Education & Career Development
Program Descriptions
Project Learn reinforces and enhances the skills and knowledge young people learn at school during the hours they spend at the Club. This comprehensive strategy is based on Dr. Reginald Clark's research showing that students do much better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun, educational activities. Through Project Learn, Club staff use all the areas and programs in the Club to create opportunities for these high-yield learning activities, which include leisure reading, writing activities, discussions with knowledgeable adults, helping others, homework help and tutoring, games like Scrabble that develop young people's cognitive skills, and incentives to reward Club members for positive academic participation.
Project Learn also emphasizes parental involvement and collaboration between Club and school professionals as critical factors in creating the best after-school learning environment for Club members ages 6-18. Extensively field-tested and formally evaluated by Columbia University with funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Project Learn has been proven to boost the academic performance of Club members. The JCPenney After School Fund underwrote the initial implementation of this educational enhancement approach in Clubs across the nation.
"Goals for Graduation", a Project Learn program, introduces academic goal setting to Club members ages 6-15 by linking their future aspirations with concrete actions today. In a variety of one-on-one, small-group and large-group sessions with Club youth development professionals, members set achievable "Know-I-Can" Goals, more challenging "Think-I-Can" Goals and yearly "Believe-I-Can" Goals. Members create an action plan with daily and weekly goals leading to short and long-term academic gains. A comprehensive guidance strategy helps members connect their smallest results to their highest dreams. An encouraging recognition strategy celebrates members as their successes are recognized and supported at every step of their journey. The JCPenney After School Fund sponsors Goals for Graduation.
Sharpen your pencils and get ready for the revamped Power Hour: Making Minutes Count. The program provides Club professionals with strategies, activities, resources and information to create an engaging homework help and tutoring program that encourages Club members ages 6-12 and 13-18 to become self-directed learners. The JCPenney After School Fund sponsors Power Hour: Making Minutes Count.
Summer Learning Program
Smarter Fun in the Summer, sponsored by JCPenney After School, is a Project Learn resource guide to help Clubs create fun and engaging learning opportunities for members during the summer months. The guide is a collection of strategies, ideas and resources to make planning and implementing summer programming easier, educational and fun.
Money Matters promotes financial responsibility and independence among Club members ages 13-18 by building their basic money management skills. Participants learn how to manage a checking account, budget, save and invest. They also learn about starting small businesses and paying for college. Money Matters features three components. The Teen Personal Finance Guide is a fun, attractive booklet containing practical tips and activities to help teens learn the important skills of balancing a checkbook, creating a budget and saving and investing for college and retirement. TheFacilitator's Guide provides Club staff and volunteers with basic financial information and instructions for easy-to-implement small-group activities. The Money Matters Web site offers teens an engaging online tool for building their money management knowledge and skills through interactive activities, games and tools like a savings and financial aid calculator to plan for college. The Charles Schwab Foundation sponsors Money Matters: Make It Count.
Career Launch encourages Club members ages 13-18 to assess their skills and interests, explore careers, make sound educational decisions and prepare to join our nation's ever-changing work force. Club staff or volunteers can use the Career Exploration Quick Reference Guide to work with teens individually or in small groups to build their job-search skills and job readiness. Career Launch Teen Tips is an easy-to-read, pocket-sized booklet for teens full of practical job-hunting advice that comes with an attractive portfolio for storing resumes, job applications and other job-hunting documents. The dynamic Career Launch Web site, provides Club teens, staff and volunteers with online career exploration and college and job search information and interactive activities. Mentoring and job shadowing opportunities for Club teens and training for Club staff round out the program. The Gap Foundation sponsors Career Launch.
This program, the result of a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Corporation for National and Community Service (Ameri Corps), provides education awards to Club members ages 17 and 18 and Club alumni ages 19-24 who serve their Clubs and communities. CLUB Service recognizes young people’s service, helps them access higher education opportunities and encourages them to pursue future careers as Club professionals. Use Acrobat Reader to view the Project Site Application Guide, which contains program details and instructions for completing the application.
Junior Staff Career Development is a comprehensive small-group program designed to guide youth toward careers in youth development or human services by nurturing their leadership skills and providing guided, practical experiences. While a career in human service may not be appropriate for all Boys & Girls Club members, staff will at a minimum guide the development of interested and concerned youth toward volunteer involvement in community service activities. The manual also includes information on the CLUB Service and Leaders in Training programs, bringing all Club-based volunteerism programs together in one cohesive resource.