Health & Life Skills

HEALTH & LIFE SKILLS

These initiatives develop young people’s capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and live successfully as self-sufficient adults.

*Please note: We have multiple program offerings available through Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Programs described below consist of the menu of offerings we may provide. Although we run several of these programs and others throughout the year, the list below does not necessarily reflect the programs that are currently being ran. 

The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) prevention/education program addresses problems such as drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. More than simply emphasizing a "Say No" message, the program teaches young people ages 6 to 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 offers young women – ages 8 to 17 – guidance toward healthy attitudes and lifestyles, eating right, staying fit, getting good health care and more. Encouraging young women to have healthy attitudes and lifestyles, SMART Girls helps them reach their full potential. Other topics addressed include how the media influences attitudes about females; date rape and sexual harassment; sexually transmitted diseases; sexual myths and truths; getting regular gynecological care; and physical and emotional changes girls experience.

Through fun and easy-to-use sessions, members ages 13 to 18 learn how to achieve mutually supportive relationships free of violence and abuse. The program also encourages youth to become community advocates for relationships that promote equality and respect while combating the attitudes and behaviors that lead to dating, sexual and domestic violence.

Passport to Manhood promotes and teaches responsibility in Club boys ages 11 to 14. Passport to Manhood represents a targeted effort to engage young boys in discussions and activities that reinforce character, leadership and positive behavior. Each session concentrates on a specific aspect of character and manhood through highly interactive activities. Each Club participant receives his own “passport” to underscore the notion that he is on a personal journey of maturation and growth. The program includes a service project where boys learn the importance of giving back to the community. 

Healthy Habits, a component of the Triple Play program is 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.

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