Meet Our 2024 Youth of the Year!
By Maty Swartz
The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Billerica (BGCGB) is thrilled to announce Emmy Fitzpatrick as our Club’s 2024 Youth of the Year (YOY) winner. YOY is Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier recognition experience and the highest honor a Club kid can receive. Each year, one exceptional Club member is selected to compete in the national YOY program, serving as an ambassador for their fellow Club members as well as a voice for young people across the nation.
Emmy has a long history with BGCGB—both as a Club and staff member. Emmy first became involved with BGCGB through the School Club at Dutile Elementary School. Emmy’s sister worked at the Dutile School Club, so she would often find herself spending time outside and shadowing other staff. From there, Emmy would go on to attend BGCGB’s Afterschool Program when she was in middle school. During her time in the Afterschool Program, Emmy was highly involved at BGCGB, always trying to lend a helping hand to her fellow Club members and playing on the girls’ basketball team.
After two years at the Club, Emmy wanted to take her participation to the next level. She decided it was time to become a part of the BGCGB staff. Emmy originally applied to work at the Dutile School Club when she was just 15 years old. She was too young to secure a position at the time, but Emmy didn’t let that stop her. As soon as she turned 16, she called BGCGB’s Childcare Director and asked if she could be interviewed for the position now that she was of age. Naturally, Emmy’s professionalism, tenacity, and passion for BGCGB landed her the gig.
As Emmy plans for her future after high school, she attributes her aspirations to working at the Boys & Girls Club. Being around younger children at the Dutile School Club, she says, has fortified her interest in becoming a teacher. As a staff member, she can see firsthand the impact that a positive role model can make in a child’s life, as well as the importance of building relationships with families as a whole.
Emmy also adds that working in the Billerica school system has taught her many skills that she hopes to use as an educator one day. Particularly, Emmy says that working with families has improved her communication skills, helped her gain confidence in her leadership abilities, and enhanced her sense of professionalism. She has to speak with parents about a variety of things that happen at the Dutile School Club, and she has learned to articulate expectations to a group of kids in a way that is clear and age-appropriate. Emmy has also learned how seemingly inconsequential things like maintaining a consistent program schedule can help make youth more successful in a classroom setting.
With Emmy’s dedication to BGCGB, her passion for education, and her willingness to learn, it is easy to see why she was selected as this year’s YOY—both a responsibility and a title she doesn’t view lightly.
“I want to always represent myself as a role model,” Emmy says. “Especially for younger members. I love making them feel welcome. I know that sometimes when kids are in a new place, a smiling face can make all the difference.”
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