Meet Amber A., the 2025 Junior Youth of the Year
For years, Amber A. was an occasional Club kid. She would come some days after school, maybe work on her homework, find something to do in the games room, hang out outside and pal around with her friends. She didn’t come as often as others and very rarely over the summer. In fact, she was vehemently against it. That is, until her mother dragged her out of bed the summer after third grade.
“She didn’t want me to just lie there all day and brain rot,” Amber said. “So she took me to the Club.”
While Amber had always been a Club kid, that summer would end up being a transformational one for her on her Club journey. She slowly transitioned to daily life at the Club where she found a group of people that were willing to listen to her, including her soon-to-be friend Imaan. They broke her out of her shell. She learned from them. She learned to care, to listen, to help and to be accepting of people around her. While Amber formed her tight group of friends, she was always willing to let new people in and make others around her feel welcome.
Amber’s involvement in the Club soon grew. After attending less during the school year, she found herself missing the place she first dreaded coming to. When summer came, she began attending more and more, even when her mom doesn’t make her, and joined her Torch Club and then Keystone Club. Amber’s dedication to service, both around her Club and around her community, has the chance to shine through in these groups. She held a leadership position in Torch Club, built for our tween members, and is learning the ropes of Keystone hoping to become an officer one day soon. Her face has become a familiar one to the younger members, running the snack shack several times a week after school.
“I used to feel invisible all the time, but the Club helped me feel seen. The staff here really do help more than just what they’re paid to do. They really mean something not only to me but to many other children who feel the same way.
Perhaps the biggest benefit for Amber has been the Club’s emotional wellness programs. A girl who had struggled with introversion, a lack of friends or self-confidence, is now this year’s Junior Youth of the Year. Going through a rigorous competition, giving a speech in front of hundreds of people and now representing the Club are things little Amber never could have imagined, and are now things seventh-grade Amber strives for.
“The Club is why I have enough confidence to meet new people and wish for new experiences.”
Amber has met countless lifelong friends at the Club and is always a quick ask away from being incredibly helpful. She has big dreams, and she has the skills and tools to go out and seek them. For Amber, anything seems possible now thanks to the Club, the staff and all the people she’s met along the way.