During Spring Break Club members of the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven visited the University of New Haven Campus! As part of UNH Students Adolescent Development Service Learning Course they were tasked with welcoming 22 club members from the Boys & Girls Club – Columbus Avenue Site to UNH.

Club members arrived at 9 AM and began their day by being paired up with a college student. There were roughly 40 people in  the first class, the topic was about morality and why teens engage in destructive behaviors, at times. Our kids had a lot to say and it was an energizing class.

After lunch and various student activities. Amanda Bozack, Associate Professor of Education met up with everyone at 3:00 PM for departure. Some of the students she worried most about in her class were the ones who’d clearly had the best day–they felt like they made a real contribution and were sad to see the kids go. “One young man made quite an impression last year and he was back again, clearly pleased that I’d remembered him. I’m fortunate to get to see all of these students, club members and UNH students, rise to the occasion; it’s truly the highlight of my spring semester” said Amanda Bozack, PhD. Associate Professor of Education. “To the Boys & Girls Club, thank you for working so hard to help build strong foundations in the New Haven youth and for helping them see possibilities for themselves that they may not have otherwise.”

Congratulations to the 2nd Annual 3 on 3 Believers’ Basketball Challenge Champions, “Guilford-East Haven“.

Photographs from the event below….

The Mentoring Effect!

January is National Mentoring Month and the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven is bringing attention to the need for mentors, as well as how each of us – individuals, businesses, schools, faith-based communities and non-profits – can work together to increase the number of mentors to assure great futures for New Haven’s youth.

On Saturday, January 31, 2015  the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven is inviting the Community to come out and listen to a panel made up of Young People & Community Leaders! Conversation is scheduled to run from 10 AM- 11:30 AM at our main site (253 Columbus Avenue).

This inter-generational panel will discuss the importance and impact of mentoring from both adult and youth perspectives.

Mentoring-The Mentoring Effect

Club members were given the opportunity to shop for the Holidays with local law enforcement in hopes to strengthen the relationships between police officers and children from the neighborhoods they serve and protect. Club members met their “partner” over a meal at the Bear & Grill in Orange, CT, visited with Santa and followed the police procession to the Milford Target to shop for themselves, their families and a child that their “partner” has identified as a disadvantaged from the service area of the officer. Through REACH’s very generous sponsors, the kids purchased a gift, shopped for their family and shopped for another child. Teaching the children to help others is a selfless act and sends a very strong message.  Generosity is something the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven and REACH feel should be instilled in every child.

To view news clip click on link below:

Shop With A Cop- News Clip

The Boys & Girls Club of New Haven is highlighted in The Community Fund for Women & Girls, Winter Newsletter for Healthy Lifestyles. The Boys & Girls Club of New Haven (BGCNH) has been a vital source of youth education for over a century. The Community Fund to awarded the BGCNH with a $3200 grant for the Triple Play Leadership Club. The Triple Play Club educated 47 girls ages 10-18 on nutrition, fitness, and character, and encouraged those girls to share that knowledge with others.

To read more click on link below.

The Community Fund for Women & Girls, Winter Newsletter

The Boys & Girls Club of New Haven (BGCNH) will convene its Annual Meeting on Friday, Dec. 5^th, 8:30am – 10am at the Club, 253 Columbus Ave., New Haven, CT.   BGCNH exists to provide educational and enrichment programs for children and families, especially those from underserved neighborhoods.  For over 140 years, the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven has served the children of New Haven and we continue to address the need for quality out-of-school time activities and programs for children and youth in our community. BGCNH supports families in nurturing children and youth and assisting them in mastering academic skills and gaining essential life skills, health and wellness information, and developing self-esteem.

In addition to comprehensive programming provided our main site in the Hill neighborhood, the Club provides afterschool and summer camp programs in two Housing Authority communities, Eastview and West Rock.  Just this past October, we took another important step.  We are now providing K-2 after school programs at the Lincoln-Bassett Community School in the Newhallville neighborhood.  In the past 4 years, BGCNH has nearly doubled its capacity.  In 2015, BGCNH will support over 1000 children in New Haven.  By 2018, we seek to serve over 2000 children in the Greater New Haven area.

To that end, the Club will launch the “Great Futures Campaign” during the Annual Meeting.  The campaign is a 3-year effort to support continued expansion, enhance programs and deepen our impact for New Haven’s most vulnerable young people.

The Club will also recognize community partners that have helped Club members achieve success in three priority areas this past year. They include:

• Academic Success Partner – Quinnipiac University
• Healthy Lifestyles Partner – Cornell Scott Hill Health Center
• Good Character & Leadership Partner – Arabic Temple #40

For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven’s Annual Meeting please visit www.bgcnewhaven.org or call (203)787-0187.

About the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven

The Boys & Girls Club of New Haven is one of the largest youth serving organizations in the city, serving nearly 1,000 children and youth each year.  The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven is to “Inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The Club provides programs for children and teens ages 5 to 18, including an After School Program, Summer Vacation Camp, and “The Club” for teens.  BGCNH staff members ensure the delivery of programs that are based on youth development principles that encourage competence, usefulness, belonging and influence Core program activity includes Fitness and Recreation, Character and Leadership Development, Education and Career Development, Health and Life Skills, and the Arts, as well as computer technology. In addition, the Club conducts an extensive program of team sports for children and teens.