Bell is donating $15,000 to a Charlottetown Boys and Girls Club after-school program through the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund.
The pilot program, Reach for the Stars, runs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and provides a safe space for 10 at-risk youth to develop better communication and life skills.
The additional funding from Bell will help further the development of the program, said Carly Levy, development and outreach director with the Boys and Girls Club.
“It’s nice for the potential of this program to be recognized. As an organization that works really hard to support youth mental health, it’s just nice to know that the work that we’re doing is valuable and it’s worth investing in.”
Reach for the Stars is the culmination of efforts which began as a proposal to United Way of P.E.I. from the Reach Foundation to address a gap in its programming involving youth aged 12-15.
The program launched in Oct. 2019, with Reach providing space, Boys and Girls Club providing staff and youth being recommended by Birchwood Intermediate School, said Teresa Hennebery, executive director of Reach.
“We know that junior high is a vulnerable time, and it’s often where they really need help to make good decisions and good choices.”
Programming is scheduled, but involves the input of the youth as much as possible while the gym, woodworking and soapmaking facilities at Reach are regularly incorporated as well, said Hennebery.
“We know, from our own experience, that those times and those areas that’s where you learn about teamwork, it’s where you learn confidence, it’s where you learn how to work together, it’s where you learn how to follow instructions. And the satisfaction of taking something home.”
The pilot will run until June, at which time there will be an evaluation done with the psychology department at the University of Prince Edward Island to determine next steps and if the program can be expanded next year.
Bell Let’s Talk is on Jan. 29 this year.
