Thanks to you, we’ve been able to change the futures of vulnerable youth in Calgary.
Calgary’s vulnerable youth deserve a future where they can be successful and thrive.
The reality is that many kids in under-the-radar Calgary communities face daunting challenges in life. Economically, socially, academically and with their mental health.
This is not their fault. Cyclical poverty, social isolation and chronic stress are very real in our city. Without a leg up, these youth will face even greater challenges as adults.
That’s where we come in.
We give kids whose lives are subject to chaos and uncertainty a welcoming home-like place, stability, nutritious food, help with homework, and healthy connections they may not have access to elsewhere.
These simple opportunities can be life-altering.
Our programs are designed to help youth reach their full potential and help break the cycles of poverty that prevent them from becoming healthy, strong, contributing members of society.
YCC operates out of welcoming, warm, home-like settings within walking distance of school or home in vulnerable communities.
Every day after school and during the breaks, kids aged 9-15 run to our centre for healthy snacks, a conversation with a university student role model, access to technology, a chance to play a sport, take a free music lesson, read a book in a quiet reading space, and paint a canvass. After a hot dinner, served by a mom, they do a chore and take a cookie for the walk home (most of them to Calgary Housing).
We are open every weekday during after-school hours when youth are most at risk of getting into or causing trouble.
Police and studies show that with safe spaces like ours, crime goes down, high school graduation goes up, kids don’t get into as much trouble, gang membership goes down, and families are supported.
And it works because of the many, incredibly generous, compassionate people in this city who make Youth Centres of Calgary’s safe spaces a reality for many of Calgary’s youth.
Calgary Youth Centres proven model for positively impacting vulnerable youth includes the following guiding principles:
With these core systems in place and donor support, YCC has plans to open more centres in other Calgary communities in need.
Friends,💚 Imagine a world where all kids have access to safe and supportive spaces to relax and play after school, a world where kids get their homework done, spend time with new friends and eat as much healthy and nutritious food as they need to satisfy their hunger. A world where families from all backgrounds…
It’s been a busy time at YCC Youth Centres of Calgary, with donors, staff and volunteers preparing holiday gift boxes for families, and supporting the kids who continue to arrive at our doors every day. The YCC Ogden and Forest Lawn centres offer a ‘third space’ for young people, safe, supportive, and independent of family…
🧡💛 Impressionable and vulnerable youth are grateful for the privilege of attending our centres every day. It’s not easy being a kid, even at the best of times. As always, the kids are safe and happy at our “home away from home”. Your support is key to our continued success. 🧡💛 As fall turns to…
We believe that youth have the right to healthy ‘out of school’ support that sets them on a path to breaking cycles of poverty.
We empower youth to contribute to their choices and wellbeing, to their family, and to their community.
We embrace the unique identities and experiences of all and model respect for self, volunteers, friends, and property.
We value our position as a trusted grassroots community service, and we commit to accountability, transparency, and efficiency for responsible use of all our resources.
Locating in the most vulnerable communities, we reduce the financial, physical, and emotional impacts of poverty for youth and their families, giving youth a chance to grow and succeed by providing a safe and inclusive space where:
Join others who have made a significant difference in the communities of Ogden and Forest Lawn with the youth we serve every day!
Some of the ways you can be involved in changing real lives: