During the academic year we pick up our Club members directly from school. Our youth then spend around three hours participating in academic and extracurricular activities. The core of our daily schedule is our academic program, Project Learn. Project Learn is a structured small-group academic time with stations in math, reading, and writing as well as programs such as STEM Mentoring, Healthy Habits, and Career Launch (for our Teen Club). Recently we started using a computer program called Let’s Go Learn that has helped our Club members‘ reading scores improve significantly.

 

We have a large variety of extracurricular activities that appeal to our Club members’ varying interests. Youth participate in a number of activities including art, board games, cup stacking tournaments, Just Dance, archery, baseball, nerf gun battles, and so much more. Our youth love to be active and we guarantee one hour of physical activity at the Club per day.

 

Every day we serve a hot, healthy, balanced dinner; because we know that when kids are hungry and sick, they cannot learn to their full potential - and poor nutrition is a significant problem on our reservation. In May 2015, we launched our food program. In 2016 our program was honored with a national USDA award. We also partner with the REDCO Food Sovereignty Initiative, where our Club members make and eat healthy recipes every week, often incorporating indigenous food gathering and preparation. Some of our kids have been experiencing fruits and vegetables they never tried before, and they are sharing their new knowledge with the rest of their families.

 

Our team works hard to build relationships and provide mentoring for our youth. As essential as providing a safe space and quality programming are, we believe relationships are the primary reason that youth keep coming back to the Club. Mentoring has been, and always will be, at the core of what our Club does. The Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud is committed to providing our club members with mentors and role models who live out our priority outcomes of Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship and Healthy Lifestyles. By surrounding our club members with positive role models and providing time and space for mentoring activities, we help our youth to develop into empowered citizens. Our team also keeps our Club buildings safe and clean, cook the meals, and provide a safe ride to and from the Club every day. We are blessed to have such a committed core of local staff who really care about making the Club the best it can be for our kids.

 

We believe that through providing this kind of holistic, steadfast programming we are giving our youth the tools they need to achieve their dreams for themselves and their communities. We know this generation of youth has the power to change the course of our reservation and our world, and we are so excited to be a part of that.