ABOUT US.

What does it take to empower youth to excel in school and lead healthy, productive lives? Caring mentors, a safe place, and innovative programs.

At the Boys & Girls Club, we do everything we can to ensure all kids have a great future!

Mission

To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Vision

Provide a world-class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.

Service Area

Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady is the largest agency provider of services to the youth who need us most in Schenectady County reaching 7,628 total youth in 2023.

We serve youth ages 6 to 18 in eighteen (18) different sites including four main clubhouses, afterschool program extensions, city parks, summer camps and an employment program.

We employ nearly 170 total staff, partner with 200+ volunteers and serve over 100,000 meals and snacks annually.

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OUR HISTORY.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with four women in Hartford, Connecticut – Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin, Elizabeth Hammersley and Louisa Bushnell. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the first Club. With character development as the cornerstone of the experience, the Club focused on capturing boys interests, improving their behavior and increasing their personal expectations and goals. A cause was born.

Locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady was founded in 1936 (then known as the Schenectady Boys Club), by a volunteer group of local community leaders, in an effort to halt a rapid rise of vandalism and delinquency.

Originally, the club was housed in a one room store on Front Street and membership was comprised of seven boys known as the "Wildcat Gang." Today, the organization operates out of our flagship clubhouse, the Adeline Wright Graham Club on Education Drive in Schenectady and runs four total clubhouses as well as multiple programs in area schools, parks and a summer camp in Altamont, NY.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR HISTORY

OUR FOCUS IS ON KIDS!

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Safety & Belonging

Our mission centers around nurturing the enormous potential inside every young person.

At Boys & Girls Clubs, we believe that every young person deserves to feel safe, valued and connected. Our programs are designed to provide a supportive and inclusive environment where kids and teens can thrive.

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Workforce Readiness

Boys & Girls Clubs are kids’ first network — the place where they meet mentors, hone their skills, ignite their interests and connect to opportunities.

Clubs prepare youth of all ages with essential skills that today’s schools and employers want, including effective communication, social interaction and navigating challenges.

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Mentorship

Someone to look up to. Someone to talk to about dreams and fears. Someone to celebrate victories big and small. A good mentor is there to listen, to support, to care.

There are also plentiful benefits of mentors — including helping prevent early drug use, encouraging teens to be college- and career-ready, and promoting positive mental health outcomes.

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Academic Success

At Boys & Girls Clubs, one of our top priorities is ensuring all youth have the tools and support to be successful both in life and at school.

Afterschool academic support helps kids stay on track throughout the school year, while fun and engaging summer programming combats summer learning loss in areas like math and reading.

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Mental Health

Empowering kids with skills to manage their emotions and build resiliency.

Supporting the mental health of kids and teens is more important than ever.

Growing up can be hard on a young person of any generation. Today’s kids and teens are experiencing a uniquely challenging childhood — from growing up in a digital world to the collective trauma of the past few years.

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Youth Advocacy

Every kid in America deserves access and opportunities that support them in reaching their full potential. But all too often, kids face systemic barriers to their success.

Our advocacy ensures youth voices are heard in their local communities and at the state and federal level as we champion policies and solutions that will have the greatest impact on the youth of this country.

FORMULA FOR IMPACT.

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Young people who need us most

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Outcome-driven club experience

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Priority outcomes

  • Our mission centers around nurturing the enormous potential inside every young person.

    At Boys & Girls Clubs, we believe that every young person deserves to feel safe, valued and connected. Our programs are designed to provide a supportive and inclusive environment where kids and teens can thrive.

  • We deliver engaging programs focused on academics, health, and leadership.

    Our innovative programs designed to empower youth to excel in school, become good citizens and lead healthy, productive lives.

  • Offering trained staff who guide, coach, and motivate kids to be successful.

    Someone to look up to. Someone to talk to about dreams and fears. Someone to celebrate victories big and small. A good mentor is there to listen, to support, to care.

“The Boys & Girls Club has been an amazing experience for my family. It has meant having a safe place for my kids to go after school and during the summer. When they are at the Club, I know they are learning, interacting with their peers, receiving life experiences and building leadership skills that they would not have learned anywhere else. My kids are more productive and better people because of the Club.”

— Becky S., Parent

THE CLUB EXPERIENCE.

The Boys & Girls Club experience provides amazing outcomes for Schenectady youth!

  • 91% of club members believe staff have high expectations for them.

  • 88% of club members feel they can stand up for that they think is right— even if friends disagree.

  • 88% of club members feel a sense of belonging to Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady.

  • 92% of club members feel emotionally safe at Boys & Girls Club.

  • 94% of club members feel adults care for them at the Club.