Prevention Programs for our children...

This is a very exciting subject for me. It is so great to know that there are solutions to today's problems in a world that sometimes feels like we have lost control of. With gangs growing and the age that children are joining gangs getting younger and younger; violence, alcohol and drug abuse is growing as well. The Boys and Girl's Club of America opened its first club in 1860 in Connecticut. The club is open to children age 6-18 years. The idea behind these clubs even back that long ago is basically the same today, to get children off the streets. Today there are clubs all over the world. They offer programs and services to help children to develop positive life skills and build character. The focus of the club is also to help children that come from a disadvantaged family have hope and find positive ways to focus his/her energy. Some children lack a positive role model in their family which is absolutely necessary for these young people to learn from. The hopes are that these children will begin to develop a trusting and caring relationship with the adult professionals who will nurture and enrich the child's life. They will not turn a child away due to inability to pay which I find commendable. In today's world of hustle and bustle, with parent(s) who work long hours, have extended families, and all of the other factors of our daily lives, sometimes I think the children get lost and are forced to grow up sooner than they should have to and don't get to experience the joy of just being a kid! The Boy's and Girl's Club while they allow them to just be a kid, they also teach them about responsibility, how to make good choices in life and build relationships that they can count on. I had heard over the years about the Boy's and Girl's Club but until this assignment had no idea how this program helps children in need. The Vancouver member statistics are; 36% live in poverty, 72% qualify for free lunch program, 15% come from single-parent household, 13.7% of all juvenile crime in Clark County occurs in the neighborhood surrounding the club. These are children in our own backyard, our neighbor's children, our friend's children, or maybe even our own children...