Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket

Since 1900, the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket has been a lifesaving agency to youth and families in Pawtucket and surrounding communities. We currently serve thousands of youth annually in our 60,000 square foot building where we have the space for quiet learning, indoor exercise, art and music studio space, and most importantly, a place where kids know they will be warm and safe after-school. For the at-risk youth we serve, the Club serves as a stable and familiar environment where they can feel safe despite the turbulent daily situation in which many of them live.


In keeping with our mission, we provide a wide variety of daily programs to help our members realize their full potential. Each afternoon, youth members choose from a selection of activities every hour; these activities support the goals set in our four priority areas either directly or through the incorporation of high-yield learning activities into fun and engaging programs. High-yield learning activities extend learning throughout all Club programs by providing opportunities to practice communication skills (reading, writing, speaking); problem-solving skills (math, science, technology); lateral thinking (creatively exploring the world through the arts); healthy living skills (being mindful of diet and exercise, avoiding risky behaviors); and character and citizenship skills (civics, volunteerism and civility). Our priority areas are:


Academic Success: High school graduation is an important goal for all of our members. To help in their progression toward this goal we offer a variety of programs including: homework help, tutoring in math and reading, science programs and activities, lessons in our technology labs and much more. We also offer career counseling to help teens become successful adults.


Confident Self-Expression through the Arts: Our art programs provide members with both a creative outlet and exposure to a wide variety of artistic forms and influences. The exposure members get to a wide range of arts helps them to understand the incredible and diverse world in which they live. The Club enables youth to develop their capacity and cultural awareness through knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts, crafts, performing arts, and creative writing.

Good Character & Citizenship: We strive to empower youth to support and influence the Club and our community, sustain meaningful relationships with others, develop a positive self-image, participate in the democratic process and respect their own and others’ cultural identities. Several of our programs which support this goal are: Torch & Keystone Clubs, peer and adult mentoring programs, and our Youth of the Year program. Additionally, we run specialized programs which help raise awareness and understanding of current events and the role youth play in the world around them – on a local, national and global level.


Healthy Lifestyles: We run several programs to help develop our members’ capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and live successfully as self-sufficient adults. These programs include: Passport to Manhood, SMART Girls, nutrition education and healthy cooking lessons, Triple Play activities and sports clubs. We also offer a wide variety of recreational sports programs which help youth in developing a sense of fairness, positive use of leisure time, skills for stress management, appreciation for the environment and social skills.


Throughout all of these programs, the close relationships our members form with staff are especially important as they navigate through their formative years, often without two stable parents at home. Our staff serve as a sounding board, run the variety of programs described above, and take advantage of teachable moments when the opportunity arises to help our members learn and grow. Among the other resources available, having access to the staff members at the Club is truly life-changing and life-saving for many of our members.


And there’s more…a daily, nutritious, hot evening meal is served to every child who wants one – and for many of our members, this is the only hot meal they get. NO CHILD IS EVER TURNED AWAY.