Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson

Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson reaches thousands of club members ages 7 - 17 years old annually across six clubhouses, all of which are located in Tucson's most vulnerable communities. We strive to ensure that every clubhouse is a safe and fun place where club members can create meaningful and lasting connections with caring adults and positive peers. Building on that foundation, club members are invited to engage in free-choice activities and structured programs year-round that equip them with critical skills and competencies. We employ talented youth development professionals who are supported by local partners and volunteers so that we can offer a broad range of developmentally appropriate activities and programs linked to the following core focus areas.boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson's youth development approach incorporates five core beliefs that anchor the work we do to achieve positive youth outcomes:1. Clubhouses are safe, positive, and inclusive environments in which children learn and grow.2. Clubhouses provide club members opportunities to develop positive, meaningful, and health connections with club staff and peers.3. Club staff implement high-quality programs and activities that build upon young people's strengths, allow them to explore new experiences, and help them develop skills for good decision-making.4. Club members engage in learning and enrichment experiences that foster their hope, a sense of belonging, and a sense of purpose.5. Club members have opportunities to lead, share their ideas, and be heard and recognized.boys & Girls Clubs core program areas:1. Leadership & service: we offer programs designed to spark young people to develop and practice leadership in themselves, with others and in the community. As club members create and implement projects in their club and across the community, they gain new skills and competencies, develop relationships with peers and adults, strengthen their self-confidence, increase respect for their own and other' cultural identities, and create meaningful change in their communities. Program examples include: rookie rockstars (7-11 year olds), torch club (11-13 year olds), and keystone club (teens).2.education & careers: we believe that promoting academic achievement is crucial to supporting young people with achieving success in their lives. We offer programs that complement and reinforce what youth learn during the school day and integrate social-emotional development practices that prepare youth to be effective, engaged learners. Club members also have supervised access to computers and internet for completing homework assignments and research projects. Additionally, we are committed to supporting club members with defining their post-secondary plans, strengthening their job readiness skills, and exploring career pathways.program examples include: power hour (providing homework help, tutoring, and motivation); summer brain gain (focused on preventing summer learningloss); project learn (designed to reinforce and extend learning through high-yield activities); my.future digital literacy program; career launch (job readiness and workforce development); money matters; and a variety of stem/steam learning experiences.3.health & wellness: we offer programs designed to engage youth in enhancing the relationships they have with themselves and others, regulating their emotions, and solving problems by developing socialemotional skills. Our programs promote healthy living, positive habits and behaviors, and active lifestyles. Club members learn to nurture their well-being, establish healthy boundaries, and lead successful lives. Program examples include: cybersafety, smart moves (supports youth withpracticing healthy decision making and critical thinking skills related to resisting risky behaviors), smart Girls and passport to manhood (focused on teaching respect and responsibility).4.the arts: we offer programs designed to develop club members creativity and cultural awareness through knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts, performing arts, creative writing, crafts, and more. Every location has an arts room where club members participate in free choice activities and structured programs. Additionally, we participate in the Boys & Girls Clubs of america national fine arts competition annually.5.sports & recreation: we offer activities and programs designed to encourage participation in physical fitness activities, sports, and recreation. Club members have access to gyms, leagues, and programs that equip them learn about achieving individual and team related goals. Examples include: all star sports (basketball, football, and cheer) and triple play (focused on strengthening the body, mind and soul).boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson is committed to continuously and creatively raising funds and securing in-kind support to sustain operations across all six of our clubhouses. The generous support of our donors and partners enables us to keep membership registration fees low, at only $20 per school year (after-school) and $60 for summer camp (six weeks, full day). We offer an extensive variety of programs, field trips, recreation/sports leagues,and other activities. No one is ever turned away due to inability to pay the membership fees.to assess our effectiveness, we participate in Boys & Girls Clubs national youth outcomes initiative and survey club members annually. We are committed to maintaining and strengthening high-quality clubhouse operations, staff development and programming. Club members report that they have positive experiences, feel a sense of belonging and feel safe. Additionally, we are working toward developing partnerships with key stakeholders such as Tucson area school districts in order to gather more data, such as grade progression and graduation rates, that will assist us with refining our strategic focuses for the clubhouses. Ultimately, we believe that club members who attend frequently and participate regularly in our programs achieve higher grades and demonstrate on-time grade progression and high school graduation, at higher rates than their peers who do not attend the clubs.boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson has served the Tucson community for over 60 years and we are proud of our legacy of preparing youth in our community to succeed in life.