Programs and Services
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana offers a wide variety of activities in our core program areas.
- Character & Leadership
- Education & Career
- Health & Life Skills
- The Arts
- Sports, Fitness & Recreation
- Specialized Initiatives
Character & Leadership Development
- Awards Ceremony – Monthly ceremony recognizing top club youth in all program areas as well as the Youths of the month.
- Beautification/Community Service – Monthly community service projects or the club members will conduct beautification projects.
- Black History – A weekly program, which teaches the accomplishments of African-Americans throughout history.
- CORE TECH- Computer skills program designed to integrate technology into Character & Leadership Development core programs
- Second Step – Conflict resolution for teens that occurs daily for two weeks per quarter.
- TEENSupreme Keystone – Weekly youth leadership program for club member’s ages 14 – 18.
- Kids Club – Weekly youth development program for members’ ages 10 – 12.
- Little Rascals – Weekly youth development program for member’s ages 6 – 8.
- Torch Club – Weekly youth leadership program for members ages 11 – 13.
- Youth Council – A weekly meeting of youth appointed to represent their club to discuss overall club issues.
- Youth of the Month/Sportsmanship – Monthly youth are recognized in each of the five core areas at a club. The unit youth of the month is selected from the five core area selections.
- Youth of the Year – An annual opportunity for teen youths of the month to represent their unit and organization as an outstanding youth of the year.
Education and Career
- Power Hour – A daily homework assistance program offering incentives for homework completion and progress.
- Homework Assistance – daily – this program provides club members with a place to complete their assignments under adult supervision.
- Career Explorers/Launch Club – Exploring different career choices for youth ages 10 – 14 daily for two weeks/once per quarter.
- Computer Program – Daily opportunity for club members to learn computer skills.
- CORE TECH- Computer skills program designed to integrate technology into Education & Career Development core programs
- Educational Recognition – Monthly, recognition program for club members who improve their grades in school and improve in educational activities in the club.
- Goals for Graduation – Weekly program which consists of a five-step process where members are guided to set goals, supported to achieve them and counseled to understand the relationship between small steps today and big result in the future.
- Goals for Growth – A goal setting program that teach youth about long term, short term, and discovery and service goals.
- Jr. Staff Career Development – Weekly opportunity for club members to provide club service under the supervision of staff members, and learn about career opportunities available in Boys & Girls Clubs.
- LEAP Help- LEAP Testing -assistance/tutoring online for the Louisiana Department of Education
- Membership Orientation – New members are oriented to the rules of the club as they join.
- NetSmartz – Three times per week, this program provides interactive program content, along with fun, games, and activities that reinforce Internet safety in three age groups 6-8, 9-12, & teens.
- Newspaper Club- Monthly program designed to teach members how to write articles and format a club monthly newsletter.
- Quiz Bowl – Daily quiz contest on different topics designed to expand the minds of club members (Math, Reading, Spelling, and Writing).
Health & Life Skills
- CORE TECH- Computer skills program designed to integrate technology into Health & Life Skills core programs Financial Literacy
- Money Matters helps teens learn practical ways to save, spend, and invest the money they will earn.
- Passport to Manhood –A program that discusses boys hygiene and healthy lifestyle choices.
- Smart Girls – A program for girls ages 10 – 15 which focuses on making healthy lifestyle choices.
- SMART Moves – This program consist of three components: SMART Kids (6-9), Start SMART (10-12), and Stay SMART (13-15). These are prevention programs, which give club members the skills necessary to say no to drugs, alcohol, and sex.
- Street SMART – This program includes three components gang prevention, conflict resolution, peer assistance, and valuing differences.
- Date SMART – This program is intended to increase young people’s (13-18 years of age) understanding and build the skills they need to achieve healthy relationships free of violence and abuse.
The Arts
- Arts & Crafts Classes – Daily instruction of various arts & crafts projects.
- Fine Arts Club – Weekly program where club members create artwork for the Fine Arts Exhibit.
- HolidayDinner Performance – Members perform to music with dancing and/or singing as well as acting. (November/December)
- Image Makers –Weekly photography classes are offered with members learning how to use a camera. Photography field trips are also taken.
- Image Makers Contest – Annual participation in Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national photography contest.
- Performing Arts Club- Weekly program for members to perform plays, skits, etc. at least three times per year.
- Spring Fest Performance – Members perform to music with dance and/or singing as well as acting in a performance. (March/April)
- Summertime Performance – members perform dancing, singing and/or acting in performance. (July/August)
Sports, Fitness & Recreation
- Basketball – Daily, year round
- Basketball Tournament (April/May)
- Birthday Party – Monthly, a birthday party is held for all members born in that month.
- Fitness Authority – A fitness program that test youth and provide them with activities that helps to increase their fitness skills.
- Flag Football – Fall and Winter
- Floor Hockey – Daily, Fall, Spring, and Summer
- Girls Only Sports – Once a week, Sports activities conducted only for girls.
- Fall Holiday Dinner Program – Dinner, Fellowship and Performance with club members and parents (November/December).
- Kids Day – First Sunday of August each year, National holiday honoring kids everywhere.
- Lifetime Sports – Year round, sports that club members can continue through their life to participate in such as badminton, croquet, bocce, bowling, and softball.
- LOA – Sports – Low organized activities such as kickball and dodge ball.
- LOA – Games room – Low organized activities such as tournaments, which take place daily.
- Soccer – Winter
- Softball – Summer
- Softball Tournament – (August/September)
- Special Events – Weekly special events occur in the club where staff introduce members to a new game each week.
- Spring Fest Program – Dinner, fellowship and performance with club members and parents (March/April).
- Summer Open House – open to all members and parents to view club member’s work in all core areas as well as a performance.
- T-ball – Spring and Summer
- Tennis– Summer
- Volleyball Tournament – (December/ January)
- Whifleball – Spring/summer.
Specialized Initiatives
- Club Tech
Several years ago Microsoft generously invested in Boys & Girls Clubs to create Club Tech, a national program that makes technology, software and training accessible in Clubs. In 2007, Best Buy Children’s Foundation joined forces with Microsoft and BGCA to help equip millions of America’s youth with vital skills and experiences to successfully compete academically and prepare for a 21st century workforce.
Club Tech teaches youth essential digital literacy skills through fun, interactive lessons, available at www.myclubmylife.com. Club members are encouraged to apply their tech skills and create original digital media such as web sites, music, movies and photography as part of Club Tech’s Digital Arts Festivals which are held annually.
Also, thanks to Microsoft’s $88 million donation in software, every chartered Club and organizational office is eligible to receive a comprehensive package of the latest Microsoft software for tech centers and staff computers at no cost.
- Embracing Inclusion
This initiative provides Clubs with resources to enhance their services to youth with disabilities within fun, safe environments. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 13 percent of young people ages 6 to 14 have a disability (2001). Unfortunately, many of these young people have limited access to after-school programs that provide engaging, enjoyable opportunities for social and personal development. BGCA is working with Kids Included Together (KIT) to provide Club professionals and volunteers with effective strategies, tools and best practices for recruiting more youth with disabilities and serving them more effectively. Funded by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.
- Latino Outreach Initiative
Boys & Girls Clubs play a critical role in providing young Latinos with opportunities to succeed. By engaging Latino youth and families through word-of-mouth referrals, face-to-face contacts, community collaborations, special events and targeted programming, Clubs give young Latinos access to interest- and need-based programs to help them develop leadership abilities and strong decision-making skills. BGCA offers professional training and mentoring for Club staff in the area of Latino cultural diversity. Funded by The Goizueta Foundation, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, UPS Foundation and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
- Targeted Outreach Strategic Approaches
In response to the number of youth gangs growing in cities and expanding to suburban and rural communities, BGCA has developed a special gang prevention and intervention initiative targeting youth ages 6 to18. Through referrals from schools, courts, law enforcement and community youth service agencies, the tested and proven Targeted Outreach program identifies and recruits delinquent youth, or those at risk of delinquency, into ongoing Club programs and activities. This initiative is sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.
- Teen Initiative
Teens are not simply older children; they have reached a developmental stage that requires a different strategic approach to recruitment, retention, marketing, staff interaction, space utilization and programming. In addition, the needs and developmental abilities of younger teens (13 to 15) vary from those of older teens (16 to 18). The Teen Initiative provides program resources, grant funding, training and technical assistance to Club staff and boards so they can deepen their impact with teens in their communities and serve them more effectively. Funded by Taco Bell Foundation.
- Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) Initiative
Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving), is a model for Boys & Girls Clubs wanting to implement family support activities into their Club’s programming. This model introduces Clubs to factors affecting the family unit and methods of collaborating with community organizations to provide parents and caregivers with resources. The initiative is sponsored by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation with a 5-year, $7 million grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. To learn more about Family PLUS, visit http://familyplus.bgca.org.
- Youth for Unity
To help educate young people across the country about the importance of tolerance and diversity, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has joined forces with The Allstate Foundation to develop Youth for Unity, a diversity education program designed to combat prejudice, bigotry and discrimination. Youth for Unity is the umbrella title for a comprehensive set of programmatic interventions that will allow Clubs to help members appreciate and understand our society’s diversity, recognize unfairness and take personal leadership in confronting bias. Under this initiative, an additional diversity module will be developed for the Street SMART Program.