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In late 2021, the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club held a grand opening for their new MAVERICK music studio. The program is a component of a nationwide non-profit, The Music & Youth Initiative, which is part of a larger partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Music and Youth Initiative offers music education and mentoring to underserved youth who would not otherwise have access to to such resources. Founded in 2004, the national program serves nearly 1,000 youth in music lessons each year. The Music and Studio Clubhouses are outfitted with state of the art instruments, recording equipment and run by highly skilled instructors and mentors. University studies have demonstrated that music instruction has a significant and positive impact on youth including: dramatically improved academic performance, decreased drug use and increased positive social behavior.
Currently, the national program is hosted at three Boys & Girls Club locations in Boston, Fort Worth and Miami. Now in Delaware, the program takes place at the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club in addition to both Newark Charter High School and William Penn High School. Between the three locations, the program serves 40 participants each week with a goal of growing to serving 100. Participants also receive evidence-based prevention programming supported by the Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services.
The Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club has transformed half of its teen center into a music studio, complete with portable music equipment and technology. Bernard Parker, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware’s Music Director is the “maestro” behind all of the efforts, working with the young people to teach music production, television production, and creative writing. The youth participating in the program promote and discuss the music they’ve created with listeners and followers on their podcast which can be found at https://www.twitch.tv/TeenStudioConnect/videos.
For more information about the music program, contact the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club at 302-836-6464. Funding for this project has been provided by the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families’ Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services through funding provided by Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health through the Substance Abuse Block Grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware:
Since 1931 Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware (bgclubs.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, 42 Clubs serve 30,000 children and teens through Club membership and community outreach. Located throughout the state, the Clubs also serve military families at the Boys & Girls Club-affiliated Youth Center at the Dover Air Force Base. Clubs provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. To learn more visit bgclubs.org. Follow us bgclubs.org/facebook, bgclubs.org/instagram, bgclubs.org/twitter
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