FREE ESSAY ON CULTURAL DIVERSE CHILDREN

CULTURAL DIVERSE CHILDREN

Character and Leadership
Helping youth become responsible caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in
the democratic process is the main thrust of these programs. They also develop leadership
skills and provide opportunities for planning, decision-making, contributing to Club and
community, and celebrating our national heritage.
TEENSupreme? Keystone Clubs Keystone Clubs are chartered small group leadership
development clubs for young people ages 14-18. 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.
The TEENSupreme Keystone Club program is sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation.
National TEENSupreme Keystone Conference Keystone Club members from across the country
gather in a different city each year to develop leadership skills, exchange ideas, debate
and discuss current issues, and make friends.Each year, Keystoners select a national
project for local Keystone Clubs to complete. The combined action of hundreds of local
Keystone Clubs throughout the nation results in a project of national significance. The
National TEENSupreme Keystone Conference is sponsored by the Taco BellFoundation.
TEENSupreme Centers By the year 2000, this new program sponsored by the Taco Bell
Foundation will fund the establishment of 100 TEENSupreme Centers in selected Boys &
Girls Club facilities nationwide. Clubs with a significant teen population and
demonstrating relevant teen programming are eligible to become a TEENSupreme Center
site.
National Youth of the Year
Sponsored by The Reader's Digest Association, 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. Clubs select a Youth of the Year who receives
a certificate and medallion then enters state competition. State winners receive a plaque
and enter the regional competition. Regional winners receive a $2,000 scholarship and
enter a national competition held in Washington, DC. The National Youth of the Year
receives an additional $8,000 scholarship and is installed bythe President of the United
States.
Torch Club
This small-group leadership development program, sponsored by THE ALLSTATE FOUNDATION, is
targeted for youngsters ages 11 to 13. Within some 339 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
61% of our Club members are from minority families
Education and Career
These programs help youth create aspirations for the future, providing opportunities for
career exploration and educational enhancement.
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 young people'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. The JCPenney Afterschool CAN DO initiative is
generously sponsoring Project Learn.
Power Hour
A comprehensive homework help and tutoring program, POWER HOUR is designed to raise the
academic proficiency of Club members ages 6-12. The POWER HOUR program is sponsored by
the Coca-Cola Company.
Ultimate Journey
This internationally recognized, award-winning program leads Club members ages 6-12 on a
fun-filled journey into the amazing world of plants and animals. The Ultimate Journey
motivates young people to develop an understanding of and sensitivity to the environment,
helping them build the knowledge and motivation to protect our natural resources.
Goals For Growth
This program teaches young people ages 8-12 skills for setting and achieving their own
personal, education and career goals. The Goals for Growth program is sponsored by Best
Buy Children's Foundation.
Career Explorers Club
This small group program introduces young people ages 13-15 to a wide range of career
opportunities by taking them where the action is - work sites, businesses, government
agencies, colleges, universities and vocational schools. Sponsored by the Taco Bell
Foundation as part of the TEENSupreme Career Prep
program, Career Explorers Club provides youth with information about career options and
helps them identify the education and training required to reach their goals.
Job Ready
Sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation as part of the TEENSupreme Career Prep program, JOB
READY! is a comprehensive program that teaches young people ages 16-18 effective
job-hunting techniques and helps them develop the skills necessary to be successful once
on the job.
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.
Homework Tip #3: Form a study club. Work with your friends together on homework.
(B&GCA's
Health & Life Skills
These initiatives help youth achieve and maintain healthy,
active lifestyles.
SMART Moves
The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) prevention/education program
addresses the problems of drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. Based on
proven techniques, 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 6-15 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.
SMART Girls
An outgrowth of the popular and effective SMART Moves program, SMART Girls is a health,
fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program for girls ages 10-15.
The program is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable
early adolescent girls to develop to their full potential. The SMART Girls program is
sponsored by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc.
Act SMART
Developed as a joint project between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Red
Cross, Act SMART is an HIV/AIDS prevention program designed for Club members ages 6-17.
KIDS IN CONTROL
KIDS IN CONTROL is a 15-session safety awareness program designed to help Club members
ages 8-10 develop the personal safety habits and practical skills needed to be safe at
the Club, at home and in the neighborhood. The program offers interactive approaches to
building Club members' crime prevention and personal safety skills through role-playing,
games and other participatory activities. KIDS IN CONTROL is
sponsored by Brink's Home Security, Inc.
Street SMART
Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Street SMART initiative, funded by THE ALLSTATE
FOUNDATION, consists of three components designed to help young people ages 11-13
effectively resist gangs and violence, resolve conflicts and be positive peer helpers in
their communities. It also allows them the opportunity to hold annual events that
celebrate anti-gang, anti-violence themes. Street SMART serves as the National Project
for Torch Clubs annually, and is available for all Boys & Girls Clubs to use.
The Arts
hese initiatives help young people enhance self-expression and creativity, develop
multicultural appreciation, provide exposure to and develop skills in crafts and visual,
performing and literary arts:
National Fine Arts Exhibit Program Sponsored by L'Oreal, this program, 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 most outstanding works are
sent on for regional judging; selected regional artwork goes on for national
judging. Artwork selected by national judges is displayed at B&GCA's annual National
Conference.
National Photography Contest
This annual contest encourages girls and boys to learn and practice photography,
expressing themselves in creative and unusual ways. The program provides both local
recognition and national awards. Winning photos are displayed at B&GCA's annual National
Conference.
Bonnie Raitt/Fender Music Eduction Program This program provides guitar lessons for Club
members, primarily girls ages 9 - 14, who could not otherwise afford them. Funded by
popular musician Bonnie Raitt and Fender, the program has provided 1,400 guitars to 120
Clubs across the country. Ms. Raitt met with groups of Boys & Girls Club guitar students
throughout her 1998 concert tour.
66% of Club alumni in a recent survey said outings, trips and cultural activities were
very important Club activities. (Louis Harris & Associates, 1999) 
Sports, Fitness & Recretation
These programs help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress,
appreciation for the environment, and social and interpersonal skills.
NIKE Sports Program
The NIKE Sports Program is composed of the following components: NIKE University, NIKE
SWOOSH Clubs, NIKE Sports Leadership Camps, NIKE Girls Sports, NIKE Games, and NIKE Daily
Challenges. A program overview brochure is available upon request.
NIKE University
NIKE University is a comprehensive sports training program for Club athletic directors.
There are three trainings available: NIKE 101 provides participants with essential
resources to conduct diverse, high quality physical education and sports programs in
Clubs. NIKE 202 is a train-the-trainer course preparing athletic directors to train
volunteer coaches in their sports program. NIKE 303 provides resources, information and
strategies to increase the scope and quality of the Clubs sports and fitness programs for
girls.
NIKE SWOOSH These groups are teen leadership groups that promote fitness, sports and
potential athletics-related careers in Boys & Girls Clubs. Members meet on a regular
basis to learn about issues inside and outside their Club related to sports and fitness.
SWOOSH Club members ages 13-18 volunteer at least 25 hours as referees, coaches, or in
other athletic department support roles. SWOOSH Club leaders can attend NIKE Sports
Leadership Camps in each of B&GCA's five regions after the completion of their 25
volunteer hours.
NIKE Sports Leadership Camps
NIKE Sports Leadership Camps are annual, fun-filled, skill and leadership development
events held regionally on college campuses for NIKE SWOOSH Club members and their staff
chaperones. Each three-day, two-night NIKE Sports Leadership Camp provides opportunities
to learn and play new sports, meet NIKE athletes, explore careers in sports and receive
tips from college officials about admissions.
NIKE Girls Sports Program
If a girl doesn't participate in sports by age 10, her chances of participating by the
time she is 25 are less than 10 percent. NIKE and B&GCA want to assist and guide Clubs in
making their sports and fitness programs more equitable for girls. The NIKE Girls Sports
Program provides grants, training and development resources, collaborations, and
programs.
NIKE Games
The NIKE Games encourage Inter-Club competition within a city or region, allowing
youngsters in teams from four or more Clubs to compete in basketball, soccer, volleyball,
mini-soccer, track and field, softball and street hockey. Tournaments occur throughout
the year. Awards include individual and team
recognition.
NIKE Daily Challenges
Fitness and fun combined make NIKE Daily Challenges a non-competitive, yet challenging,
popular series of programs. The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Challenge helps girls build new
skills via a fun fitness circuit. The Michael Jordan Invent-A-Sport Challenge encourages
creativity and fitness, allowing
youngsters to create their own game or sport, illustrate and demonstrate the activity and
play with peers. In the Ken Griffey Jr. Home Run Challenge, members build basic motor
skills through throwing, catching and running games. The Dawn Staley Basketball Challenge
offers instruction and practice in dribbling, assisting and shooting. The Jump Rope
Challenge improves strength, skills and endurance as participants jump against the
clock.
NIKECORPS
This NIKE program helps place volunteer college-age coaches in Boys & Girls Clubs in
targeted cities. Through NIKECORPS, 100 coaches will be selected and trained each year.
Each NIKECORPS coach will receive a $500 stipend to apply toward his or her college
tuition in exchange for 100 hours of service in a Boys & Girls Club.
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI)
Through a collaboration with Major League Baseball, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has
expanded or established baseball and fast-pitch softball programs in more than 50
communities nationwide. All RBI leagues incorporate Quick SMART!, a condensed version of
Boys & Girls Clubs of America's SMART Moves prevention/education program designed to
teach players to avoid alcohol and other drug use and premature sexual involvement.
Women who were active in sports and recreational activities as girls feel greater
confidence, self-esteem and pride in their physical and social selves than those who were
sedentary as kids.
(Miller Lite Report,
1985) 
Specialized Programs
These initiatives emphasize community mobilization and family involvement as strategies
Clubs can use to better serve more young people and broaden the impact of all Club
programs.
Gang Prevention/Intervention Through Targeted Outreach In response to the number of youth
gangs growing in cities and expanding to suburban and rural communities, B&GCA has
developed a special gang prevention and intervention initiative targeting youth ages
6-18. 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.
Family Support
Family support activities, programs and events are designed to benefit Club members by
promoting family stability, cohesion and connection. Examples include family fun nights,
parenting classes, referral services, job skills training programs and single-parent
support groups. This program is funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.