Christina (pictured on the right) has been an active member of the Brockton Clubhouse Teen Center for over two years. As a Club member, BGCMS has helped Christina make her dream of being the first in her family to attend college a reality. Christina first joined the Brockton Clubhouse because her friend Naviah (pictured on the left), a current BGCMS staff member and former Club member, encouraged her to join. Christina enjoyed the Club because it offered her a safe place to hang out with her friends after school and this past year, Christina learned first-hand just how critical the programs and resources offered at the Teen Center were to building great futures!
Many of our Academic Success programs are designed specifically to service teen members and are implemented in our dedicated Teen Centers which are open to members ages 13-18. As members transition to high school, they receive additional support in researching their options for the future and applying to college or trade schools, and are preparing to enter the workforce. For Christina, these programs provided the support, clarity, and motivation she needed to get through the application process of applying for college, financial aid, and scholarships.
“Marisa [our College & Career Access Director] helped me a lot when it came to applying for college. As a first-generation college student, Marisa navigated me through the whole process and made sure I wasn’t doing anything wrong like take out too many loans or fill out the wrong paperwork. I was able to stay motivated and focused throughout the whole process thanks to Marisa’s guidance and encouragement.”
In addition to working one on one with our College and Career Access Director, Christina also attended workshops hosted by the Teen Center that featured guest speakers from colleges, to help her better understand which college would be the best fit for her. Christina appreciates that the Teen Center makes an effort to invite guest speakers who come from similar backgrounds as they do, and can relate to the decisions many members are struggling with in regards to the future. She remembers one informational workshop she attended that featured speakers from Bridgewater State University who were both from Brockton. Christina felt that these speakers understood where she was coming from, because they had both grown up in Brockton like her.
This year, in addition to exploring her college and career options, Christina joined the Healthy Relationship program. The Healthy Relationship program works to prevent sexual assault and dating violence and promote healthy relationships amongst the youth in Brockton. Christina believes that the peer-led program helped her become more comfortable in large social gatherings, become cognizant of red flags in a relationship, and know when to stick up for herself and leave an unhealthy situation. Programs like Healthy Relationships help our members foster a positive sense of self, develop new ways of communicating their perspectives, increase their capacity to understand the ideas and feelings of others, and explore societal and personal values in a safe environment.
Christina credits the Club for instilling strong character and leadership skills in her and providing critical resources to the youth of Brockton. Christina wants the younger generation of Clubs kids to know “that you never have to be shy about asking for help at the Club.” She is thankful that the Club staff is always willing to provide their fullest support and that the affordability of Club memberships makes it easier for kids to reach out for help.
Christina’s hard work and dedication paid off as she was one of the recipients of the 2021 Sullivan Tire & Auto Service Club Member Scholarship this past year and is preparing to start college in the fall! We are so proud of all that Christina has accomplished and we can’t wait to see where her future will take her!