Guest Voices Archive Index

Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands Addresses Mental Health Issues

Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands believes health and wellness are essential to the successful development of children. Mental health is especially important to its members as they progress through the different stages of childhood on their way to becoming adults.

Mental Health & Development Programs
Each of the Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands’ five locations focus on building confidence and self esteem in youth through the use of a Youth Development Strategy (CUBI). The four core areas of CUBI are Competence, Usefulness, Belonging, and Influence (Power). When a sense of each one of these elements is internalized by a young person, their self-esteem and positive self-image are greatly enhanced. For this reason, the elements of CUBI are considered during the planning and execution of each activity at the Boys & Girls Club.

More specific programs that address mental health at the club level include S.M.A.R.T. Girls and Passport to Manhood. S.M.A.R.T. Girls is positioned within the Boys & Girls Club to help girls ages 8-17 build self-esteem and self-worth, and learn to nurture their own mental health and physical well-being. Passport to Manhood helps male club members ages 11-14 understand the different aspects of male maturation and the personal growth and development it takes to reach manhood safely and successfully.

Outreach & Counseling
The Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands reaches out to those youth who need it most; providing counseling to children who have witnessed first hand the violence that plagues our communities. Violent crimes can rob a child of their confidence and self-worth. Trained and experienced Club staff are there to help them understand and cope with those difficult situations.

In addition, programs are available to youth who have or have had legal troubles. Beto, an intervention specialist from the Boys & Girls Club visits the Youth Detention Center to provide guidance to troubled youth. There they are given the opportunity to turn their lives around, and are eventually able to earn back their Club membership.

Beto also sponsors the Noble Youth Group held weekly at the South Omaha Boys & Girls Club. Focusing on building strength of character and self-esteem, the group explains the danger gangs pose in the community. He runs a similar group for parents to help them deal with the troubles they are facing with their children.

Behavioral Health Partnership For BGCM Youth
A partnership with Alegent Behavioral Health is another source of support, providing both individual and group counseling sessions for Club members and their families. The focus of these sessions is to discuss the impact violence has in the lives of children and their parents. Other topics include the grieving process, creating safe situations, and how to deal with the anger that violence can provoke. Alegent also provides staff training in the following areas: verbal de-escalation, effects of trauma, and anger management.

Club Mission
It is the Mission of the Boys & Girls Club: to enable all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, healthy and responsible citizens. A valuable part of this mission is the health of the minds, bodies, and spirits of its members. The Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands works very hard to nurture those values each and every day.
For additional information on the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands please visit www.bgcomaha.org.