The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley has been awarded two grants from the United Way’s Youth Leaders. The grants, each in the amount of $150, will provide financial support for the Passport to Manhood and SMARTGirls programs, respectively.
The Youth Leaders selected both programs after conducting an application and interview process, as well as presenting potential programs to the Youth Leadership group at large for selection. This year, the focus of grant allocations was: Mental health, domestic violence, vaping/drug abuse, digital footprint education, diversity acceptance/women empowerment and food insecurity.
The Passport to Manhood program will run in the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley’s Smilow unit for boys ages 13 to 17. The passage from boyhood to manhood is challenging, requiring adolescent males to understand and manage many issues and transitions. Passport to Manhood addresses critical issues that young men face during this time, such as ethics, decision-making, wellness, ideas about fatherhood, employment and careers, cooperation and conflict, diversity, relationships and self-esteem.
The SMARTGirls program will run in the Seymour unit for girls ages 8 – 13 and will provide targeted skills and mastery resistance training to combat adolescent issues such as peer pressure, the influence of social media on self-esteem, and healthy relationships. Through dynamic sessions, participatory activities, and mentoring opportunities with adult women, Club girls explore their own and societal attitudes and values as they build skills for eating right, staying physically fit, getting good health care and developing positive relationships with peers and adults.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley is honored to have been amongst the agencies selected to receive this funding, and will use the funds provided to implement SMARTGirls and Passport to Manhood in our Clubhouses through the end of 2019.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, visit us at http://www.BGC-LNV.org.
