Education & Career

Programs in this core area help youth develop proficiency in essential academic subjects, apply their learning to everyday situations, and use technology to support their future career success.

CareerLaunch

Age 13-18

CareerLaunch prepares teens for the world of careers and work. Through CareerLaunch, Club teens 13-18 years old embark on a journey to explore possible vocations, make sound educational decisions and find success in the world of work.

College Bound

Grade 6-12

College Bound provides middle and high school students (grades 6-12) with academic case management, tutoring, and test prep resources, along with various activities designed to support each teen’s academic success. College pennants serve as the theme for the Teen Center.

Bright Spot for Reading

This literacy program makes reading fun and engaging for kids through phonological awareness activities, vocabulary games, and reading contests. Bright Spot Reading uses incentives to motivate children as they progress through the program.

Goals for Graduation

Age 6-15

Goals for Graduation, part of the Project Learn program, helps Club members ages 6-15 set academic goals by connecting their future aspirations with actionable steps today. Members create a plan with daily and weekly goals that lead to both short- and long-term academic success. A supportive recognition system motivates members by celebrating their achievements at every stage. The program is sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund.

BE GREAT: Graduate​

Age 5-18

This dropout prevention program is part of the Every Member, Every Year strategy, designed to enhance youth engagement in learning by:

  • Providing consistent support from caring and trusted adults
  • Developing the academic, emotional, and social skills needed for success

The program identifies at-risk youth ages 5 to 18 by monitoring early warning signs such as attendance, behavior, and course performance.

Job Training

Older youth members interested in gaining work experience can intern with a mentor to learn job skills. As Club members, this program provides them with their first introduction to the workforce.

Money Matters​​

Age 13+

For more than 15 years, Money Matters: Make It Count has taught teens how to set goals, budget, save, and invest. In addition to staff-led financial literacy sessions, young people practice their financial decision-making skills through engaging digital tools and games. Teens who complete Money Matters show improved financial management skills, including saving money and sticking to a budget.

Our teens (Keystone Club) also run a store in the Teen Center, selling snacks, ordering supplies, and managing inventory. The store is self-sufficient and generates a profit, which the teens allocate as grants to local charities.

Boys & Girls Clubs pair youth with supportive Club mentors and volunteers to develop the financial skills that can lead to workplace readiness, lifelong financial stability and overall success.

Power Hour​​

Age 6-18

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 of every age to become self-directed learners.

Digital Literacy Essentials

Age 8-16

Digital Literacy Essentials activities are designed to help youth ages 8-16 build digital skills. They provide members of all ability levels with a foundation to explore digital safety, digital privacy, digital presence, online communication and retro gaming.

Now more than ever, youth need digital literacy skills in order to connect with friends and family, learn online, and prepare for great futures. Digital Literacy Essentials activities are engaging and exciting project experiences. Delivered through MyFuture, Digital Literacy Essentials activities allow youth to upload projects, build a digital portfolio, and earn stars and badges.

Project Learn​

All Ages

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, including leisure reading, writing activities, discussions with knowledgeable adults, helping others, homework help, tutoring and games that develop young people’s cognitive skills. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement as well as collaboration between Club and school professionals.

diplomas2Degrees

Age 13+

diplomas2Degrees (d2D), a college readiness program, provides a range of services to guide Club members as they work toward high school graduation and prepare for post-secondary education and career success.

d2D helps teens develop both short- and long-term goals, while familiarizing them post-secondary education through experiences like college tours. It also assists youth in securing financial aid and fosters supportive relationships with adults who can provide support throughout the college experience.

Project GPA​

A program that focuses on helping middle school students with their school work and homework. The goal is to help students improve by at least one letter grade while they are in the program. Over the long term improved understanding, better study habits, and more classroom engagement will occur. These should help improve the transition to high school thereby reducing the incidence of drop outs.

Ultimate Journey

Age 9-13

Ultimate Journey: Fun, experiential, environmental education activities.

Ultimate Journey has been around for over 20 years and is one of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s most successful STEM programs. Ultimate Journey is BGCA’s environmental education program, created in partnership with the National Park Service. It is a hands-on STEM curriculum, designed for ages 9-13 (4th-8th grade), and totally revamped for the 21st century. 

Throughout the program, Club Members learn great STEM content, but also practice problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Club Members will do deep thought work about their communities and their history, as well as the impact they can have on the future. They will do research, they will write, they will practice presenting, they will explore careers, they will be creative, they will work in groups, and they will have so much fun learning about our wonderful home and environment. Ultimate Journey cultivates an awareness and appreciation of the natural wonders that surround young people. Ultimate Journey introduce young people to aspects of environmental stewardship, and meet the need of youth from urban, rural, military and native settings. The journey continues on.

Summer Brain Gain

All Ages

Summer Brain Gain is comprised of one-week modules with fun, themed activities for elementary school, middle school and high school students that are aligned with common core anchor standards. Supported by Disney, each module takes a project-based learning approach: youth engage in a process of learning through discovery, creative expression, group work and a final project or production. As a result, kids develop higher-order thinking skills through the Summer Brain Gain modules while staying on track for the coming school year.

To improve the reading skills of America’s youth, Summer Brain Gain: Read! is a summer reading program with a new book presented each week per age group, along with supporting activities that bring the book to life. Learn more

Math/Science Club

A program that explores a different scientific or mathematical topic each month, including past themes like engineering, astronomy, and finance.

DIY STEM

Age 9-12

DIY STEM is a hands-on, activity-based STEM curriculum which connects youth aged 9 to 12 to science themes they encounter regularly. The newly updated DIY STEM program allows Club kids to practice STEM skills in authentic ways that reflect how working scientists and engineers conduct experiments in the lab.

Through collaborative and open-ended activities, students learn principles of science, engineering, technology, and math. Each team explores a scientific phenomenon as they develop their own experiments and take on different roles within the team, creating a dynamic, unique learning experience for each member.

S.T.E.M. Program​

S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a hands-on, activity-based curriculum that engages members in these disciplines through fun and interactive learning. The S.T.E.M. Club emphasizes engineering, guiding participants through nine challenges that culminate in an innovative project demonstrating how engineering can benefit a community.

The S.T.E.M. Club is open to all middle school-aged members and meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:30 PM.

YouthWorks

YouthWorks is a state-funded youth employment program that helps teens and young adults develop the skills and experience needed to find and keep jobs. Participants take part in paid short-term work placements during the summer and/or school year at public, private, and nonprofit work sites. As part of the program, they receive training in core soft skills, practice professional behavior and learn how to work effectively with supervisors, co-workers, and customers at their work sites. They also learn how to take the next steps in their education and career pathways.