Summarized, our mission is to develop programs and funding to address the needs of Alachua County's youth – particularly those from disadvantaged situations:Mission Statement
The Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County is devoted to the personal development of the young men and women in our community. With special concern for the disadvantaged, we pledge to help our young people to become well-adjusted adults, to learn to serve others, and to succeed to their own potential through planned, organized programs.
Overview of Activities
Since 1949, the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County has been the premier provider of positive youth programming in the area. We pride ourselves in responding to the needs of the community – by offering at risk youth no/low cost programming during after school and summer hours. Throughout the year 2003 and into 2004, we have worked hard to both more broadly expand our program offerings, particularly for teenage participants, and improve our facilities, in Gainesville and other Alachua County communities. This year we will serve well over 3,000 children at four different locations in the Gainesville area. The Boys & Girls Club offers a variety of programming and programs that work.
Our Boys & Girls Club offers five Core Areas of Programming which meet the diverse needs, interest and inclinations of all members. Our trained professional staff incorporates the following themes into daily activities, allowing youth to learn in a fun, safe and educational environment.
1. Character & leadership …empowers youth to support and influence their Club and community, sustain meaningful relationships with others, develop a positive self image, and respect their own and other’s cultural identities.
2. Educational & Career Development… enables youth to develop aspirations for the future, apply learning to everyday situations and explore opportunities for career and educational enhancement.
Project Learn - The Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County and the School Board of Alachua County have implemented Project Learn at the Northwest, Southeast/Rotary, and Woodland Park Units. Many of these students are from minority groups, and there is a high rate of eligibility for the federal free and reduced fee meal program and are at risk for failure at school. A Director of Education and three site coordinators have been employed to carry out program activities. The School Board of Alachua County has recently provided a third set of grade reports for this academic year to allow us to document Project Learn effectiveness in enhancing academic performance.
Rotary Teen Center / Power-up Computer Center
The Rotary Unit of the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County, located in SE Gainesville, offers a number of teen-directed programs developed by our national organization, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. We have additionally developed our own programs related to the special needs of Alachua County youth and the resources we have available locally. The resultant programs are known collectively as our Path to Success. We have already had success in developing grant funding for the Teen Center, and are actively soliciting additional funding from such sources as the Workforce Development Board and the Department of Juvenile Justice. Housed inside the Rotary Unit is a state of the art computer center complete with 15 networked computer/work stations. The Power-Up center was made possible through collaboration with B&GC of America, Microsoft, Gate Way Computers and Cox Cable. Beginning in 2003 we now offer free Family literacy, & GED classes as well as adult computer/internet training. The classes are offered during traditional non-club hours and are provided by Santa Fe Community college at no cost to the participants.
Woodland Park Unit
With the success of the family literacy program at the Rotary Unit and seeing the community need to address educational deficiencies and computer & job training we decided to provide similar services at the Woodland Park Unit beginning in 2003. The project at Woodland Park is a collaborative effort with the following partners: Boys & Girls Club, Alachua /Bradford Regional Workforce Board, Digital Divide Council, State of FL Front Porch Council, Power up Florida, University of Florida, Cox Communications, Florida Virtual School, W. Travis Loften High School, Duval Elementary, Northeast Gainesville Community and Florida DOE. The goal was to help families attain greater economic stability and self sufficiency thus better positioning parents to be effectively involved in their children’s education and progress. To assure success, both the Rotary Unit and Woodland Park projects use innovative, technologically based approaches to assist adults in completing high school or the equivalent and obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency. We also teach adults how to become full partners in the educational development of their children and why their involvement will assure brighter futures for their children.
One-Two Teen Employment Program
Teenagers who are employed at the Boys & Girls Club participate in a program that requires each person to volunteer one hour for every three hours they work. Each member has guidelines to follow and responsibilities to satisfy throughout the program to continue employment.
3. Arts and Crafts … Helps young people develop self expression and creativity, acuire multicultural appreciation, and enhance skills in crafts, performing and literary arts. This program is designed to bring out the creativeness in our members and to create excitement in the Arts. This program is run at the Northwest, Rotary/Southeast, and Woodland Park.
4. Sports, Fitness and Recreation\Weight Training… Encourages youth to develop: fitness, positive use of leisure time, skills for stress management, appreciation for the environment and social and interpersonal skills.
To develop interest in physical fitness and in resistance training through a well planned exercise program. This program is run at the NW, Woodland Park and Rotary units. This is one of the areas that we have witnessed the most improvement and participation. With the hiring of a new sports director, the NW Unit’s Sports program has been completely reorganized and revitalized. In 2003 we began using the same format at the SE/Rotary and Woodland Park Units.
Nike P.L.A.Y.
A year round fitness program designed to encourage daily exercise and physical fitness. This program is run at the Northwest, Rotary/Southeast, and Woodland Park Units.
Youth Sport Leagues
To develop interest in the following team sports: Volleyball, tennis, football, basketball, soccer, softball and baseball.
Wrestling Program
Our wrestling program is designed to promote the sport of wrestling along with sportsmanship and character development. This program is run at the NW unit and involves members from all three units.
5. Health and Life Skills/Goals for Growth …develops young people’s capacity to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyles, set personal goals and develop the competencies to live successfully as self-sufficient adults.
SMART Moves Program
SMART Moves (Skills-Mastery And Resistance Training) is a substance abuse prevention program which teaches participants to identify and resist peer, social, and media pressures to use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs, or become sexually involved.
The Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County provides the ideal setting for prevention services related to alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, sexual involvement and violence. We are the only youth-dedicated center, open year-round, that consistently offers year-round prevention programming to male and female youth from the target population – particularly children and youth who are not normally served by state or local agencies. The availability of our services during the hours of greatest risk for youth – unsupervised after-school and summer hours – keeps youth occupied in positive activities during times when many youth become involved in negative activities.
The Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County has worked to coordinate with other agencies that offer youth (and adult) services to smaller groups within Alachua County. Both by hosting sessions run by collaborating organizations and receiving referrals of at-risk youth from these collaborating organizations, the Boys & Girls Club has both increased coordination with collaborating organizations and expanded the reach of our SMART Moves Program to the target population.
Definition of Target Population
The Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County attracts at-risk youth from a broad spectrum of social and economic situations. A typical cross section of our membership includes youth living in housing developments and low income neighborhoods, children of single parents, children of working parents who can’t offer time or guidance during after school hours, and youth with older siblings or parents who have alcohol or drug abuse problems. Many of these children and adolescents have never been provided: clear expectations and guidelines that define acceptable and unacceptable behavior; skills that will help them to make mature choices and handle the pressures associated with the transition to adulthood; positive adult role models to help them negotiate their way in an environment that often sends mixed messages; and/or, a reason to value themselves and have an opportunity to contribute to a community that values them in return.
Our lofty yet attainable SMART Moves Program goal during this eighth year of complete program implementation is the direct participation of 1,200+ youth between the ages of 6 and 18 or approximately 1/2 of the total membership of the three Units.
The 1,200 youth projected for direct participation in the SMART Moves Program result from general recruitment among the entire Club membership. Additionally, staff directly recruits at-risk youth identified by: Club staff during one-on-one and group interaction, referrals from the Alachua County Schools, referrals from the local Department of Juvenile Justice, and referrals from parents of the members themselves. Participation of parents, peer leaders, and collaborating institutions, in conjunction with the interesting and enjoyable program activities, result in high retention levels for participants in each of the SMART Moves Program curriculum segments.
Overview of the SMART Moves Program
SMART Moves is a participatory substance abuse prevention program developed by Boys & Girls Clubs of America and based on research conducted at Cornell University Medical College and the University of Southern California. The program builds on the structure and support systems of the Boys & Girls Clubs, targeting the specific pressures and challenges preteens and adolescents face. Community- and group-oriented rather than individualistic, the program aims to educate parents and community members as well as the program participant. Used successfully in communities across the nation, SMART Moves is based on a resistance training/social skills model. Using large and small group activities, it teaches young people to recognize and resist media influences and peer pressure to engage in tobacco, alcohol, other drugs, and early sexual involvement. Additionally, by helping participants understand and raise their self-esteem, it reduces the likelihood that they will endanger their own health or that of others by indulging in behaviors that put them at risk.
The SMART Moves Curriculum is comprised of the following components:
Be SMART: Training which provides staff and volunteers with: an overview of the SMART Moves program and philosophy; current facts and statistics related to tobacco, alcohol, other drugs, and premature sexual activity; a chance to identify their own attitudes and leadership role; and, techniques to incorporate the prevention message into all types of program areas.
SMART Kids: A skills development program for Boys & Girls between the ages of 6 and 9. The program focus is on self-awareness, decision making, and interpersonal skills, while communicating age-appropriate information about tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
Start SMART: A resistance skills program for youth ages 9 to 12 that focuses on ways to identify and resist peer, social, and media pressures to use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs, or become sexually involved. It includes age appropriate discussions of puberty and friendship.
Stay SMART: A social skills program for adolescents ages 13 to 15 that teaches resistance skills, stress reduction techniques, communication skills, assertiveness training, and life planning. It provides accurate information about tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, as well as adolescent sexuality.
SMART Girls: A program tailored specifically to the challenges faced by adolescent girls. It focuses on problem identification, problem avoidance, and personal goal setting.
Keep SMART: A program for parents that emphasizes communication skills and factual information about tobacco, alcohol, other drugs, and adolescent sexuality.
SMART Ideas: Activities that apply the skills and knowledge acquired in the program to promote and reinforce the prevention message throughout the community.
Act SMART: Programmed activities and lectures specifically related to HIV/AIDS prevention for youth ages 6 to 17.
Implementing SMART Moves Through the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County
Attracting and involving at-risk youth is a hallmark of Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County. Club staff act as both anchors and positive role models for the youth they serve. Because of this close, caring relationship between staff and members, the mutual trust and respect which develops, and the fact that Club programs operate on a twelve month basis, the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County is the ideal setting for a prevention program.
The Boys & Girls Club setting provides open and easy access to services for all youth participating in SMART Moves and other Boys & Girls Club programming. To facilitate access, the Clubs are located in principally residential areas. Many members walk to Club locations directly from school. The Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County also provides bus pick up from numerous schools within the vicinity of each Unit. Additionally, SMART Moves classroom and other activities are generally scheduled during hours of peak attendance.
Utilizing the existing framework of the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County, SMART Moves applies comprehensive strategies involving Club staff, youth, parents, and other community organizations to achieve program objectives. By reinforcing the same prevention message in all its program areas, Boys & Girls Club participants will learn that drugs only momentarily alter their perception of reality, and that commitment, tenacity, and hard work are what can really change their reality.
We have set a lofty goal for the Program Year 2003-2004 to directly influence 1,200 youth through the implementation of the SMART Moves Program at the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County’s three Units. We will also influence countless youth through our extension of Be SMART Training to members of our collaborating organizations, such as officers of Gainesville Police Department and administrators of Alachua County Public Schools. The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program of Alachua County Schools has expressed interest in receiving the Be SMART Training and incorporating SMART Moves prevention messages into its program areas and/or initiating a SMART Moves Program at its facilities.
SMART Choices
Thanks to a substantial grant from the Department of Juvenile Justice, we successfully completed our second year of the DJJ SMART Choices Program.
Modeled on the PATHS program (a research-based model of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) of the University of Colorado), Smart Choices engages participant youth in activities that build a positive self-image, promote academic achievement, and teach a host of other life skills essential for a successful, crime-free future.
Keeping with the Department’s initiative to strengthen communities, SMART Choices promotes both increased literacy and the building of participants respect for self, family, and community. Literacy is increased overall through the reduction of defiant behavior – particularly in the school setting – and the sharpening of focus within program activities and complementary programming offered at the Club. The building of respect of self, family, and community is enhanced through program modules that examine impacts on family relationships, as well as the incorporation of family participation in program activities.
A program enrollee can be either a male or female, 7 to 17 years of age, that meets required program minimums for major risk-factors. The majority of program enrollees will reside or receive services in high crime zip codes.
A program completer will have attended 80% of Smart Choices program sessions during one of the four quarters during the program year. She or He will additionally access complementary delinquency prevention programming that provides academic assistance, builds social skills, and/or promotes physical and mental health.
Smart Choices counters risk factors and strengthens protective factors by:
* Providing dedicated program staff to mentor, engage, and track participants
* Involving target youth in focused, small group delinquency prevention sessions and activities
* Involving parents, volunteers, and other staff in providing additional individual attention and reinforcing positive development messages
* Linking youth with vast complementary anti-delinquency services offered by host agencies during after-school and summer hours (in small and large groups)
Principal components of the Smart Choices program are:
Smart Choices Counselors and Staff – Responsible for recruiting and screening target at-risk youth using available data and referrals from school, parents, law enforcement, and other sources. Smart Choices Coordinators will be in place at each service location to provide individual attention and mentoring to target youth, engage youth in complementary programming, collect DJJ-required data, and involve family/volunteers. Professional Counselors will lead individuals and groups in sessions using Smart Choices curriculum.
Smart Choices Sessions – Small group focus sessions for target youth (divided into two age groups, 6 – 10 and 11 – 15) delivered at each location. Four quarters of 10-week sessions will be offered at each Unit. Sessions will be based on the PATHS curriculum and include activities that discourage delinquency by assisting youth to recognize triggers, peer pressure, and other influences on their behavior. Graduation activities will be held at the end of each program module, with parents/guardians, and associated family encouraged to attend.
Family and Community Involvement – Smart Choice staff will work to involve families to support target youth’s participation. Volunteer mentors will supplement Smart Choices Coordinators in providing individual attention to target youth and encouraging participants.
Complementary Delinquency Prevention Programming – Host agencies (the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County and Gainesville Police Department’s Reichert House) will offer and engage youth in vast complementary development programming that focuses on prevention, academics, athletics, leadership, and individual expression and achievement.