By reducing personal barriers, we serve youth who are: 

• 12-18 years of age,
• Located in Calgary and surrounding areas, and
• Want to give back to their community.

 Youth Central empowers youth to find and build their communities. We offer: 

• Group based volunteering,
• Leadership committees,
• Life skill development, and
• Dynamic opportunities to get involved and give back.

We need help with:

Since January 2020, we have seen 185% increase in youth registering to volunteer with Youth Central.  This has created an urgent need for financial support to meet this growing demand. Our highest priority areas right now include funding for:

• Additional staff
• Project supplies
• Volunteer recognition

 

The need for our services: 

Since the onset of the pandemic youth have faced a social disconnect that previous generations have not experienced. The situation calls for a robust effort to help young people reconnect their social and community ties. The demand for youth driven programming and support is the highest we’ve seen in 30 years. Since early 2022, each month we see steady growth with 20-30 new sign ups to our volunteer database.

According to a recent survey on the impact of Covid-19 on youth in Canada, 49% of youth indicated that one of the biggest challenges they faced was isolation and loneliness. The shift from in-person to remote learning was also identified as a key challenge for 33% of the youth that were surveyed (P6 Mental Health Commission of Canada). These numbers reflect the critical need for renewed social opportunities for young people to connect with their peers and community. We are meeting this need with meaningful volunteer opportunities for youth in Calgary.

Currently Youth Central connects with over 1,200 youth annually through our programming. Youth who engage with Youth Central are empowered by: 

• Connecting with others;
• Gaining confidence and empathy;
• Developing communication, leadership, decision making and time management skills; and,
• Building a greater understanding of the needs of their community.

How? 

We believe youth should volunteer and be involved in social change efforts in all levels of community. To do this we collaborate with nearly 100 local organizations to provide meaningful volunteer and leadership opportunities.

We recruit youth through:

• Community and school presentations,
• Targeted partner agencies, and
• Word of mouth.

We have a unique approach to youth engagement. Youth Central is a welcoming and safe place that is 100% driven by youth. We value equal engagement between youth and staff, where individual strengths, ideas and opinions are respected and encouraged. We prioritize:

• Teamwork,
• Power sharing,
• Creativity,
• Community connection, and,
• Critical reflection.

Impact

Youth choose us because we are accessible, inclusive, and relevant. They trust their perspectives and opinions will matter to us. They know that we will honour their voice. All of our programs, projects, and leadership opportunities, everything we do is informed by youth.

• “I was ecstatic when my goddaughter wanted to volunteer in the community. A quick search revealed that Youth Central was recruiting volunteers in Calgary.  In a short span of time, she’s made a big difference and I have watched her grow personally and professionally. She has met other like minded youth through this organization. Importantly, she has learned the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion by working with people from different walks of life.” – Guardian
• “I just wanted to thank all of you for helping make this year with Youth Central another great one! I’m always so grateful that I can come to any project and feel like I’m talking to a friend!” – Youth volunteer
• “I loved the opportunity to work on a project that entirely surrounded youth. Getting to empower other youth in Calgary to prompt change was so rewarding!” – Youth Volunteer
• “I am the parent of a youth who struggles with addictions. I spoke to my son about volunteering with Youth Central as a way to give back to the community. My son has had the opportunity to volunteer with Youth Central which has allowed him to contribute and make a difference towards many causes and organizations such as Alzheimer Society of Calgary and Calgary Drop-In Centre. Over the course of a few months, I noticed he has become more engaging, empathetic and caring. It has also provided him an alternative way to cope. I am grateful that he has had this opportunity to give back to his community in a very meaningful way.” Guardian

How can you help?

• Making a financial donation to support our mission and programming
• Donations for volunteer recognition.  For example, grocery store gift cards for snacks and food