Our Impact

Real Impact, Measurable Results

Successes

Clubs provide a safe place to play, grow and learn while empowering youth to excel in school, become good citizens and lead healthy, productive lives. Kids and teens who attend Boys & Girls Clubs perform better academically and are more likely to avoid risky behaviors and attend school consistently.

Boys & Girls Clubs programs have taken Members from the Clubhouse to the White House; from the games room to the corporate boardroom; from the high school football field to the NFL; from a band room to Carnegie Hall. In every community, young people are left to find their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Young people need to know that someone cares about them.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast offer that and more. Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast is a safe place to learn and grow – all while having fun. Our Clubs are a place where great futures are started each and every day.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast Changes Lives

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald coast is committed to changing lives. By measuring how much Club kids and teens are achieving, we can determine how effectively the Club experience is helping build great futures for the Emerald Coast’s youth.

Research shows that Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast have an immediate and long-lasting positive impact on our Members’ lives. The proof of our effectiveness is in these statistics about our members:

In 2022-2023, we graduated 100% of our seniors, compared to:

Escambia County Schools average of 78.4%
Okaloosa County Schools average of 87.5%
Santa Rosa County Schools average of 77.2%
Walton County Schools average of 96.7%

Based on Florida Department of Education 2021-2022 school year.

38% maintained being on honor roll
100% of 10th-12th grade Members reported making mostly A’s & B’s
83% expect to complete some kind of post-secondary education
84% believe they can make a difference in their communities
83% of our teens volunteered in school, their neighborhoods, or their communities
86% feel like they can stand up for what is right, even if their friends disagree.

OUR PROGRAMS

Boys & Girls Clubs have a lineup of tested and proven nationally recognized programs that address today’s most pressing youth issues. Our programs teach young people the skills they need to succeed in life, while providing a safe place for hundreds of Northwest Florida children to go after school and during the summer.

Our Clubs offer programs that focus on three priority outcomes:

Academic Success

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast is committed to providing support to youth that will enable them to succeed in school and achieve success. We want to give our members the tools to graduate from high school with a plan for their future; college, trade school, military or employment.

Here are a few of our Academic programs:

Power Hour: Making Minutes Count is an engaging homework help and tutoring program that encourages Club Members at every age to become self-directed learners. Youth commit at least one hour to homework and school projects, using the time to gain assistance from staff and use the resources available in the Club.

D2D (Diplomas to Degrees) is a college readiness program for Club Members ages 13-18 years. This initiative provides a range of services to help guide Club Members through high school graduation and make plans for post-secondary education and career success.

Money Matters promotes financial responsibility and independence among Club Members between the ages 13-18 years. Teens learn the basics of money management, such as how to manage a checking account, create a budget, and save and invest for college. The program guides teens through interactive activities, games and tools.

Club Tech is a digital literacy program that aims to make technology fun, easy, and accessible to Club Members. Youth that participate learn how to use basic business software, be safe online and how advanced hardware can help them advance their networking skills. Club Members build their digital skills while expanding their creativity and gain access to technology resources, which helps them to perform better in school and be more prepared for a professional environment.

Good Character and Citizenship

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast promotes leadership and cultivates future role models through a variety of programs in our Clubs:

Keystone Club is a leadership development program that provides opportunities for Club Members between the ages of 14-18 years. Teens participate in activities in three focus areas, in and outside of the Club: Academic Success, Career Preparation and Community Service. Club Members learn the importance of civic service, taking pride in their Club and community, and serving as a role model to their young peers.

Torch Club targets the development needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their life and prepares them for their next stage in life. Club Members learn to elect their peers as officers and work together to implement activities in four key areas: Service to their Club and Community, Education, Health and Fitness, and Social Recreation.

Established in 1947, Youth of the Year is a premier recognition program for Club Members promoting: service to their Clubs, community and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability.

Each Club recognizes members between the ages 14-18 years as Youth of the Month winners and then selects a Youth of the Year, who then participates in state competitions. State winners each receive a $1,000 scholarship and participate in regional competitions. Five regional winners each receive a $10,000 scholarship and compete on the national level. The National Youth of the Year receives up to an additional $50,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States.

Youth for Unity is a specialized program that celebrates diversity while combating prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination. The program helps Club Members to appreciate themselves as unique and special individuals, understand diversity in society, recognize bias and unfairness and take personal leadership in confronting bias.

NetSmartz teaches Internet safety skills by fusing multimedia activities and offline interaction in three age-appropriate categories: Clicky’s Web World (for Club Members between the ages of 6-7 years); NetSmartz Rules (for Club Members between the ages of 8-12 years); and I-360 (for a Club Members between the ages of 13-18 years). The program includes education about personal safety, shopping safety and ethical use of the Internet, and promotes proper use of digital media.

Healthy Lifestyles

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast wants all members to adopt and maintain positive behaviors about life, nutrition and self. Below are some of our successful Healthy

Lifestyle programs:

Triple Play is a program aimed to improve Club Members’ knowledge of healthy habits; increase the number of hours per day they participate in physical activities; and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships. The program offers a holistic approach with three key areas of focus:

Mind: Develops a knowledge base for Club Members to acquire healthy habits, such as making smart food choices, understanding appropriate portion sizes and creating fun and balanced meals.

Body: Promotes Club Members to become more physically active through fun daily fitness, including activities to get them active and moving.

Soul: Strengthens interpersonal skills, positive behavior and good character through social recreation programs and activities.

Healthy Habits is an extension of Triple Play and is designed to incorporate healthy living and active learning in every part of the Club experience for Club Members between the ages of 6-15 years. The program focuses on the Mind component of Triple Play, and engages Club Members through encouraging healthy eating, participating in physical activities, and gaining knowledge about proper nutrition.

SMART Moves (Skills Master And Resistance Training) is a program that uses a team approach with Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives. The program teaches Club Members between the ages of 6-15 years 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 of this program is to promote abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior.

SMART Girls, an extension of the SMART Moves program, is a health, prevention/education, and self-esteem enhancement program for female Club Members between the ages of 8-17 years. This program is aimed at encouraging healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable female adolescents to make responsible decisions at critical points in their lives.

Passport to Manhood promotes and teaches responsibility to male Club Members between the ages of 11-14 years. The program is divided into 14 sessions, each concentrating on a specific aspect of character and manhood through interactive activities. Each participant receives his own “passport” to underscore the notion that he is on a personal journey of maturation and growth.