A $7,500 grant from the Maine Community Foundation Penobscot County Fund is helping the Bangor Y provide a new afterschool youth development opportunity, the Afterschool Adventure Program, for 5th, 6th, and 7th grade youth in Greater Bangor.  Program activities include games and initiatives that introduce youth to new skill-building adventures which require team work, goal setting, creativity, and problem solving while also providing an opportunity for youth to get to know each other and make new friends.

Like many Bangor Y youth development programs, the Afterschool Adventure Program is based on the Search Institute’s philosophy that the more assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in risky behaviors.  The Adventure Program focuses most on those assets that reinforce positive values, social competencies and developing a positive identity.  Activities are designed to help youth make positive choices, reduce stress, manage their emotions, a