Boys & Girls Clubs of King County is dedicated to creating safe and healthy environments for all of our

youth. Over the past 24 months, we have experienced more than ever before the importance of providing support for our kiddos’ mental health. As youth grow and develop so do their emotional regulation capacities, but this requires them to have safe spaces to work through their emotions in healthy ways.

This is why our Clubs have Calm Down Spaces/Corners. They are spaces, in each of our Clubs, that are there for youth to use when they are feeling overwhelmed.

Calm Down Corners are used by one youth at a time, allowing them a safe space in supervised privacy to calm down and work through their emotions. Calm Down Spaces are all equipped with Calm Down Kits, which include things like, noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, breathing balls, mats, squishy/stress balls, and educational tools that help the youth identify their emotions.

Boys & Girls Clubs of King County was able to provide Calm Down Kits for each of our Clubs because of Best Starts for Kids grant funding that was given to organizations across King County to support the mental health of our youth. We are thankful for the ways in which our community has come together to support the health of our youth. We hope that our Calm Down Spaces/Corners will continue to empower our youth as they

learn and grow into healthy adults.