YMCA ACHIEVERS

Y Achievers is a national program that helps young people discover and pursue higher education and career goals by equipping them with the skills needed to succeed and be community role models. Our bi-weekly meetings are intentionally located on the campus of Wentworth Institute of Technology to inspire hope and a belief that a college degree is in all of our student’s futures. Students are guided by staff and local professionals in fields they are interested in through Career Clusters and Life Skill Clusters.

LEADERS CLUB

Leaders Club is a character and leadership development program that serves teens ages 12 to 18. It is organized for the purpose of providing knowledge, training and experiences to young people. In this program, our young people become strong leaders in their communities, foster a spirit of service to others and shapes a healthy lifestyle in Mind, Body and Spirit.

Get Summer

When schools close their doors, the YMCA opens its doors wider. Free summer memberships allow us to keep students of all backgrounds active, healthy, and engaged when their time is less structured outside of school. In the summer, we provide over 16,000 memberships in Greater Boston.

Ask about our free summer memberships for teens at your local YMCA!

YOUTH & GOVERNMENT

Youth & Government is nationally accredited program which teaches young people the steps to make social change happen. Youth & Government allows youth to think of ways on how to improve their town, city or state. In this program students participate in a Model Government Conference by acting as a Senator, House Representative, Lobbyist, Judge, Lawyer, Journalist and more. Delegates receive training in these positions through weekly meetings and special training events prior to the conference. Youth have the opportunity to meet with other young people in the New England region who they may not know otherwise.

HUNGER PREVENTON

Many of our young people rely on school breakfast and lunch as their main source of food, and the YMCA helps fill this gap in the summer by providing nutritious meals.

Learn more about the YMCA’s hunger prevention efforts.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

We strive to address a gap in formal, structured workforce preparation by hiring young people in positions across the YMCA and supporting their development of workforce skills, ranging from time management to career exploration. We partner with PIC, ABCD, and SuccessLink to provide as many employment placements as possible.

YOUTH VOICE

We help youth find their own voice and to elevate it within the community. Youth input and innovation are at the center of our teen programming and have resulted in programs like Photography Club and Open Mic Nights.

INTEREST-BASED CLUBS

We provide several teen clubs geared toward young people’s interests. Each YMCA location and center has offerings from sports, wellness, arts, music, and more based on the young people’s and community’s interests. We seek to provide spaces where young people can explore their skills, talents, and interests.