A Federal Way teen has received a big honor. The Boys & Girls Club Teen Center named him Youth of the Year.
Jaylen Green, 18, said years of going to the club helped him escaped many of the pitfalls of the streets and find himself, in the process.
“I started going to the Boys & Girls Club when I was 9,” said Green.
When you think of the Boys & Girls Club you picture games and sports, but Green says he’s learned so much more.
"How to meet people, how to greet people, how to tie a tie, how to dance, how to cook typical things like that,” Green explained.
Nine years ago, Green and his mom moved to Federal Way from South Carolina.
“People could barely understand me because of my southern accent,” said Green. “You would expect me to act a certain way and I wouldn't act that way, and so I was picked on.”
At the Boys & Girls Club, he escaped the bullying and avoided a path in life that could have taken him towards gangs or the streets.
“I definitely had friends that had been in the same place as me and they've gone down different roads, and it hurts to see that because they're very dear people to me,” he said.
In addition to the Boys & Girls Club, Green says his mother and his church helped keep him focused. He’s in his senior year of high school, taking multimedia college classes, and has his own YouTube channel.
Program Director Louie Grill said Green has worked hard to move forward.
“Jaylen's always been running. It's been pretty easy to talk to someone when they are just that motivated to try and take control of their life,” said Grill.
Grill says investing in teens like Jaylen is critical.
“Boys & Girls Club is the second part of that family we've lost in our society,” he explained. “They come here and we know each kid's name. There are kids here that have never had an adult tell them that they're proud of them.”
Green is still a regular at the club but more and more sees his role as a leader or mentor to other kids.