Health & Wellness
Our Strategy
Our Health & Wellness strategy develops young people’s capacity to live healthfully by educating youth about fitness, nutrition and smart decisions. Activities focus on instilling positive conflict resolution techniques, engaging in positive behaviors, setting personal goals, and building resistance skills that nurture and strengthen their minds and bodies.
NUTRITIOUS MEALS AND SNACKS SERVED LAST YEAR
%
OF CLUB MEMBERS AGES 9 AND OLDER REPORTED GETTING AT LEAST ONE HOUR OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FIVE OR MORE DAYS PER WEEK
Through Kids Feeding Kids, over 175,000 snacks and meals are provided to young people at 12 Twin Cities locations every day. BGCTC’s Kids Feeding Kids supports Club youth in developing and growing into healthy adulthood by providing access to healthful and culturally relevant meals while instilling healthy habits and nutrition education. During after school programming, a snack and dinner are served. During school release and summer programming, breakfast and lunch are served. We are proud to be a part of providing nutritious and delicious meals and snacks to Club youth every day!
Featured Program
Garden Initiative
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities have recently launched a garden initiative as a component of our Health & Wellness programming. This new program is part of a farm-to-table education initiative to incorporate a STEM and garden-based nutrition program.
Health & Wellness Programs
Kids Feeding Kids
The overarching goal of the Kids Feeding Kids program is to ensure that the participating children receive the essential nutrients, as well as the nutritional education, to grow into healthy and productive members of society. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities achieves this goal by providing daily meals, cooking classes, and gardening opportunities through a unique program called Kids Feeding Kids.
Passport to Manhood
Promotes and teaches responsibility to boys ages 8-17. Passport to Manhood consists of 14 sessions, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood through highly interactive activities. Passport to Manhood represents a targeted effort to engage young men in discussions and activities that reinforce positive behavior.
SMART Girls
Skills Mastery and Resistance Training (SMART) Girls is a small-group health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program designed to meet the developmental needs of girls in three age groups. Through dynamic sessions, highly participatory activities, field trips 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 as well as adults.
Sports
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities understand the importance of sports and sports leagues. Not only do they empower youth and promote higher self-esteem, sports also motivate students to partake in other invaluable programming. For these reasons – along with the numerous physical benefits include maintaining a healthy weight, preventing chronic diseases, and learning the skills necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout their lives – the Clubs offer numerous sports leagues and active opportunities for Club members.
Triple Play
Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul is the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s proven health and wellness program co-sponsored by the Anthem Foundation and founding partner The Coca-Cola Company. Triple Play strives to improve the overall health of members, ages 6-18, by increasing their daily physical activity, teaching them good nutrition, and helping them develop healthy relationships
Voyageur
Voyageur is a year-round Environmental Education Center located in Mound, Minnesota that is owned and operated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities. It is situated on 110 acres of forested, rolling hills overlooking Little Long Lake. Voyageur runs a residential summer camp for Club members to learn about the natural world and their place in it. Camp Voyageur runs June through August. Club members also visit Voyageur on weekends as well as school release days.