INDIANAPOLIS — As part of the Youth Alternatives to Violence and Crime (YATVAC) series, we look at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, which has served the community for more than a century.

The clubs provide children with a safe environment to learn and grow away from the threat of crime. One example is Jeremiah, a 15-year-old Indianapolis teen who faced jail time for theft before the court intervened.

“What caused you to be in this program? Court. The judge told me to come here.”

Jeremiah said he immediately realized the club was the best place to stay out of trouble and learn accountability, a trait he said he lacked.

“It was a lot of excuses. I had an excuse for everything, instead of just manning up for it,” Jeremiah said.

A caring team helped Jeremiah transform. Arron Tekle, a club mentor, is a success story himself. He went from needing help to guiding other young people referred to the club toward a better path.

“I think if I never got to go to the club, I would probably be in jail or dead.”

Tekle first came to the club in trouble, much like the boys he mentors now. On probation for stealing a moped at 16, he faced jail or community service. A judge ordered him to attend the Boys & Girls Club, which changed his life.

“I was on house arrest for three years. I didn’t know if i had to stay for the whole three years. When I went back to court, they told me I would have to be here at the Boys and Girls Club for three years,” Tekle said.

Through court and school district referrals, the five Boys & Girls Clubs across Indianapolis provide recreation and outreach that changes lives. Success happens one teen at a time.

“It shows you like, what life has for you, and makes you notice what you could actually be.”