Alicia Jackson understands the importance of having a role model.

As a member of the Suffolk unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia, Jackson, who is now a junior at King’s Fork High School, has spent much of the past four years under the mentorship of staff and volunteers who have spent time helping her learn more about herself and about how to make positive decisions that will improve her future. That’s what the Boys and Girls Club is all about.

This year, though, the tables have turned, and Jackson — as a junior paid staffer with the program — is learning a bit about being a role model for others. That’s also what the Boys and Girls Club is all about.

For her participation and growth in the program, Jackson was recently named the Suffolk unit’s Youth of the Year. It’s a goal she had set for herself not long after joining the program in the seventh grade. Setting goals for oneself is also what the Boys and Girls Club is all about.

In her current role as a mentor and club leader, she has learned to apply the lessons she has learned since joining the club. She has begun the transformation from participant to leader. Creating leaders who will improve the world in which they live is also what Boys and Girls Club is all about.

Alicia Jackson gets what Boys and Girls Club is all about, and now she’s passing it along to a new generation. And that’s what it’s all about.