Youth Club’s outreach program growing

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore Youth Club’s outreach program is seeing successes.
According to Shannon Zieman, director for the Youth Club of Strathmore, although the outreach program is fairly new, it has proven to be important and effective.
“The program has really grown and is doing some really good stuff,” she said at the recent Town of Strathmore council meeting, where she was updating councillors on the youth club happenings.
The youth club partners with Crowther Memorial Junior High School and Strathmore High School to bring programs to youth. The club has an outreach worker that works with students on a daily basis to try to ensure lasting connections outside of school.
“The outreach is a growing need in our community and maybe not one that everybody is recognizing,” said Zieman. “We have just put in a grant to help with the youth homelessness issue in town as well.”
Zieman has put in a grant to help support the club’s outreach worker as a stepping stone towards dealing with youth homelessness.
“The number of kids who are couch surfing is astronomically high or higher than what it should be and also we have kids sleeping in the parks,” said Zieman. “Kids are being pushed off from family member to family member because going home is not an option, so it is definitely an area where we need to do a little bit more work.”
Strathmore town councillor Denise Peterson commented that when the Strathmore overnight shelter conducted a needs assessment, the shelter saw a significant number of homeless youth in this community.
“Even I was really surprised,” said Peterson.
Another idea that is in the earliest stages: “Looking at the opportunity for the youth centre to possibly house homeless youth at some point,” said Zieman.
The youth club also runs a lunch program Tuesdays and Thursdays. It has increased from 1,500 lunches to 1,921 lunches over the 2015-2016 school year.
Some of these lunches were vouchered, free lunches; however, some individuals purchased lunches. In addition, the club offers a free snack program that was made possible through a partnership with the food bank.
The club also offers a fusion program and Zieman said kids attending the program have the opportunity to go to different places such as a movie or the Flying Squirrel indoor trampoline fun park in Calgary.
“They’re going out and doing something, they’re not just hanging out,” said Zieman.
According to Zieman, the fusion program has become more popular and there are upwards of 20 kids coming to those events. One hundred and eighty youth were served in these types of events over the 2015 year.
“When we started back in 2009, we had 12 kids attending our club programs,” said Zieman. “We have 541 youth throughout the year (now).”
Over the 2015-2016 school year, the club served 297 one-time kids from September to August.
“That (number) does not reflect the outreach programs of the lunch and fusion,” said Zieman, who added the club is on track to increase memberships this year.
Going forward, Zieman is looking towards new programs for the Youth Club. For instance, the club is looking at getting more information regarding a weekend meal backpack program, which essentially provides a hamper full of food within a backpack. Students would be able to take the backpacks home to support their family over the weekend.
Zieman said the support the youth club has received from the Town of Strathmore has been a “huge asset” in helping to provide services for the youth.