Character & Leadership Development

L.I.T
(Leaders in Training)

The L.I.T. program is designed to enhance the professional development of Club members ages 13 to 17 by giving them opportunities to learn leadership skills and responsibility. The mission of the program is to provide Club members an understanding of the Boys & Girls Club movement, work ethics, personal skills and community responsibility.

At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, the L.I.T. program is incorporated into the summer camp program at all nine branches to give teens a positive place to be while developing skills that will help them in the future. Most members view the L.I.T. program as a gateway to help prepare members who are interested in the Junior Staff Development program, the next step in leadership training at the Club that guides teens toward careers in youth development.

Education & Career Development

America Reads/America Counts

Through a partnership with Arizona State University, the Club provides the America Reads/America Counts education program at three of our locations: Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch, Lehi Branch and the Paiute Neighborhood Center (part of our Outreach Services). 

America Reads/America Counts is a Federal work-study program in which college students work one-on-one with academically at-risk children. Tutors work with children in grades K-8 and create fun, hands-on activities that meet the acedemic needs of the individual child, as well as assist with homework, reading aloud and journal-writing. The program aim is to: spark children's excitement in reading and math; improve children's literacy and math skills; and provide greater access to books and opportunities for reading with an adult.

Health & Life Skills

SMART Girls/Passport to Manhood

The SMART Girls Program addresses social and development needs of girls ages 8 to 15. The goal of the program is to develop healthy attitudes and lifestyles at this critical stage of their development. SMART girls aims to provide knowledge, skills, self-esteem and peer support to help young girls avoid the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; learn the importance of healthy eating and fitness habits; develop an understanding and appreciation of their bodies and the physical, emotional and social changes they are experiencing; and to postpone sexual activity.

The Passport to Manhood program is aimed at making the transition from boyhood to manhood a positive and healthy one. It helps young adolescent males understand and manage such things as physical changes in their bodies; relationships with authority, friends and members of the opposite sex; greater freedom and responsibility for personal decisions; and increased peer pressure. The program consists of 14 sessions, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood through highly interactive activities.

The Arts

Club Chorus

The Club Chorus program brings together members from different Clubs who have a passion for music and singing. The Club identified the need for a comprehensive arts program as an important outlet for children and teens to positively express themselves. Club Chorus is the first of hopefully several programs to address this need.

Club Chorus is open to all Club members ages 13 to 18. Members from different branches meet once a week to learn new songs and rehearse. A talented instructor from the Diamond School of Music teaches the group a variety of songs. The members of Club Chorus perform at different Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale events and will eventually compete in advanced levels of competition.

Sports, Fitness & Recreation

Go Girl Go

Go Girl Go created by the Women and Sports Foundation and modified to address the specific needs of Club members, motivates girls to actively participate in sports and education. The program combines sports participation with an educational intervention that focuses on reducing and preventing the potential hazards of dealing with adolescent issues in unhealthy ways.

Female Club members ages 7-12 have an opportunity to eliminate the intimidation they may feel when playing with boys. Each week, the staff leads the group in discussion about a female athlete, the struggles they’ve overcome, and relates it to a timely adolescent issue. The issues include healthy eating, bullying and exercise. Girl Go is a positive way to teach girls the importance of sports and education.