Youth of the Year

 “I get to go to work every day and be the caring role model that I had as a Club member there. As I continue to work with Club kids, I enjoy teaching them as much as I enjoy learning from them. I know that I can be a positive figure in their lives and help them to break out of their shells—just as the Club did for me. "

Sarah became a teen member at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South’s Brockton Clubhouse during her freshman year in 2019, and returned after the COVID-19 pandemic as a junior counselor at their Camp Riverside summer day camp location in the Myles Standish Park in Taunton. Sarah greatly enjoyed the experience of mentoring the younger kids during her time as a junior counselor, so she returned to the Brockton Clubhouse as a teen member as well as a member services associate the following fall, continuing her mentoring as well as utilizing the resources and mentors available to her as a Teen member. 

As a Club member, peer leader, and staff member, Sarah attributes her confidence and leadership to the variety of her Club experience. "When I was younger," she says, "those BGCMS staff members were a solid rock for me. Now, as we come full circle, I am discovering that my mission here is to become that same rock that I experienced here when I was younger."

Sarah plans to center her platform as 2023 Youth of the Year around education, health, workforce development, and gender equality.

 “I’m looking to positively impact opportunities for improvement and knowledge access," Sarah says. "I want to ensure that our future generations are taught the necessary skills to move forward in their lives for the betterment of the future."

2023 marks The Phia Group’s seventh year as the official sponsor of BGCMS’ Youth of the Year leadership development program. Annually, The Phia Group presents the BGCMS Youth of the Year with a $5,000 college scholarship and a new laptop to assist their pursuits of higher education.

Each year, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) holds a competition to award the most prestigious honor a teenager

can receive as a member of their local Boys & Girls Club. Youth of the Year is BGCA’s signature effort to foster a

new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy.

Annually, one exceptional Club member is selected to be BGCA's National Youth of the Year, serving as an ambassador for

Boys & Girls Club youth as well as a voice for all of our nation’s young people. Over the decades, these individuals have

exemplified the Boys & Girls Club mission and are proof to the impact Clubs make in transforming and saving kids’ lives.

Becoming National Youth of the Year is an exciting and inspiring journey. Each year, thousands of Club teens participate in

local, state, and regional Youth of the Year events. Six teens, including five regional winners and a national military youth

winner, advance to Washington, D.C., for the National Youth of the Year Gala & Celebration Dinner, where one outstanding young

person is named Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national teen spokesperson. The National Youth of the Year is a role model,

leader, and advocate for the nearly 4 million youth served by Boys & Girls Clubs each year, and all of America’s young people.

Each local Club candidate is evaluated by an internal panel on the quality of personal essays, recommendation letters from teachers and Club staff members, academic transcripts, awards/recognition, and interviews. This year, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South had exceptionally qualified candidates compete for our Club’s Youth of the Year honor. Each finalist presented their achievements to a panel of our Board of Directors and The Phia Group. 

Sarah shines through her commitment, passion, optimism, and incredible achievements. Join BGCMS in wishing Sarah the best of luck as she moves on to compete in the Massachusetts Youth of the Year competition this spring against 39 other well-deserving candidates, with the ultimate goal to represent the Northeast Region and become National Youth of the Year!