Each day, the staff at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale gets asked two questions – one by parents and one by kids.
Parents: Will my child benefit from being a part of the Club?
Kids: Am I going to have fun?
The short answer to both questions is a resounding, “YES!”
But, given these questions are asked so often, below is a snapshot of the true positive impact our local Club truly has on the community.
What is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale?
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale provides a positive, safe and fun environment to help Valley youth of all ages and backgrounds reach the power of their potential.
The nonprofit organization offers more than 100 youth development programs at the organization’s nine branches and 12 outreach sites located in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa, Fountain Hills and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Hualapai Indian Communities.
What are the Club’s Values?
- Accountability
- Integrity
- Leadership
- Respect
- Teamwork
In addition, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale believes these values need to be evident with our volunteers and community partners.
What are some of the programs kids love best?
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale offers more than 100 quality youth development programs designed to develop character and life-enhancing skills.
Programs are built around five core areas: the arts; character and leadership development; education and career development; health and life skills; and sports, fitness and recreation.
Some of our members’ favorite programs include:
- National Fine Arts Exhibit:
- This competition, which encourages creativity through a variety of media, is made up of local, regional and national exhibits.
- Young people are encouraged to create artwork in any of the following categories: monochromatic drawing, multicolored drawing, pastels, water color, oil or acrylic, print making, mixed media, collage and sculpture.
- The program culminates in an organization-wide exhibit with winners advancing to the regional, and then possibly, nationally to the annual Boys & Girls Clubs of America national conference held in the spring.
- Leaders in Training (L.I.T.): The L.I.T. program is designed to enhance the professional development of Club members ages 13 to 17 by giving them opportunities to learn leadership skills and responsibility. The mission of the program is to provide Club members an understanding of the Boys & Girls Club movement, work ethics, personal skills and community responsibility.
- America Reads/America Counts: Through a partnership with Arizona State University, the Club provides the America Reads/America Counts education program at three of our locations: Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch, Lehi Branch and the Paiute Neighborhood Center (part of our Outreach Services).
- SMART Girls: The SMART Girls Program addresses social and development needs of girls ages 8 to 15. The goal of the program is to develop healthy attitudes and lifestyles at this critical stage of their development. SMART Girls aims to provide knowledge, skills, self-esteem and peer support to help young girls avoid the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; learn the importance of healthy eating and fitness habits; develop an understanding and appreciation of their bodies and the physical, emotional and social changes they are experiencing; and to postpone sexual activity.
- Passport to Manhood: The Passport to Manhood program is aimed at making the transition from boyhood to manhood a positive and healthy one. It helps young adolescent males understand and manage such things as physical changes in their bodies; relationships with authority, friends and members of the opposite sex; greater freedom and responsibility for personal decisions; and increase peer pressure. The program consists of 14 sessions, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood through highly interactive activities.
- Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul: Triple Play is a dynamic wellness program currently being offered at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale that demonstrates how eating right, keeping fit and forming positive relationships add up to a healthy lifestyle. The goal of the Triple Play program is to improve Club members’ knowledge of healthy habits, increase the number of hours per day they participate in physical activities and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships. Program components include healthy habits nutrition curriculum, daily challenges, sports clubs, triple play games and social recreation.
The Club also offers an amazing array of sports programs, clinics, movie-making and Web design classes and much more.
What is the Club’s Impact?
Youth who attend a Club more than 75 percent of the time have an average GPA of 3.19.
Fifty-seven percent of elementary age youth say the Clubs help them like school better.
Because of the Clubs, 63 percent of middle school youth say they exercise and eat healthy.
Eighty-eight percent of high school youth say the Clubs help influence them to better the community.
