Boys & Girls Clubs help young people develop the capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and develop the competencies to live successfully as self-sufficient adults.

Chef’s Club is a cooking program that teaches youth members the basics in food preparation, including basic food safety tips, basic cooking terms, kitchen safety and the proper way to follow a recipe.

Kid’s Café provides food for meals and snacks to disadvantaged children in an environment that is safe, accessible and convenient. Kid’s Cafe furnishes food products for free meals and snacks through organizational linkages that serve at-risk children under the age of 17.

Passport to Manhood promotes and teaches responsibility while reinforcing positive behavior in male Club members ages 11 through 14. Passport to Manhood consists of 14 small-group sessions, each of which concentrates on a specific aspect of manhood through highly interactive activities. Each participant is issued his own "Passport" to underscore the idea that he is on a journey of maturation and personal growth.

The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) prevention/education program addresses the problems of drug and alcohol use and premature sexual activity. Based on proven techniques, the program uses a team approach involving Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives. More than simply emphasizing a "Say No" message, the program teaches young people ages 7 through 15 how to say no by involving them in discussion and role-playing, practicing resistance and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence. The ultimate goal of the program is to promote abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior.

An outgrowth of the popular and effective SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) program, SMART Girls is a health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program for girls ages 10 through 15. Sponsored by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc., the program is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable early-adolescent girls to develop to their full potential.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Street SMART (Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) initiative, funded by the Allstate Foundation, consists of three components designed to help young people ages 11 through 13 effectively resist gangs and violence, resolve conflicts and be positive peer helpers in their communities. It also allows them the opportunity to hold annual events that celebrate anti-gang, anti-violence themes. Street SMART serves as the National Project for Torch Clubs annually and is available for all Boys & Girls Clubs to use.

Triple Play is BGCM’s comprehensive health and wellness program. The program strives to improve the overall health of Club members ages 6-18 by increasing their daily physical activity, teaching them good nutrition and helping them develop healthy relationships.

Other Group Activities: