Summerside Boys and Girls Club Expands to Meet Demands for Programs
News Release
December 17, 2015 – Summerside, PE – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
The Boys and Girls Club of Summerside is undergoing a major expansion that will allow the Club to help hundreds of additional young people and their families.
The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, today announced the Government of Canada’s support for this expansion project. The Boys and Girls Club of Summerside will now be better positioned to meet the demand for increased youth programming, with assistance from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
For over 50 years, the Boys and Girls Club of Summerside has provided structured, supervised programming to help develop leadership skills among young people aged 4-12. Currently, about 3,000 young people are actively engaged in more than 20 programs, including summer camps and breakfast and after-school programs. The additional space and programming created through this expansion project will allow the Club to include youth aged 13-19, with an additional 500-800 youths and their families expected to participate in at least six expanded programs.
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada, through ACOA’s Innovative Communities Fund, is contributing $200,000 to this project.
- This project includes multiple renovations to the existing facilities, and the addition of a 5,900 square foot youth engagement centre, including meeting rooms, instructional rooms and recreational spaces.
- The Boys and Girls Club of Summerside first opened its doors in 1963. It is a not-for-profit organization and is managed by an eight-member board and employs 29 full-time workers, 90 seasonal employees, and has numerous volunteers.
Quotes
“As the leaders of tomorrow, our youth need a variety of opportunities to develop skills that will help them contribute to their communities for many years to come. The Boys and Girls Club of Summerside is a valuable piece of social infrastructure in Prince Edward Island that engages young people in a meaningful way, helping them to develop valuable life skills.”
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
“The Boys and Girls Club of Summerside has had a long standing of excellence in assisting youth develop into healthy, confident contributing adults in our community. Providing a safe, caring and educational environment through stimulating programs helps our youth reach their full potential. Congratulations to the Boys and Girls Club of Summerside for recognizing changing trends and striving to provide these many services to our youth."
- Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont
“The Boys and Girls Club of Summerside has built the Youth Engagement Centre in an effort to inspire positive outcomes by providing a new home for Summerside youth and their families to engage in social, recreational, creative and educational initiatives. Our organization would like to sincerely thank ACOA for this contribution that has been directed towards creating this amazing facility for the participants to achieve their goals with structured preventative programming that will build valuable skills for life.”
- Mr. Adam Brinkley, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Club of Summerside
Associated Links
Contacts
Christopher Brooks
Acting Director of Communications
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
902-566-7569
Adam Brinkley
Executive Director
Boys and Girls Club of Summerside
902-436-9403
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