It was a total pleasure to see so many young people benefiting from the opportunities offered at their fine facility. The Club promotes academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character.

A little history. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860, over 150 years ago. Four women in Hartford, Connecticut, Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin, Elizabeth Hammersley and Louisa Bushnell believed boys who needed direction should have positive experiences, so they organized the very first Club to encourage character development. It focused on capturing boys’ interests, improving their behavior and increasing their personal expectations and goals. This important cause is still strong today at Clubs across our nation.

We interviewed the BGCN CEO Ameer Washington who gave us fascinating insights into the operations of their wonderful Club.

What makes the Boys & Girls Club of Newark a standout for the youth in the community?

What makes Boys & Girls Clubs of Newark stand out is the combination of opportunity, consistency, and relationships that young people find at the club. BGCN has been part of the Newark community for generations, providing a place where young people can learn, explore their interests, build friendships, and develop new skills alongside adults who are invested in their success.

The scope of what happens inside the clubhouse is a big part of that experience. A young person might initially come through the doors for swimming or basketball and discover an interest in STEM, the arts, podcasting, leadership, or career development. As their interests grow, there are new opportunities for them to pursue.

At the center of it all are relationships. Young people are surrounded by staff who know them, encourage them, and help them recognize their own strengths. BGCN’s mission is to enable all of Newark’s young people to become caring, productive, and responsible individuals, and the club creates an environment where they have the opportunity to do exactly that.

CEO Ameer Washington, swimming alongside his family and Club youth during one of the Club’s Family Fun Days

What services do you think are truly unique for participants?

One of the most unique aspects of BGCN is the depth of several programs that go beyond what people might traditionally expect from a Boys & Girls Club.

Aquatics is a great example. Young people can progress from learning essential water safety and swimming skills to competitive swimming as part of a USA Swimming team. Teens can also pursue lifeguarding training and certification, turning skills developed in the pool into opportunities for leadership, responsibility, and employment. BGCN’s basketball program similarly gives young athletes opportunities to develop through competition, teamwork, and coaching, with the Club’s 13U team recently winning its league championship.

The READY Family Wellness Center provides another important dimension by supporting the social and emotional wellness of young people and families. BGCN also connects youth with dental services through its partnership with The KinderSmile Foundation.

For teens, workforce development provides hands-on opportunities to explore careers and build practical skills through entrepreneurship, STEM, financial literacy, career readiness, and podcasting. Teens are also encouraged to develop their voices as leaders and advocates, including opportunities to travel to Washington, D.C. engaging with their elected officials on issues affecting young people and their communities.

These programs allow BGCN to meet young people at different ages and stages and provide experiences that can grow with them.

At present, how many children and teens are served by the Club?

In 2025, Boys & Girls Clubs of Newark served approximately 5,230 youth and community members across all its programs, services, and community initiatives.

During the school year, enrollment across BGCN’s main Clubhouse and five school-based Club sites at KIPP reaches approximately 1,000 young people across six locations. During the summer, approximately 330 youth enroll in programming at the main Clubhouse.

Together, these programs allow BGCN to reach young people throughout Newark while providing both year-round Club experiences and broader services to the community.

The Club’s 13U basketball team celebrating their league championship with Coach Ade

We recently visited and were very impressed with your staff. Tell us a little about the team that makes the Club a great place for young people.

The people inside the Clubhouse are what bring BGCN’s mission to life. The team includes youth development professionals, educators, coaches, wellness professionals, program leaders, and administrative staff who share a commitment to Newark’s young people.

What visitors often notice is the connection between staff and Club members. Staff members are not simply supervising activities. They are coaching, teaching, listening, encouraging, and helping young people recognize their own strengths. They celebrate accomplishments, introduce youth to new experiences, and provide consistency as young people move through different stages of their lives.

Many staff members also have deep connections to Newark and to the Club itself. That creates a culture where young people are known as individuals and where their ideas, interests, and goals matter.

What would you like our readers to know about the Boys & Girls Club of Newark?

BGCN is much more than a place for young people to go after school. It is a community where young people can discover interests, build skills, develop their voices, and form relationships that can stay with them for years.

There are also many ways for people to become part of that community. Financial support is important, but so are partnerships, volunteering, mentorship, professional expertise, career exposure, internships, and introductions to new experiences. Someone working in the arts, business, technology, health care, media, or another field may have knowledge, time, or connections that can open an entirely new door for a young person.

BGCN wants readers to know that investing in the Club means investing directly in the potential of Newark’s young people and helping create opportunities for them to explore where that potential can take them.

Club youth this summer holding newly hatched chicks from one of the Club’s STEM projects

Do you have any special future plans?

BGCN is continuing to build for the future, both through its programs and through investments in the Clubhouse itself. Upcoming building upgrades and renovations will help ensure that the spaces where young people learn, play, create, and connect continue to be the best in class, growing alongside the programs and opportunities available to them.

At the same time, BGCN is focused on strengthening opportunities in workforce development, wellness, STEM, aquatics, athletics, arts and creative expression, and teen leadership. Partnerships with artists, professionals, businesses, colleges, employers, and community leaders will remain an important part of introducing young people to new experiences and possibilities.

The goal is to continue building a Club, both physically and programmatically, that reflects the interests and potential of Newark’s young people and gives them the spaces, resources, relationships, and encouragement to pursue what excites them.

The Boys & Girls Club of Newark has its main Clubhouse at 1 Avon Ave, Newark, NJ 07108.  To learn more, and to support their mission, please visit The Boys & Girls Club of Newark.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Boys & Girls Club of Newark
Top: Club youth attending the France vs. Sweden World Cup match