There are big changes coming for the Boys and Girls Club of Yorkton. The club is growing, and has a new space for their middle years programming. The club now needs to renovate that space, and hopes to get the community involved in their project through the Aviva Community Fund.
Lorraine Moeller, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Yorkton, says it has been a long-term vision for the club to expand into the space for the middle years programming, and they were finally able to expand into the space this year. Programming has begun in the space at the beginning of the school year. Putting all of the Boys and Girls Club programs into one building makes it easier for families to take advantage of programming, with Moeller describing it as a “one stop shop” – teenagers who have to take care of younger siblings can take them to the middle years program, and then go to the existing teen centre in the basement of the building.
The space in use now is only half of the space in the building. Large rooms in the back of the building are available to the club, but they need to completely renovate them to make them usable.
The plan is to use the space for different programs, such as gross motor learning for 0-5 year olds, a bigger play area for middle years children, as well as having additional capacity for kids in day camps on days when kids do not have school.
“It just means more kids, more programs we can offer, more service to the community, more kids we can fit at any given program because we have that extra space to expand.”
More kids are taking part in the activities currently on offer at the Boys and Girls club. From April 2015 to March 2016, there were 14,106 visits to the Boys and Girls club, but Moeller predicts significantly higher numbers this year, saying that usage of the program has doubled in both middle years and teen services.
Apart from making the space usable, they also intend on making the space more welcoming to kids as well.
“There are a lot of kids that spend five hours a day with us. That’s a big chunk of time, so you want them to feel comfortable and welcome and like they have a place that’s for them.”
The goal is to adapt to what the community needs, and Moeller says that having more space allows them to do that.
“There’s always another need, another gap to fill, something that needs to be done... Having this dedicated space gives us so much more freedom, because you have access whenever you need it. You’re not trying to find facility space that’s available at certain times and balancing schedules. We have space whenever we need it and we can do whatever the community needs with it.”
For example, one of the needs in the community is their nutrition programming. The cooking program is more popular than the current kitchen space will allow, so kitchen expansion will be an important part of the renovations. While splitting the class into two nights has helped, a larger kitchen is needed.
Another goal for the renovations is to make the building more accessible. That means building a new deck on the front of the building with ramps as well as make the bathrooms barrier-free.
“That’s always our goal with our programs, to reduce barriers. Whether it’s a physical barrier, a financial barrier – the vast majority of the programs we offer have absolutely no charge for the child or the family to participate. We like to be located in a central location, if transportation is the barrier... We’re not limited to kids from certain groups, it’s about being accessible because every child has a need.”
The new area is named Jordan’s Place after the son of the building’s owners, who lost his life in a car accident.
“It’s kind of the perfect partnership... They’ve always had a tie to Boys and Girls Club and a passion for what we do and an interest in the community and kids.”
The total budget for the project is $153,000, and the hope is to get $100,000 from the Aviva Community Fund. To do that, they need votes. To vote, people can visit avivacommunityfund.org. The deadline to vote is October 28. The club is the only Yorkton organization currently in the competition. Everyone who signs up gets 18 votes for a project of their choosing, and the Boys and Girls Club project is Idea 16-503.
“You know someone who uses our services, even if you don’t realize it. If people think it’s a worthy project and could give us four minutes of their time to go on to Aviva, register to vote, and cast their votes, it’s quick and painless.”
