These initiatives help youth achieve and maintain healthy, active lifestyles.

SMART Moves

The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) prevention/education program addresses the problems of drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. Based on proven techniques, the program uses a team approach involving Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives. More than simply emphasizing a “Say No” message, the program teaches young people ages 6-15 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

An outgrowth of the popular and effective SMART Moves program, SMART Girls is a health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program for girls ages 10-15. The program is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable early adolescent girls to develop to their full potential. The SMART Girls program is sponsored by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc.

Passport to Manhood

Passport to Manhood promotes and teaches responsibility while reinforcing positive behavior in male Club members ages 11-14. Passport to Manhood consists of 14 small-group sessions, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood through highly interactive activities. Each participant is issued his own “Passport” to underscore the idea that he is on a journey of maturation and personal growth.

KIDS IN CONTROL

KIDS IN CONTROL is a 15-session safety awareness program designed to help Club members ages 8-10 develop the personal safety habits and practical skills needed to be safe at the Club, at home and in the neighborhood. The program offers interactive approaches to building Club members’ crime prevention and personal safety skills through role-playing, games and other participatory activities. KIDS IN CONTROL is sponsored by Brink’s Home Security, Inc.

Street SMART

Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Street SMART initiative, funded by THE ALLSTATE FOUNDATION, consists of three components designed to help young people ages 11-13 effectively resist gangs and violence, resolve conflicts and be positive peer helpers in their communities. It also allows them the opportunity to hold annual events that celebrate anti-gang, anti-violence themes. Street SMART serves as the National Project for Torch Clubs annually, and is available for all Boys & Girls Clubs to use.

Cavity-Free Zone

Cavity-Free Zone was developed in response to the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s report on oral health which revealed a silent epidemic of oral disease in America, especially among disadvantaged youth. Underwritten by Crest, Cavity-Free Zone aims to improve the oral health of Club members ages 6-18 nationwide. Through oral health educational program materials, a Web site and collaborative efforts with local dental schools, dental societies and other health care agencies, Cavity-Free Zone will be a catalyst for change in providing dental services to disadvantaged youth.