Youth Related

ARC Programs is guided by our mission to provide excellent support, intervention, treatment, and rehabilitative services, to children, youth, and families in communities of the Interior Region of BC. ARC Programs provides a continuum of residential and community-based intervention, support, and treatment programs for high-risk youth. The programs have been developed to serve high-risk youth with specific needs.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Okanagan has been creating friendships since 1964. We started out matching Big Brothers with Little Brothers in Vernon and have grown to include a variety of different programs that serve both boys and girls (age 7 - 16) right across the Okanagan Valley from Salmon Arm down to Osoyoos. We are proud of our achievements and continue to strive to be on the leading edge of the Big Brothers Big Sisters movement in Canada.

Bullying.org's purpose is to eliminate bullying in our society by supporting individuals and organizations to take positive actions against bullying through the sharing of resources, and to guide and champion them in creating non-violent solutions to the challenges and problems associated with bullying.

The Career Contact Centre for Youth is an employment resource centre which provides FREE access to a ton of services. We are funded by Service Canada and operated by the YMCA-YWCA of the Central Okanagan.

The Central Okanagan Foundation is first and foremost a "Community Foundation"; a trusted place where donors go to give and a place that charitable groups go for support in their valuable endeavours.
We are the link between donors who care and causes that matter.
The Central Okanagan Foundation is about empowerment and relevance. We are synonymous with the handing down through generations of the actionable and fulfilling gift of giving.
This we believe to be the true definition of a legacy.
We are not about donations alone. Instead, our true power is in entrusting future generations to make a difference themselves to their community, relevant to their times and their community’s needs.
The Central Okanagan Foundation is a tribute to and a celebration of those who have given, but it is also equally a celebration of those to whom the legacy of giving is passed. It is the empowering of others to give, not simply the result of that gift itself that is so distinct, powerful and fulfilling.
We are YOUR community foundation. Today, tomorrow ... FOREVER.

Research shows that the average overall community prevalence rate for mental disorders in children and youth is 15%.
This means that in BC, approximately 140,000 children and youth experience mental disorders causing significant distress and impairing their functioning at home, at school, with peers, or in the community.
These mental disorders include any anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, any depressive disorder, substance abuse, pervasive development disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, Tourette's disorder, any eating disorder and bipolar disorder.
To reduce the burden of suffering resulting from children's mental illness, child and youth mental health services are offered throughout British Columbia by the Ministry for Children and Family Development (MCFD). These services provide a wide range of community-based specialized mental health services to mentally ill children and their families.

CASEY's mandate is to prevent and ultimately eliminate the sexual exploitation of children and youth in Kelowna and other communities by raising public awareness, education and working cooperatively with enforcement and direct service agencies. Our focus is to involve youth in all of our operations and we have employed experiential youth in all of our programs.

THE CHALLENGE ... the teen years are more complex than they were just ten years ago. Youth are spending more time alone. Strong, extended families and neighborhoods are disappearing. Society lacks general agreement on core values. All of today's youth are at risk.
THE SOLUTION ... to promote positive change in families, schools, and the community in order to create a safe social climate for children and families.
OUR VISION ... to create a community in which youth are physically, emotionally, and spiritually whole.
OUR MISSION ... to build a network of supportive adults and older youth to help young people successfully navigate their questioning years.
OUR TARGET ... young people during their high risk, decision making years (primarily 12 - 15) and older youth and adults who directly support them. Our focus is the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, in particular, in the city of Kelowna.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, designed with great care by a small team in 1956, is a means to encourage and motivate all youth over the age of 14 years to voluntarily become involved in a variety of personal development activities, including Community Service, Expeditions, Skills and Physical Recreation. Hence, each young person who undertakes this Program has to select one activity under each of these four headings, thus gaining exposure to such new experiences as social responsibility and adventure training.

We're proud that Junior Achievement remains a world-recognized leader in the delivery of business education programs for young people. Since 1955. Junior Achievement students in Canada have participated in our experiential learning programs to discover free enterprise, understand business and economics and develop their entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

We Provide quality entertainment, education and enrichment through the performing arts.

The Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society is a non-profit organization working with/for First Nations people, but our doors and our programs are open to everyone. The society was created to meet the needs of the First Nations people in Kelowna and surrounding area. We meet these needs by providing social, educational, healing and celebratory programs that help people to enhance their lifestyle and we encourage all First Nations people to retain their heritage. Newspaper clippings and information available on housing and employment opportunities are posted daily for your information. We have on file a list of social services agencies and non-profit organizations in the community. (I.E., Food Bank, Share, Salvation Army, etc.)
Our Drop-In Area is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Please drop in for a cup of coffee and a friendly chat.

We're Canada's only toll-free, 24-hour, bilingual and anonymous phone counselling, referral and Internet service for children and youth. Every day, professional counsellors provide immediate, caring support to young people in urban and rural communities across the country. The service is completely, anonymous and confidential - we don't trace calls, we don't use call display. You don't even have to tell us your name if you don't want to.

There is no single factor that puts youth at risk. "Live Free" is about empowering YOU to make informed and healthy choices that affect all aspects of you day-to-day life. It is about living free of disease, discrimination, embarrassment, addiction, guilt, abuse and shame. It is also about learning to reach out and access information, resources and assistance from safe and knowledgeable sources.

The McCreary Youth Foundation aims to work in partnership with community and philanthropic organizations, government and the private sector to develop and fund programs and policies that can make a tangible difference in the lives of B.C.'s young people.

The National Youth in Care Network exists to voice the opinions and concerns of youth in and from care and promote the improvement of services for them.
We are the only national constituency-driven consumer-focused organization in the child welfare sector. We are the longest-running national child welfare organization in Canada, and the oldest national youth-directed organization in Canada.

Nights Alive Program is a community based crime prevention programs designed to develop youth, police and community partnerships that promote opportunities for youth to get involved in recreational programs after hours. The program offers youth positive alternatives to crime and violence by involving them in identifying, developing and leading youth activities and learning new skills. The Nights Alive Program is offered at the Armstrong-Spallumcheen Boys and Girls Club Youth Centre on Friday nights from 7:00pm to 10:45 pm.

The old red brick school house on the corner of Richter and Lawrence was originally a graded city school housing students from the earliest recorded year of 1913.* After the high school students moved, in 1939, the Glen Avenue Elementary School came into being to support the primary school population of Kelowna. Building additions of an office and a gym, with heating and wiring upgrades allowed school district 23 to teach children in the downtown community until 1985 when it shut its doors as an elementary school. In 1987, in a partnership with the City of Kelowna Department of Leisure Services, the Central Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs moved into the main level of the old Glen Avenue School , filling the old halls with youth once again. It soon became apparent that there was a need in the community for expanded programs for youth and together with the Kelowna Jaycees and the City of Kelowna, the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs today offer a rich variety of programming and services for youth at the Jaycees Downtown Youth Centre.

Operation Go Home works to help street-involved and at-risk youth from all over Canada through the Five Pillars of services and programs: Drop-In, Education, Employment, Outreach, and Reunite.

Our P.A.R.T.Y. is an acronym, which stands for Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth.
P.A.R.T.Y. focuses on making smart choices. You are going to see some people who unfortunately made some pretty bad choices or who had someone make a bad choice for them and are now having to live with the consequences. And these are the ones who survived.

Penny Lane Transition Home is a secure, safe shelter for homeless youth at risk to assist them in the transition to stable, affordable and suitable accommodation or reconciliation with families.

Each club or centre creates a safe, supportive environment where children and youth experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop confidence and skills for life.

Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs is a leading provider of programs to children and youth that support the healthy physical, educational and social development of over 5,000 young people and their families each year. Our dedicated, trained staff and volunteers offer after-school programs in physical recreation, technology, the arts, personal growth and more. Our clubs and Youth Centres also provide meals, family support programs, emergency shelter and other supports to children and youth at risk.

Welcome to the YMCA-YWCA of the Central Okanagan. A community-based, charitable organization, the YMCA-YWCA is dedicated to providing individuals and families with positive experiences to grow healthy in spirit, mind and body.

Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs is a leading provider of programs to children and youth that support the healthy physical, educational and social development of over 5,000 young people and their families each year.

The Crisis Centre is a professional and caring organization staffed by counsellors and trained volunteers who are committed to helping youths in crisis.

The LifeSavers Program was first initiated in the fall of 2002 by a small group of secondary school students. They wanted to create a student driven program to provide support and education to their peers following the loss of three students to suicide.

Your online source for youth suicide prevention information and resources.

Get the vibe on youth life...The source for information about programs and services available for youth at the community level and beyond.