Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids

A large body of research demonstrates the power that quality out-of-school time programs have in building youth assets such as character, resilience and wellness. Yet in many neighborhoods in Grand Rapids, particularly in sections of southeast and southwest GR, many children and teens have nowhere to go. Many are unsupervised and even unsafe as they navigate the time spent waiting for a parent to return home. Children in these lower socioeconomic neighborhoods frequently have inadequate educational opportunities, lack access to extra-curricular activities like sports and art, and often don’t have steady adult role models and mentors in their lives.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth is working to fill that void, and to prepare the youth who need us most for success as adults. Every year we work with thousands of our most vulnerable youth, helping them build the life skills and resilience to overcome many extraordinary obstacles and barriers in their formative years. And it works: Ninety-four percent of the kids who attend the club at least twice per week will graduate from high school.

All of our programs fall into 5 areas of focus: Character and Leadership programs, such as Smart Girls, Passport to Manhood and Keystone Club foster self-discipline, self-esteem and leadership. Education and Career Preparation programs such as Power Hour, STEM Mondays, Thriving Thursdays and Career Pathways support kids in their academic performance, goal setting and career planning. Health and Life Skills programs include FRESH, Healthy Habits, Digital Literacy and other programs that encourage smart choices in nutrition and health, cooking skills and safe and productive use of technology. Sports and Recreation programs such as Triple Play, various team sports, and walking clubs encourage healthy physical activity, team-building and cooperation. Finally, Arts programs such as Lyricism 101, Music, Dance, Visual Arts and annual concerts offer creative activities of all kinds, and provide another tool for teaching and expression within our other programs, especially our character and leadership programs.

We also leverage our long-standing partnership with the Grand Rapids Police Department to build bridges between the community we serve and law enforcement, in order to foster better relations between youth and the police, cultivate future community leaders, and help establish safer and stronger communities.