New members are being sought out for the Flipside Youth Drop-in Centre’s Youth Advisory Council.
The council is made up of high-school-aged youth who meet Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. at the centre, and are the voice of Sylvan Lake, said youth centre co-ordinator Deshon Lennard.
Council then gives the Flipside staff directions on what programs and activities to put on for the youth.
Interested youth are invited to attend a council meeting to discuss being a part of council with Lennard.
This fall, the after-school and evening programs will start back up with after-school programs for Grades 3 to 5, and evening programs for Grade 6 and higher.
After-school programs include Zappers, Four Real, On the Move, Power Up! and Creative Cats; with evening programs including Girl Power and Boyz Unlimited starting at 6:30 p.m. All programs are held at the centre.
These programs are meant to help youth with developing skills in leadership, teamwork, sports, homework and mentoring, arts and music, as well as self-esteem and self-image building.
The council plays a significant role in the community, taking every idea into consideration for activities youth can be a part of.
“Youth in Sylvan Lake usually claim there’s nothing to do here, so we’re just trying to get them to tell us what they would like to have happen,” Lennard said.
Being a part of the council also enables the youth to learn how to handle responsibility with the opportunity of requesting letters of recommendation.
“We try to give them a sense of purpose and a lot of responsibility,” Lennard said. “We put everything in their hands so they have a sense of purpose, because some youth feel like no one really cares about them or what they have to say or do.”
He describes the organization’s overall focus of being on providing the youth with a voice and opportunities to grow and thrive within the community.
“Our goal is to keep them busy and give them opportunities to strive in life and develop assets,” Lennard said. “The town has a huge youth focus, and we want them to have quality things to do.”