Youth Of The Year

Joy Anderson, 2006 Youth of the Year
Sponsored by The Reader's Digest Association, the Youth of the Year program is designed to promote and recognize service to Club and community, academic performance and contributions to family and spiritual life. Clubs select a Youth of the Year who receives a certificate and medallion then enters state competition. State winners receive a plaque and enter the regional competition. Regional winners receive a $2,000 scholarship and enter a national competition held in Washington, DC. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $8,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States. Boys & Girls Clubs of America comprises a national network of 3,000 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than 3.3 million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize educational achievement, career exploration, drug and alcohol avoidance, health and fitness, gang and violence prevention, cultural enrichment, leadership development and community service.