Centre offers programs for Saskatoon youth

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Youth living in Saskatoon's inner core have a new place to go to enjoy sports, crafts, or just socializing with friends, at the Saskatoon City Centre.

The centre, located at 602 - 20th St. West, officially opened its doors Dec. 19.

"What we're trying to do is offer a wide variety of holistic programs for children in need, to meet all their different needs - health, fitness, mental and spiritual," said Gary Beaudin, executive director of the centre.

"We kind of work from a child-centred philosophy - children's needs met in a healthy way."

"Basically the aim is to provide healthy educational learning and physical programs to the children and families in this community," Beaudin said.

The centre, he explained, will help to fill existing gaps, providing programs and services that up until now haven't been accessible to families in the area, by providing the programs in the neighborhood, and providing them free of charge.

Creation of the centre was the result of a joint effort by the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon District Health, the Saskatoon Tribal Council and the Metis Urban Council. The project also received funding from Western Economic Diversification, which helped with the cost of renovations to transform a former grocery store into the new centre, and from Canadian Heritage, which provided funds for programming through the Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres (UMAYC) initiative.

The new centre boasts a large gymnasium, workshop, fitness room, and a large commercial kitchen where life skills programming can be offered. An addictions worker, Elder services and a primary health care worker are located on site, as well as counselling services, some dental services, and a preschool.

Sports and crafts programs are currently being offered to youth at the centre, as well as educational programs and social activities. And although the majority of programs offered are geared to children and youth, some family programs are also offered, including some parenting programs.

Among the projects currently in development are an education program geared to kids who have been out of the school system for quite a while, after school programs, and martial arts and self-defense classes.

Beaudin said once a schedule of programs has been developed, the centre staff will produce a newsletter or monthly calendar and distribute it in the community to let everyone know what programs are available.

Saskatoon City Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

For more information about Saskatoon City Centre and the programs and services offered there, call the centre at 306-653-7676.