When COVID-19 caused a near province wide shutdown, things very quickly changed at the Boys and Girls Club of Yorkton.
“When we got that announcement schools are closing that changed everything,” said Lorraine Moeller, Executive director at the Club, adding they immediately began adapting “thinking how do you stay relevant.”
Erin Roussin, Program Manager at the Club said it took about a week to come up with a plan, and they were back providing programming but instead of youth coming to the club they were doing things online via Zoom, or by offering programming packages delivered to families to do at home.
“Every week we had an activity kit,” said Moeller, adding they ranged from physical activities, to crafts, to cooking, with the kits being adaptable enough for various age groups; typically five-to-13.
Roussin said they tried to include things that would engage youth.
“What can we do so kids were not just playing video games?” she said.
The kits did put some onus on parents to help youth with the activities, but Moeller said they were happy to do it.
“There was a willingness and excitement to do that with their children,” she said.
At times through the May – June period the boxes delivered to families had a little something special included; for example one week a board game that families got to keep, was in the kit.
It was something parents could sit down and play with their children, said Moeller.
Other activities had youth doing yoga and zoomba with instructors on Zoom.
In addition to activity kits the Club was able to get reading books into the hands of youth with books from the Indigo Love of Reading program and First Book Canada Marketplace. Through the dual programs more than 225 books have been distributed and more are on-hand to be given out.
The Boys and Girls Club has long made sure that youth taking part in activities at the Club were fed.
COVID-19 didn’t stop that it just meant food hampers were delivered to families, 327 in May, from one-time hampers to help a family when needed, to weekly hampers including cheese, meat, fresh vegetable when available; a good rounded diet.
The food hampers were funded by the President’s Choice Children’s Charity and more recently through the Red Cross which ensures the hamper program will continue until March 2021.
This summer youth are back at the Club, although limited to groups with a maximum of 15.
The new protocols means more cleaning, said Moeller, adding they keep more detailed records on arrival and departures, designate seats for the entire day, and continually re-enforce the need to wash hands, but at least they are back to limited face-to-face services.
But, looking ahead to what they might provide this fall is not easy.
“It depends on decisions the school divisions make,” said Roussin, adding it is difficult to plan after school programming when it’s unclear what a typical school day might be. She added they recognize for many families they are an essential service for parents as they provide bridge care from the end of school until parents are done work, but if school days change how they provide that is not known yet.
