BGC Whitecourt is expanding its focus on socializing and mental health support for teens

The BGC (Boys & Girls Club) of Whitecourt and District is focusing more on teen-related programming,
with several programs and events planned for the new year. Dawn Alvarez, Youth Programming
Coordinator, has been with the club since June and said she is excited about what they have in store.
“My role at the club means providing a safe, inclusive environment for all our teens between the ages of
12-17. I want to create programs that are important to our teens so that they will engage with them.
This way, any of the needs of our community are met within those age groups,” she explained.
To find out what teens are interested in, Alvarez has held regular attendance with students. “I’m going
into the schools and joining the grade seven and eights at their Lunch and Bunch, and I plan on doing
that monthly. I hang out with them, and they tell me what they want. I ask them questions, and they
give me feedback, which is really cool.”
Alvarez said she plans also to attend the Northern Gateway Outreach School on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. “I’m doing casual things like this with them so I can get to know them, and they can get to
know me this way they will trust me and want to engage with my programs.” Building a trusting
relationship with youth takes time and requires a multi-faceted approach, one that Alvarez takes very
seriously.
She said the programs the BGC is creating will be fun and free. They will also delve into more critical
topics, like mental health. “I will be working with a psychologist who is just finishing her master’s and is
from Indigo Counselling. Starting in January, we will be doing roughly a twelve-week program with
different topics about mental health. It’ll likely be a BGC program as BGC Canada has many programs,
but we will tailor it to the needs of our community. It will be a very interactive, peer-based mental
health group,” said Alvarez.
Unlike traditional mental health programs, where attendees are taught something or presented with
information in a more educational-focused manner, Alvarez explained that it would be different. “This
program will be discussion-based and have them doing a different hands-on activity each week. It’ll be a
casual environment where they are doing interactive activities. We are excited to get started.”
When asked why she felt there was a need to provide teen programming, Alvarez said the isolation that
everyone went through during COVID caused an increase in mental health issues while mental health
programs simultaneously decreased. “There is an increased need for support. Mental health is always
needed for adults, kids, and teens. Those needs may change over time, but they are always needed. My
job is to tailor what we offer to the needs we see in the community.”
Alavarez said she also works with community groups and agencies like the Doors Open program at the
Allan & Jean Millar Centre and the Whitecourt & District Public Library. “I’m working with all of the
community organizations to get my face out there and to get my program familiar to the teens. It’s also
about engaging and supporting each other with our interagency network, so rather than planning a
bunch of the same things, we work together.”
One way Alvarez said the BGC plans to help support the network is the creation of a Community
Calendar. Kyra Baranowski, Executive Director of BGC Whitecourt and District, envisioned it as a way to

link teens to all the programming available to them, like a one-stop shop. “It features programming from
the library, the Allan & Jean Millar Centre and anything the BGC is doing, all for ages 12-17,” explained
Baranowski.
Alvarez said she was happy to see the interagency support. “It gives us as agencies and organizations a
chance to come and help out and not duplicate the same events because many of us are non-profit or
are working off of grants, so we don’t have a huge budget to play around with. It’s better to work as a
team.”
She said she hopes teens understand they are welcome at the BGC and that “who you are is enough.”
She also said that sharing ideas for future events is always encouraged. “My job is to find the need
within the community for our youth and meet that, whether that’s fun events where they are just
socializing or mental health groups that provide support. Anything that is needed for our teens, I will
tailor it for them.”