While most teenagers spend countless hours on the Internet for entertainment, one area teen has found a way to use the Internet for more productive purposes.
Fred Dapp, 16, a junior at Shelton High School, has recently been selected as one of 12 teenagers nationwide to be a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Teen Advisory Council.
Nominated by staff at the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, where he is extremely active, Dapp will be responsible for serving as liaison between the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the youth of our community.
Dapp first became involved with the Boys & Girls Club in January 2012, when he came to the organization to fulfill community service hours required by Shelton High School. After volunteering for four months, Dapp was compelled to stay involved.
“I love the positive energy of the Club. It really feels like a family here,” Dapp said.
Now, in addition to working part time as a counselor in the 6 & 7 year old program, Dapp is responsible for helping younger Club members off the busses in the afternoon and also serves as the treasurer of the Keystone Club, the Boys & Girls Club’s youth leadership program for older teens.
Club staff noticed Dapp’s commitment to the Boys & Girls Club movement and to its mission to enable all youth to become productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Dapp has demonstrated his dedication to the mission by constantly going above and beyond what is expected of him for the sole purpose of bettering the lives of Club youth.
As part of the Teen Advisory Council, Dapp is required to participate in monthly conference calls to serve as an ongoing link between BGCA and today’s youth. In addition to the conference calls, Dapp is responsible for participating in an online forum regarding social networking and technology as it related to the youth of our community.
“Not only has the Boys & Girls Club helped to shape me as a person,” Dapp said, “they have also accepted who I am in the process. I want to make other people feel the way the Club has made me feel.”
“We are incredibly proud of Freddy and all of his accomplishments,” said Shaye Roscoe, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. “He is truly an inspiration to all of our members. He is an extremely kind and thoughtful individual who exemplifies the true meaning of a leader. Freddy is truly an inspiration to all of us at the Club.”
For further information about the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, visit them at www.BGC-LNV.org.
For further information about Boys & Girls Clubs of America, visit them at www.BGCA.org.
