We need your support! Your support will help provide programs that will give our youth skills that will lead our teens to careers here in Ulster County!

One of the biggest focuses for the Boys & Girls Club of Ulster County is developing a high-quality workforce development program. Our goal is to provide programs that develop specific skills that put our youth in positions to step into careers that are most available in Ulster County. We are focused on bridging the gap that occurs in our youth's transition from teenagers to young adults. Businesses in Ulster County are looking for young home-grown talent, and our youth are hungry for careers that will provide the resources and stability that enables them to have positive successful adulthoods. We have started several programs that are leading the way:

Club Kitchen: Working with local business owner Joe Baganz (Joe Beez), this group learns all the ins and outs of working in a kitchen. Joe teaches them how to properly prepare, cook and serve a plethora of meals for club members. This program also delivers lessons in how to shop on a budget, keeping inventory and maximizing production with limited resources. This program gives our youth life skills to provide healthier opportunities at home for themselves and their families. It also gives them the skills that puts them ahead of others for careers in one of the fastest growing industries in the Hudson Valley, hospitality.

Tech Ready: This program is aimed to introduce and grow our youth's skills with technology. Our youth lack adequate resources to technology in a society continues to become more and more technology and internet based. Our focus here is to introduce our youth to the technological equipment and programs that will best prepare them for careers that technology will play a large part in. Our marketing group is the foundation to this program. In this program we use technology to record different club activities. This group then takes the video and learns how to edit it and make the best presentation of their work. They will then create a post for our club social media platforms. This program prepares our youth for jobs in marketing, advertisement, and technology.

Our workforce development program will be a vital program linking our teens to careers ensuring a positive transition to adulthood. We are aiming to ensure that our talented youth in Ulster County have the opportunity to find careers and stay home in Ulster County. This program will provide opportunities that change the lives of not just our members but their whole family.

Your support will allow us to continue to expand these programs down different career fields and provide this opportunity for more of our members. With your support we will work to incorporate more businesses in Ulster County creating clear pathways to careers for our members. Your support will make it possible to add the equipment and resources necessary for the success of these programs.