Success Story: Nick from Boys and Girls Club Brockton Youth Program

United Way of Greater Plymouth County is always excited to hear success stories from our partner organizations. The following is Nick’s story. With the help of The Boys & Girls Club Brockton Youth Program, Nick was able to overcome many obstacles that stood in his way.

“Nick is a 16 year old from Brockton ‘Kid Club’.  Like many of our teens, he faced a troubled home life. He watched as his father went through the prison system and waited for trial.  While he faced the uncertainty of losing his father, he also gained the responsibility of taking care of his mother and his siblings.  Many days, Nick would come to the club in tears, unsure of how to handle the situations he faced while also trying to make his own way as a young teen.

In the midst of these circumstances, Nick was recruited into the Youth Jobs Program, and was placed with Marquis in Coaching For Change for his summer job placement. In this role, he was able to have fun and acquire new leadership skills. He was also able to use the stipend to support his family. To Nick, the work became more than just a job placement. It served as an escape and an outlet, where Nick could immerse himself in friendship with other young teens while also learning about responsibility, job skills and entrepreneurship. Further, Nick sparked a growing relationship with Marquis, who essentially became his mentor. He helped Nick navigate the trials and tribulations of his home life, and talked to him about how he could handle the pressures from this mother, father and sisters. Marquis and other dedicated staff helped Nick when he had troubles at school and was dismissed from Brockton High. We never stopped believing in him and because of this, we helped him transfer to Taunton High and continued to support him.                                                                                                

Throughout his trials, Nick always looked forward to his time at the Boys & Girls Club with Coaching For Change. He not only retained his summer employment, but continued it throughout the entire year.

Nick graduated from high school and was granted a full scholarship to any state school.  We cannot say that Nick's success is a direct result of our program, but we can be certain it had a large impact. Because of our program, Nick was introduced to an environment that he felt like he could be a part of and he truly became a member of the community. 

Nick faced a problem very typical for many of our teens called generational cycles; cycles of poverty, cycles of family in and out of jail. With the assistance of the Boys & Girls Club Youth Jobs Program, Nick broke the cycle.”