth, age 7 to 17 years of age. Our clubs are in tucson's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, providing a fun and safe place with many programs for our members. We are building centered, employ youth development professionals supported by part-time staff and volunteers, and offer daily access to a broad range of programs and activities in five core areas. Our five core areas are: 1. Character & leadership: our programs empower youth to support and influence their club and community, sustain meaningful relationships with others, develop a positive self-image, participate in the democratic process, and respect their own and other' cultural identities. Examples include our torch club and keystone club. We are now offering job readiness to internship programs and several job opportunities have been acquired by our members. 2. Education & careers: our programs enable youth to become proficient in basic educational disciplines, apply learning to everyday situations, and embrace technology to achieve success in a career. Examples are our power hour program, providing homework help, and our smart moves program, providing valuable life information for a variety of ages. This year we have implemented stem programming which is new and exciting and aligned with our educational systems focus on science, math and engineering. Each club has a computer room monitored by our staff with the up to date computers and internet access for use by members. Some of our computer programs actually monitor progress of students academically and recommend the next step on the program. We have modified our summer programs to have a very academic focus as we address the issue of brain loss over the summer. 3. Health & life skills: our programs develop young people's capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals, and live successfully as self-sufficient adults. An example is our triple play program. 4. The arts: our programs enable youth to develop their creativity and cultural awareness through knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts, crafts, performing arts and creative writing. Our arts program provides a separate room for members to participate in many different kinds of arts projects and competition. We are implanting programs around musical education, specifically guitar and percussion, at all of our clubs. 5. Sports & fitness: our programs develop fitness, positive use of leisure time, skills for stress management, appreciation for the environment, and social skills. We run various sports leagues throughout the year and provide monitored time for members to utilize our gyms with various activities. While the true cost per child to the organization is over 500 annually, for only 10 per school year and 20 per summer session, members are provided with access to over 40 programs, field trips, sports leagues and activities. No child is ever turned away due to their inability to pay, but rather, they are offered opportunities to perform community service in exchange for a membership card. Surveys of our members indicate that over half feel that the clubs saved their lives. We are also engaged in discussions with tucson area school districts to have them assist us in gathering outcomes for our members, such as graduation rates and grade progression. As we gather this data, we believe it will show that members who attend frequently and participate in our programs will have higher graduation rates, better grade progression, and higher grades than non-members. The boys & girls clubs of tucson has served the tucson community for over 50 years and we are proud of our legacy of serving youth in our community and helping them succeed in life. To learn more about our programs and events or to make a donation, please go to www. Bgctuc. Org .