“SMART Girls,” a nationally recognized program of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, is part of the curriculum at the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park.
The self-esteem enhancement course is for girls between the ages of 12 to 18, where it offers the young ladies guidance toward healthy attitudes and lifestyles during the hour-long weekly meeting.
“SMART Girls,” a nationally recognized program of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, is part of the curriculum at the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park.
The self-esteem enhancement course is for girls between the ages of 12 to 18, where it offers the young ladies guidance toward healthy attitudes and lifestyles during the hour-long weekly meeting.
Topics of discussion range from social interaction, healthy-body image, safe dating, eating right, staying fit, developing mature relationships with their peers, parents and teachers, along with dealing with the day-to-day struggles of just being a teen-aged girl.
“The program not only teaches the girls, it creates friendships, and builds social skills, which will last for a life time,” said Teen and Nutritional Director Luz Valenzuela.
Buena Park Interim CPO Todd Trout said the Smart Girls program is exactly what they were looking for, to reach the Club’s female members, and that they have confidence in the effectiveness of the program. Through research, and on-the-job experience, Trout said they know the years between 8 and 18 are critically important and represent the developmental cycle for young women who are served by the club.
“We are pleased to have a program that improves relationships between young women and mature and significant women in their lives, establishing a positive relationship that can foster self-esteem and an empowering attitude.”
Since the program began, more than 200 members have successfully graduated from the Club’s SMART Girls program.
SMART Girls, headed up by Valenzuela, is sponsored by Soroptimist International of Buena Park. Soroptimists Club members volunteer their time and financial support to the Buena Park program.
This year, the SMART Girls were treated to a hair and manicure “make-over” by Bella Dia Salon and Day Spa stylist’s.
Now, through the combined partnerships of E2G2, the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park and Bella Dia Salon and Day Spa, a “Smart is Beautiful” CrowdGiving campaign is being launched.
CrowdGiving is a network program that partners with local businesses and local charitable organizations to raise funds and awareness through the new E2G2 Neighborhood Network mobile app.
Through that program, from now through January 8, 2014, 10 percent of each dollar spent on services, products and gift-cards at Bella Dia Salon will be donated to the SMART Girls program at the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park.
The E2G2 Neighborhood Network mobile app is available at the Apple App Store and at Google Play for Android phones.
Support for the Club’s programs comes from corporate gifts and sponsorships that are tax deductible and are acknowledged in the Soroptimists’ programs at the end of the year at the SMART Girls graduation.
The Boys and Girls Club is the only facility-based youth agency in Buena Park that provides after school programs to students in the city.
More than 1,200 youth ages 6 to 18 utilize the Club’s services of education, arts, sports, recreation, leadership and character-building activities each month.
The mission of the Club is to improve the quality of life in the city by developing community partnerships to help boys and girls achieve the confidence and skills necessary to become positive contributor’s to the community.
“We offer the SMART Girls Program to help girls build self-esteem,” Valenzuela said. “Parents can guide the girls and put them on the right path, but the final forming of the girls’ as a person rests in their own hands; the person they become is up to them – the role model is inside of each girl.”
