Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Wales

Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Wales is a national youth work organisation (Charity Number 1009142); which offers support and assistance to youth throughout the most deprived areas of Wales. Founded in 1922, the charity first began as a Boys' Club in Treharris as a place for young males to retreat to for leisure and education after working in the coal mines. Since then, Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Wales has expanded throughout the whole of Wales, offering opportunities to both boys' and girls' aged 11-25 years.

Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Wales offers opportunities for young people resident in disadvantaged areas of Wales to enhance their skillset and employability prospects through their transition into adulthood. The organisation currently has over 170 affiliated clubs in Wales, with over 30,000 youth taking part in its activities and 3,500 volunteers gaining experience in a variety of environments. The organisation's main purpose, as stated in the constitution is "to assist in the process of moral, cultural, mental and physical development of young people, so as to ensure a smooth transition into adulthood and its responsibilities."

In 1922 the first Boys' Club opened in Treharris, founded by Captain John Glynn-Jones (Captain Glynn ) and David Davies. Captain Glynn was the welfare officer of Davies' Ocean Group of Collieries, which had coal mines all across South Wales. Captain Glynn had become concerned with the welfare of what were known as "collier boys", youth working in the mines, and developed the idea of a club boys could join that would encourage cultural activities, discipline and a healthy lifestyle. Other clubs followed the Treharris club, opening in Nantymoel, Ton Pentre, Treorchy, Wattstown and Nine Mile Point.

Captain Glynn, believing unity between clubs should be fostered, eventually the idea of a camp where members of different clubs could attend. The first of two of these camps, the St Athan Boys' Camp, opened in 1925, with the second, the Abercrave Adventure Centre, opening in 1958. In August 1928, after a meeting of Boys' Club leaders at the St Athan camp, the various existing clubs united as The South Wales Federation of Boys' Clubs.

In 1936 a process of decentralisation took place. This allowed larger clubs to become responsible for local satellite clubs. The majority of leaders for these clubs came from the larger 'parent' clubs, instead of having leaders travel large distances to and from clubs. There where twelve club areas in the region of South Wales after this took effect.

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