THE PROGRAM

The YMCA College Club program starts in the seventh grade and continues all the way through college. The College Club provides on-going academic support, information and encouragement appropriate to participants at each grade level.

The YMCA College Club...

• develops an awareness in the student that it may be possible to attend college,
   
• provides academic guidance to assure that college preparatory classes are taken starting in the eighth grade, 
   
• provides structure, information, encouragement, mentoring and guidance that may be otherwise lacking in the student's life,
   
• includes career counseling, academic counseling, peer mentoring, campus visits, and other field trips,
   
• presents community-based role models who are successful college graduates in various jobs and professions,
   
• includes group discussions on subjects such as choosing a career, selecting a college, and giving back to the community,
   
• encourages older students to be peer mentors to younger students,
    
• helps students identify and apply for college grants, loans, and scholarships,
   
• places students in positions of responsibility in order to gain leadership experience and develop self-confidence. Students take part in planning programs and field trips. Every student has a position with at least some responsibility toward the group,
   
• assists family members in providing at-home support to enable the student to increase academic achievement.