Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster & Gardner

The Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster engages youth, ages 8-18 in innovative educational and recreational programming. As a STEAM-focused Club (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), we offer programming to youth in the Fitchburg and Leominster area, providing additional opportunities for youth to practice and reinforce the skills they learn in school.  Our programs seek to assist youth to develop into educated, healthy and moral adults.  

While continuously evolving, our programs seek to engage young people in ways that develop creativity and positive self-identity. The philosophy underlying our youth development programs seeks to instill in young people a sense of:

Competence - the feeling that there is something they can do well

Usefulness - that life is an opportunity to do something of value for other people

Belonging - a clubhouse environment where every individual knows he or she belongs and is accepted

Power and Influence - the self-esteem to speak up and be heard

We offer daily access to a broad range of programs in five Core Program Areas:

• Health and Life Skills
• The Arts
• Education & Career Development
• Sports, Fitness & Recreation
• Character & Leadership Development

Our Project Learn STEAM after school program and Summer Blast programs are different from many. Our Club is unique in our region in that our focus is primarily in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM), along with programs in health, nutrition, community service, entrepreneurship, and of course, recreation and sports. The Club provides youth an opportunity for hands-on activities to explore STEAM where they might not have the opportunity during the school day. Also, through community events such as our annual Central MA Science Festival, we are able to reach beyond our members and share our focus with the entire region. 

Our mission: To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.  We are situated in a former private school in a residential setting, surrounded by conservation land.  It is a unique site for a Boys & Girls clubhouse, with numerous classrooms, a gymnasium, outdoor play and study areas on 8 acres of land, surrounded by the 160 acre Doyle Conservation Center operated by the Trustees of Reservations. Our Club registered 10 youth in 2002. In 2008, we had over 400 registered. Today, we have over 600.