For many of our youth, before coming to Covenant House Vancouver, they have not experienced healthy recreation activities on a regular basis. Some of our youth have very few sober friends or connections, and their “fun” activities in the past often involved drugs or alcohol. For others, a lack of funds has limited their recreation options.
We help youth connect to local community centers, many of which offer low-cost options for our youth (which they can continue to access once they leave our program). Through the kindness of various community donors our youth have also had access to many activities they likely would have never experienced on their own including: going to a Vancouver Giants game, Vancouver Canucks tickets, BC Lions tickets, rock climbing and canoeing. We have staff that are avid gym goers and outdoors people who plan regular outings for our youth. We also coordinate regular board-game activities, walks, bowling outings, movie nights, and simply going out for coffee.
We like to encourage the youth to work hard towards their goals during the week and engage in healthy, positive activities on the weekend. Recently we had a fondue night where the young people prepared and made homemade chocolate fondue.
While the youth that come to Covenant House all have their own struggles and challenges, they love participating in activities that help them feel more connected to the community. Thanks to the support of our staff, donors and volunteers they have the opportunity to experience fun, healthy activities.
