Education & Career Development

Programs in this Core Area enable youth to become proficient in basic educational disciplines, set goals, explore careers, prepare for employment and embrace technology to achieve success in a career.

Power Hour: Making Minutes Count

Power Hour: Making Minutes Count provides Club professionals with strategies, activities, resources and information to create an engaging homework help and tutoring program that encourages Club members ages 6-12 and 13-18 to become self-directed learners. The Power Hour materials provide practical tips and Club best practices for recognition and incentives, behavior management, volunteer recruitment and training, collaboration with other organizations and use of technology and the Internet.

Project Learn

Project Learn reinforces and enhances the skills and knowledge young people learn at school during the hours they spend at the Club. Through Project Learn, Club staff use all the areas and programs in the Club to create opportunities for high-yield learning activities, which include leisure reading, writing activities, discussions with knowledgeable adults, helping others, homework help and tutoring and games like Scrabble that develop young people’s cognitive skills. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement and collaboration between Club and school professionals as critical factors in creating the best after-school learning environment for Club members ages 6-18. Extensively field-tested and formally evaluated by Columbia University with funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Project Learn has been proven to boost the academic performance of Club members.  

Goals for Graduation

Goals for Graduation, a Project Learn program, introduces academic goal setting to Club members ages 6-15 by linking their future aspirations with concrete actions today. In a variety of one-on-one, small-group and large-group sessions with Club youth development professionals, members set achievable “Know-I-Can” Goals, more challenging “Think-I-Can” Goals and yearly “Believe-I-Can” Goals. Members create an action plan with daily and weekly goals leading to short- and long-term academic gains. A comprehensive guidance strategy helps members connect their smallest results to their highest dreams. An encouraging recognition strategy buoys members as their successes are recognized and supported at every step of their journey.

Junior Staff Career Development

Junior Staff Career Development is a comprehensive, small-group program that assists Club members ages 11-18 in exploring a career in youth or human services, particularly Boys & Girls Club work. Through hands-on experiences with helping others in the Club and community, field trips to other service organizations and one-on-one guidance from Club staff, youth prepare for future roles as human services professionals or volunteer leaders in their communities.

Summer Brain Gain

Summer learning loss has a devastating effect on America’s kids, especially those who don’t participate in enriching summer activities. That’s why Boys & Girls Clubs provide Summer Brain Gain – a fun, interactive learning program designed for summer in the Club! The program includes Summer Brain Gain: Read! – a literacy program Clubs can use even if they are not ready to implement the full summer curriculum. 

Diplomas To Degrees (d2D)

This 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. The Teen College Guide offers tips on achieving academic success and planning for post-secondary education. In addition, teens can access d2D information and resources at any time on the d2D special section available at myclubmylife.com.

Money Matters: Make It Count

Money Matters promotes financial responsibility and independence among Club members ages 13-18 by building their basic money management skills. Participants learn how to manage a checking account, budget, save and invest. They also learn about starting small businesses and paying for college. Money Matters features three components. The Teen Personal Finance Guide is a fun, attractive booklet containing practical tips and activities to help teens learn the important skills of balancing a checkbook, creating a budget and saving and investing for college and retirement. The Money Matters web site offers teens an engaging online tool for building their money management knowledge and kills through interactive activities, games and tools like a savings and financial aid calculator to plan for college.

CareerLaunch

CareerLaunch encourages Club members ages 13-18 to assess their skills and interests, explore careers, make sound educational decisions and prepare to join our nation’s ever-changing work force. Club staff or volunteers can 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. CareerLaunch Teen Tips is an easy-to-read, pocket-sized booklet for teens full of practical job-hunting advice that comes with an attractive portfolio for storing resumes, job applications and other job-hunting documents. The dynamic Career Launch Web site provides Club teens, staff and volunteers with online career exploration and college and job search information and interactive activities. Mentoring and job shadowing opportunities for Club teens and training for Club staff round out the program.

Club Tech

A Club Tech Basic Computer Skills Program develops Club members’ proficiency with word processing, spreadsheet and other productivity software through fun, hands-on, engaging lessons and projects for four age groups. Each session can be completed in one 50-minute period. Skill Tech is contained completely on a CD-ROM with worksheets and instructions that Club staff can print for easier use.

Club Tech II

A Club Tech Advanced Skills Program teaches advanced, yet practical technology skills to Club members ages 6-18. Using animated, spy-themed interactive tutorials on CD courseware developed exclusively for Boys & Girls Clubs, as well as hands-on, instructor-led group activities, Skill Tech II introduces members to hardware identification and installation, networking and technology-related careers. The courseware is available in English and Spanish and includes offline activities. The CD-ROM contains tutorials for members and a Facilitator’s Guide for staff.