Our Programs

The Core Program Areas are the following: Character and Leadership; Education and Career; Health and Life Skills; Sports, Fitness and Recreation; and The Arts. The following programs are currently being run at our Main Club and Campus Clubs:

1. Character and Leadership: Leadership Club, Junior Staff, Youth of the Month, Keystone Club and Torch Club
2. Education and Career: Power Hour, Project Learn, Club Tech, Club Service, Goals for Graduation and Sequential English Education.
3. Health and Life Skills: Bible Study, Smart Moves, Healthy Habits,
4. Sports, Fitness, and Recreation: Athletic Club, soccer, basketball, cheerleading, flag football, Dance, Triple Play
5. The Arts: Arts & Crafts, Drama Club, Music Makers/Guitar Club, Dance, Dance Revolution, Music, Creative Minds

Character and Leadership:
	Keystone Clubs are chartered small group leadership development clubs for young people ages 14 to 18. Keystoners elect officers, choose their own activities and plan and implement community service projects. A national charter entitles a Keystone Club to participate in regional and national Keystone conferences. This teen leadership program is funded by the Taco Bell Foundation.
	Youth of the Year Sponsored by the Reader's Digest Foundation, the National Youth of the Year Program is designed to promote and recognize service to Club and community, academic performance and contributions to family and spiritual life. Competition begins with each Club selecting a Youth of the Year who receives a certificate and medallion then enters state competition. State winners receive a plaque and $1,000 scholarship then enter the regional competition. Each of the five regional winners receives a $10,000 scholarship and enters the national competition held in Washington, DC. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $15,000 scholarship, totaling $26,000 in scholarships, and is installed by the President of the United States.
	Youth of the Month This program is similar to the youth of the Year program, but on a local level. Each school elects a student each month who shows exemplary qualities.
	Torch Club This small-group leadership development program, sponsored by Staples, is targeted to youth ages 11 to 13. Within some 1300 Torch Clubs across the country, members elect officers and plan and implement their own activities and community service projects. Each Torch Club receives an official charter from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Junior Staff” is very similar to “Torch Club.”
	Leadership Club Similar to Torch Club, this club allows 4-5th graders to assert their leadership. They raise money for fun events, help younger children with homework, work with younger children on activities, etc…
Education and Career:
	Power Hour: Making Minutes Count A comprehensive homework help and tutoring program, POWER HOUR is designed to raise the academic proficiency of Club members ages 6 to12. The Junior League of Tyler has been working with BGCET to provide incentives and parties to club members who consistently complete their homework in a satisfactory manner.
	Project Learn Project Learn reinforces and enhances the skills and knowledge young people learn at school through "high-yield" learning activities at the Club and in the home. Based on Dr. Reginald Clark's research that shows fun, but academically beneficial activities increase academic performance, these activities include leisure reading, writing activities, homework help and games like Scrabble® which develop youth's cognitive skills. Project Learn emphasizes collaborations between Club staff, parents and school personnel. Formally evaluated by Columbia University, Project Learn has been proven to boost the academic performance of Club members.
	Club Tech's Skill Tech Programs Through the support of founding partner Microsoft and Best Buy Children’s Foundation, BGCA offers the Skill Tech: Basic Training and Skill Tech II programs to members of all ages and technical abilities. In Skill Tech: Basic Training members learn how to use various Microsoft software programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher and Digital Image Pro through animated lessons and instructor-led group activities. Skill Tech II features three modules for beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels. Participants learn about hardware identification and installation, networking and technology-related careers. The Skill Tech programs, available at www.myclubmylife.com, are apart of Club Tech’s mission to prepare America’s youth for success in school and the 21st Century workforce.
	CLUBService This program, the result of a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Corporation for National Service (AmeriCorps), provides education awards to Club members ages 17 and 18 and Club alumni ages 19-24 who serve their Clubs and communities. CLUBService recognizes young people's service, helps them access higher education opportunities and encourages them to pursue future careers as Club professionals. Funded by AmeriCorps.
	Goals For Graduation Goals for Graduation introduces Club members ages 6 to15 to the concept of academic goal setting. In one-on-one sessions with Club professionals, members set achievable "Know-I-Can" goals, more challenging "Think-I-Can" goals and yearly "Believe-I-Can" goals, then create action plans. The program provides for recognition of members' achievements at every step of the journey. Funded by Macy's South and MetLife Foundation.
	SEE Program The Sequential English Education program is taught by paraprofessionals who have received extensive training in reading, writing, and spelling. We offer four levels of teaching with continuous student-teacher interaction, and each level builds on the one before. We partner with the University of Texas - Tyler, All Saints Episcopal School, and Tyler Independent School District to implement this program and ensure consistency between the club and the school. This program is currently offered only on the Main Campus.
Health and Life Skills:
	Bible Study College-age youth development professionals put together Bible stories that are age-appropriate and make them interactive for the students.
	SMART Moves The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) prevention/education program addresses problems such as drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. The program uses a team approach involving Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives. More than simply emphasizing a "Say No" message, the program teaches young people ages 6 to15 how to say no by involving them in discussion and role-playing, practicing resistance and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence. The ultimate goal: to promote abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior.
	Healthy Habits Designed for ages 6 to 15, the program aims to incorporate healthy living and active learning in every part of the Club experience, Healthy Habits, which is also the "Mind" component of Triple Play: A Game for the Mind, Body and Soul, emphasizes good nutrition, regular physical activity and improving overall well-being. Funded by Kraft Foods Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company.
Sports, Fitness and Recreation:
	Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul Triple Play, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Kraft Foods Inc., is a dynamic wellness program currently being offered in Boys & Girls Clubs 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 • Social Recreation
The Arts:
	MusicMakers/ Guitar Club This year-round program encourages Club members ages 6 to 18 to have fun exploring music making and learning to play the guitar.  Clubs provide step-by-step activities for guitar in beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels.
	Creative Minds This arts and crafts program focuses on a variety of activities year-round. Students make valentines in February, flowers in spring, and snowflakes during the winter. Activities include watercolor, sketching, charcoals, and colored pencils.