Special Initiatives
Program Descriptions
Family PLUS is designed to form collaborations with parents and caregivers as partners in the positive development of children. By working with parents and caregivers in the safe environment of a Club, it is possible for Club staff to help families spend more valuable time together and promote an integrated network of support for both families and Club members. When this is accomplished, Clubs assist in ensuring that families have the opportunities, networks and assistance needed to realize their aspirations for their children.
The Club implement family support activities in one or more of five areas:
- Kinship Care – providing knowledge and resources to extended family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, foster parents, etc.) who have assumed the role of primary caregiver.
- Father Involvement – providing programs, activities, training and services to help increase the positive involvement of fathers in the lives of their children.
- Economic Opportunity – helping families find and keep jobs, increase earnings, build savings and establish credit.
- Outreach Strategies – effectively recruiting and retaining new populations of parents and caregivers who are often underserved in Clubs.
- Family Advocacy Network (FAN Club) – providing group support for parents and caregivers of Club members who are participating in the SMART Moves primary prevention program.
Kids Cafe Program
Kids Cafe is an after-school program that offers tutoring, nutrition education, mentoring, and nutritious meals to children at risk of hunger. Initiated by America’s Second Harvest, Kids Cafe provides a safe and positive environment for children ages 15 and under. Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties' Kids Cafe program is presented in collaboration with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Kids Cafe is implemented at the Boys & Girls Club-Lucy Ann Boddie Brewer Unit during the after school program on Mondays-Wednesdays at 5:00PM.
Governor's One on One Volunteer Programs
In response to the number of youth gangs growing in cities and expanding to suburban and rural communities, BGCNEC has developed a special gang prevention and intervention initiative targeting youth ages 6-18 through this NC Department of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention funded program, which focus on group and one on one mentoring . 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 relationships with caring adults, Club programs, and activities.
Challenging Students Through Innovation (CSI)-Nash
As a new project in Nash County funded by the NC Governor's Crime Commission the Challenging Students Through Innovation program is designed assist 125 targeted at-risk youth ages 6-18 years old. Youth participate in "innovative" needs vs. interest programs in the areas of academics, life skills, goal setting, music, the arts, youth councils, and social/recreation to help them stay on the path to a successful life free of drugs, alcohol, pre-marital sexual activity, gangs, violence, and crime. Youth are referred through local community entities and case management is conducted for 2 years by youth development professionals to track the participant's progress until the completion of the program.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties announces a new teen brand strategy: “The Club.” This bold effort responds to what teens want – a brand identity just for them – during those crucial years when Boys & Girls Clubs can lose teen members to the street. This new initiative is a key part of BGCNEC's “Join the Club” strategic outreach and recruitment strategy. But unlike all other outreach efforts, this is strictly targeted to young people, ages 13-18. Intentional programs, community outreach efforts, activities, and special events are implemented to involve teens in the Boys & Girls Clubs experience. In addition to helping Boys & Girls Clubs recruit and retain teens, the brand is designed to inspire pre-teens who already have Club memberships, by giving them an experience to look forward to – and an incentive to stay in the Club.
To help educate young people about the importance of tolerance and diversity, Boys & Girls Clubs has joined forces with The Allstate Foundation to develop Youth for Unity, a diversity education program designed to combat prejudice, bigotry and discrimination. Youth for Unity is the umbrella title for a comprehensive set of programmatic interventions that will allow Clubs to help members appreciate and understand our society's diversity, recognize unfairness and take personal leadership in confronting bias.
Y-FOCUS Program (Youth Facing Obstacles Choosing Ultimate Success)
The Y-FOCUS Program is fun, innovative and life changing new program designed to assist youth in grades K-12 with a special emphasis on Middle School youth in the areas of academic success, teen pregnancy prevention, and gang prevention. The project focuses on 70 new at-risk youth who are located in rural and urban areas of Nash and Edgecombe County. Activities include those aimed specifically at school retention, reduction of teen pregnancy, gang-related prevention, character development, career development, health and wellness, and recreation. The Y-FOCUS Program will reduce risk factors through utilizing programs such as SMART Moves, Goals for Graduation, and Gang Prevention through Targeted Outreach. All programs are performance based and measured to ensure participants’ progress and achievement. Logic models are utilized as well as program profiles that provide structured, logical and progressive instruction. Through collaboration with community agencies participants are referred to and must meet a specific criteria in order to enroll in this highly extensive program. All participants are monitored for achievement, and measures are available to assist participants who may fall behind in the program schedule. The Y-FOCUS Program is sponsored by the NC Department of Health & Human Services-Division of Social Services: TANF After Schools Programs.