Youth and Volunteer Centre of Red Deer

The Boys and Girls Club has been serving Red Deer since 1983. Since the club’s doors opened more than 10,000 young people have passed through it’s doors. The Red Deer Club adopts a community based approach with respect to the programs and services offered. Kids like our programs because they are fun, parents like our programs because they’re safe, reputable, affordable and reliable. The club strongly believes and promotes the healthy development of children, by fostering a child’s sense of belonging, personal empowerment, achievement and skill development, self confidence, and the promotion of positive adult relationships. Collectively, these objectives serve to develop a solid foundation for the healthy development of all young people. The Red Deer club aspires a commitment to quality with respect to all its programs and services, and utilizes a strength based approach in working with young people. The Red Deer Club is proud to be one of more than 100 chartered member clubs across Canada serving more than 150,000 children and youth. Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada has been serving young people since the first club opened it’s doors in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1900. Today, the movement represents an organization that is dynamic, responsive to respective community needs and is second to none in providing safe and quality programs and services for children and youth across Canada.

The Red Deer Club programs have been recognized nationally, and has been the recipient of the “National Award of Excellence” for outstanding youth programs on four occasions.

• Camp Alexo (Residential Camps Program for children 7-18 years)
• David Thompson Ride For Youth (Adventure based life skills program for teens)
• Senior Pet Connection (Program connecting youth 10-12 years of age with seniors utilizing pets as the generational link)
• Waskasoo Keystone Club (Teen Club program for youth 13-17 years of age age)

Our programs offer;

• A unique strength based approach to working with children and youth. We recognize the importance of engaging and empowering children in activities that challenge and appeal to their natural sense of learning and adventure.
• A safe, fun place to go when school is out and there is nothing to do.
• A sense of strong guiding principles and values, which guide us in our work with children and youth.
• An accessible and affordable place to go for all young people.
• A mandated philosophy that utilizes available resources in response to identified community needs. Programs and services are developed in a community through a collaborative community based approach.
• A team of professional staff and dedicated volunteers.

The Red Deer Boys and Girls Club small and large group programs for children and youth 7 years of age and older. A team of qualified, and dedicated staff, with the support of more than 100 screened adult volunteer role models provide recreational, educational, social and life skills development opportunities for more than 300 young people annually. Some of the programs and services include;

• Community based clubs offering a variety of after-school and drop-in, and evening programs. The need for more community based programs in Red Deer and District is growing, and the Club is presently looking at further expansion of its community based club programs.
  1. Downtown Club
  2. North Hill Club
  3. Penhold Club
  4. Blackfalds Club
  5. Elnora Club
  

• Keystone Club offering members 13 years of age and older a program that focuses on leadership, education, career development, economic awareness, community service, and social recreation. This is a club run by teens for teens with the support of adult staff and volunteer advisors. Youth also participate in regional and national programs and events.

• Jump Start - is a community-based program that helps kids in financial need participate in organized sports and recreational activities. Launched in February in 2005 more than 24,200 kids across Canada have benefited from this program.

  The Red deer Club is proud to work in partnership with our local Canadian Tire stores to make a difference … one kid at a time.

  

• Torch Club offering members 10-12 years of age a small group program, similar to a junior Keystone Club. The focus is to provide opportunities to serve others, and gain a sense of responsibility that comes with making their own decisions. The concept here is “learn by doing” and “fun with a purpose”. Youth also participate in regionally sponsored Torch Club programs and events.
  

• After-school programs offer children 7-12 years of age a place to go during the immediate after school hours of 3:30pm – 6:00pm. Activities are many, and may include leisure, crafts, recreational sports, computer learning, homework club, nutrition break etc.
       

• Kids Net offers children and youth supervised access to computers. Resources provided through the support of Microsoft Canada and Telus.
  

• Drop-In sports offers youth weekly physical activity in a variety of recreational pursuits. (ie. floor hockey, basketball, skating/hockey – outdoor rink)

• AquaMAX is a program that uses the power of water to energize youth. This program represents a partnership between the agency, the Collicutt Centre, City of Red Deer and Enmax. Children and youth are able to access a variety of programs offered through the Enmax Water Park through a subsidy program of up to $100.00 per child that can be applied to any program. These subsidies are made available to 50 young people annually. The program emphasis is on the development of life skills and opportunity through an affordable, healthy and energizing program of activities.
                              

• R.Y.P.E.N. “Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment” offers teens 13-17 years of age with an opportunity to develop leadership and self skills through a diversified unique experiential program.
  

• David Thompson Ride For Youth offers youth 14 years of age and older a unique adventure based life skills opportunity. The program involves a combination of fitness training, nutrition education, specific skill development, fundraising and planning in preparation for a challenging 1200 km cycling trek through the Rocky Mountains.
  

• West Coast Challenge offers youth 16 years of age and older a unique adventure based life skills opportunity. The program involves a combination of fitness training, skill development, fundraising in preparation for challenging the world renowned 77km west coast trail.

• Leadership Development offers youth 13 years and older the opportunity to develop personal leadership skills. The philosophy of this approach is that not everyone wishes to be a leader, but everyone needs to be a leader of him/herself. Opportunities include community service, project planning and related organizational task skills, goal setting, and team building.

• Youth Emergency Shelter offers youth 12 -17 years of age a safe place to go when for whatever reason, or in crisis there is no place to go. Professionally trained staff provide a 24-hour residential facility that ensure youth receive food, shelter, compassion, and the guidance to assist in mobilizing available resources and developing an action plan to improve his/her situation.

• Arts a la carte offers young people an opportunity to work together on a variety of community artistic projects which are specifically designed to enhance the community with the support from young artistic talent. This is a collaborative project involving many community partners.

• Summer residential camp offers children and youth 7 years of age a unique wilderness based summer camp program through Camp Alexo. Camps are available for 7-9 years of age, 10-12 years of age, 13-15 years of age, in addition to a 9-day adventure based camp (Phoenix) and a teen leadership camp (Make Contact) for youth 13-17 years fo age.
  

• Counsellor in training program offers youth 14-17 years of age an opportunity to take part in a 6-week leadership development program, in addition to a 2-week practical experience leading children as a counsellor in a summer camp setting. This program is for young people who wish to develop skills so that they may lead others.
  

• Dream Take Flight offers young children 8-12 years of age with an opportunity to visit Disneyland, California. Child candidates must meet specific needs criteria, and have not had an opportunity such as this in the past. This annual program is sponsored through Air Canada and local community partners.