Joliet Boys & Girls Club investing in teens with new space, expanded programs

The Boys & Girls Club of Joliet recently renovated its second floor with teens in mind.

That renovation spurred new teen programming and renewed enthusiasm for the teens the club serves.

“It’s a safe space for teenagers to hang out, build friendship and learn about each other,” said Chantel Gamboa, chief executive officer and executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet. “It’s a community outside of school.”

“It was just our way of saying, ‘Welcome. We want you here. We value you here.’”

—  Chantel Gamboa, chief executive officer and executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet

Programs now include social and emotional learning, life skills, health and wellness, and workforce readiness, Gamboa said.

The club also has a new $2,500 scholarship for club members in the name of George H. Buck (deceased), established by George H. Buck’s wife Joann Buck, Gamboa said. George H. Buck was the past president of the George Werden Buck Boys & Girls Club of Joliet.

In addition, the club is also entering its second year of partnership with the nonprofit Give Something Back by serving as a hosting site for its youth employment program

“We’re hiring up to 18 youth and young adults to serve and as program assistants and lifeguards in sour summer program,” Gamboa said.

Gamboa said discussions for a dedicated teen space began shortly after she arrived at the Boys and Girls Club of Joliet in 2023,

The first floor has a video game room and an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the third floor is a multipurpose area for meals, snacks and computer classes. Gamboa said.

So the second floor, which had a game room with five pool tables and a basketball court, felt like the right space to reinvent, Gamboa added.

“We felt the need to create the space for teens,” Gamboa said. “Many of them wanted that autonomy.”

The club mainly attracts youth ages 6 to 12, so most programming is geared toward these younger youth, Gamboa said.

So the goal was to get teens involved “versus just coming to play basketball” or simply adding teen-related services. The goal was to “make it interesting enough for them to come and engage,” Gamboa said.

“That’s what really helped us to start seeing more teens,” Gamboa said.

The club started by inviting all area teens – not just club members – to play basketball in the club gym, snacks provided, on early dismissal days, Gamboa said.

“It started up with a small group – seven to 10 kids – then we were seeing up to 40 to 50 students coming,” Gamboa said. “We get calls from parents: ‘My kid says it’s an open gym day.’ And we’d say, ‘Yes, we are open for members and nonmembers alike.’ It was just our way of saying, ‘Welcome. We want you here. We value you here.’”

Gamboa said planning was strategic, both to leverage the club’s resources and positively impact teens. Gamboa knew the club could offer the required community services hours for graduation and a dedicated teen space, she said.

So Gamboa researched spaces that served teens and found “vibrant colors and flexible seating” along with optimal ways to engage teens.

“We really wanted to be successful,” Gamboa said. “And it was very important to me that we really understood what it was that our teens needed and what we should be incorporating.”

Gamboa said Home Depot provided a $10,000 grant a few years ago to install new flooring in the game room. The club also broke down all but two of the pool tables, painted the room with pink, blue, and gray, and added the right tables, couches, rugs and TV “to give it the look of a teen space,” Gamboa said.

“Already some of the middle school and younger kids are excited about transitioning into high school,” Gamboa said.

For more information, visit bgcjoliet.com.