Through education and encouragement, Boys & Girls Clubs Health & Wellness programs empower youth to make positive choices throughout life.
Boys & Girls Clubs’ Health & Wellness programs encourage youth to develop healthy habits as well as learn how to make positive choices and take personal responsibility for their actions. Our initiatives promote more than just physical wellbeing – they also focus on emotional wellbeing, including friendships, healthy relationships, families, school and career success and mental health.
Much of our programming draws from Social-Emotional Learning, which allows participants to develop self-management and interpersonal skills in the context of a safe, caring, well-managed and engaging environment.
SMART Girls is a small-group health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program designed to meet the developmental needs of girls in three age groups, spanning ages 8 to 18.
Passport to Manhood represents a targeted effort to engage young boys in discussions and activities that reinforce character, leadership and positive behavior. Each participant receives a “passport” to underscore the notion that he is on a personal journey of maturation and growth.
Designed to incorporate healthy living and active learning in every part of the Club Experience, Healthy Habits emphasizes good nutrition, regular physical activity and improving overall well-being. The program, for ages 6 to 15, is the Mind component of Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul.
SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resilience Training) uses a team approach that involves Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives. Young people ages 6 to 15 engage in discussion and role-playing, practicing resilience and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence. The ultimate goal is to promote abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior.
The H.E.A.R.T Initiative: Health Education and Relationship Talk provides pre-teens and teens ages 10-19 with vital information, support, and resources to help them navigate difficult decisions and circumstances surrounding their sexual health and personal relationships. Learn more here.
