Providing character development programs for school aged children; this club has partnered with area businesses to ensure at-risk students have access to necessary educational resources. Their qualified staff guide the students through programming that encourages a love for learning, creativity, and good citizenship.

Youth Club in Challenging Evansville Neighborhoods is Providing Space, Tools, and Opportunity for Area Youth to Grow

When the Boys & Girls Club of Evansville first opened its doors in December 1957 it was an all-boys youth servicing agency. Today the Club proudly provides programming and services for the most at-risk youth (boys and girls) in the Evansville Community.

As an affiliate of the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Evansville Club maintains high standards to remain in good standing with the national organization enabling them to receive a variety of services and programs. Guidance-oriented character development programs for children 6-18 years old conducted by a full-time professional staff allows the Club to fulfill their mission of enabling all young people to reach their full potential as productive and caring responsible citizens.

Nurturing a young person’s self-esteem by instilling in them a sense of belonging, usefulness, influence, and competence are at the core of their programming that reaches into some of the cities most challenging neighborhoods.  Programs like Project Learn, sponsored by the Vectren Foundation, in which students are encouraged to succeed in school and become lifelong learners.  The structured learning experience with a practical application of skills is having positive outcomes in classrooms. An additional education based partner program (Alcoa Foundation) the Power Hour provides focused attention to those in need of motivation and direction through extending learning beyond the classroom with the positive impact of lessening the school drop-out rate.

SMART Girls is a program partnership with The Women’s Hospital. This program offers age-specific experiences geared towards enhancing girls’ physical and emotional health in a small group setting.  In combining informational and experiential learning activities the participants develop knowledge and necessary skills to practice healthy lifestyle choices. SMART Moves (Koch Foundation partner) program engages 6-15 year olds with tools to resist alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and premature sexual activities which often impede a youth’s development to live successful lives and achieve their goals.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana (TMMI) and Holiday Management Foundation have partnered with Boys & Girls Club of Evansville to create the Career Launch program that introduces the youth to the “working world.” Allowing club members to explore various careers based on their interests and talents, they see the need to develop skills essential for workforce success. This program helps drive positive outcomes in academic success by exposing Club members to various activities aimed at decision-making and critical-thinking skills.

Money Matters and Youth of the Year have enabled an ongoing relationship with Old National Bank. Money Matters is a financial literacy program centered on teaching how to set and achieve financial goals. Money management through usage of a bank account and overall personal financial responsibility are the core focus of this program. The Youth of the Year program is a national recognition initiative from the Boys & Girls Club of America. This is the highest honor a Club member can receive, representing positive character and behaviors, healthy lifestyles, and personal development of individual Club members. This program gives youth a voice and path to showcase their effort on their journey of personal development. Additional programs such as the Healthy Dinner Program, Brain Gain READ, Fine Arts, and Youth For Unity all focus on giving the Club members the specific skills necessary for all to succeed in life. These targeted initiatives create a “Positive Place For Kids” and have proven success.

Albert Einstein stated that, “the world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” The Boys & Girls Club of Evansville has creatively leveraged its resources to not merely “look on” at the marginalized youth in their area but actively coming alongside to do something, something good.