ABOUT US

The Youth Club of Trinidad is an out-of-school time program that promotes youth development.  We provide young people ages 5-17 with opportunities to engage in programs that help them achieve academic success, take charge of their health by building healthy habits that stick with them throughout their lives, and foster the skills they need to be active in their communities.

We ensure that every child that walks through club doors has their needs met. By collaborating with families, schools, and other partners in the community, our club can provide an environment for learning and growing. Our staff of professionals delivers well-rounded and innovative programs to our club members.

Our summer program includes swimming, yoga, local field trips, guest speakers, gardening, and leadership classes. During the school year, we offer homework help and tutoring. Year-round programs that we currently provide are arts and crafts, kitchen fun, Broadway Bound, cheer,  STEM stations, storytime, Our model rocket and cheer programs were both successful. We  discovered that the children enjoy Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) activities and have been incorporating more of these kinds of activities into our schedule. The children also enjoy cooking, so we plan fun and easy snacks they can make. We encourage our members to let us know if they would like to try activities and things they would like to learn and then do our best to incorporate those into our schedule.

BACKGROUND

The Youth Club of Trinidad, Inc. (TYC) was founded in 2016 by Carlos Lopez, who saw an inherent need for an afterschool program in Trinidad, CO. TYC opened its doors on May 26, 2017, to area youth ages 6-17. Our primary focus areas include academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy eating/active living. Our activities include academics & enrichment, community service projects, field trips, and physical activity & nutrition.  TYC has evolved in response to the needs of the youth we serve. We have discovered that the majority of the youth we serve are in kindergarten through fifth grade, but are working to increase participation of youth in middle school and high school. Our programs evolve to better fit the needs of the youth we serve.

INCLUSIVENESS

Our program uses a positive youth development approach by promoting a sense of safety, providing an appropriate structure, creating supportive relationships, providing opportunities to belong, providing positive social norms, providing youth with responsibilities and challenges, providing opportunities for skill-building, coordinating family, school, and community programming. We utilize a holistic approach to help children focus on their strengths and build on them in a safe, inclusive environment. We encourage our youth to tell us what kind of programs and activities they would like for us to include and then encourage them to try new things and pursue their interests. Meaningful partnerships have been established with community organizations to provide community service and engagement in an inclusive environment where children learn to respect diversity and promote social connections while developing a positive cultural identity and interacting in a diverse society.