PRINCE ALBERT — The Prince Albert Catholic School Division has seen an increase in the number of students playing sports and accessing cultural activities, and administration says that’s partially due to the Dream Broker program that began in 2012.
Dream Brokers work in inner city schools in Saskatchewan to help children and youth become involved in existing sport, culture and recreation programs. Education Director Lorel Trumier said they were pleased with how the program has developed.
"You can see the amount of interactions that were described last night (April 14) and opportunities for students,” Trumier said. “The Dream Broker does have a very positive impact on the school community as well.”
The program began at St. John Community School in 2012 and then extended to St. Catherine when the board approved space for Dream Broker to work with families.
At St. Catherine School, there were 202 successful registrations, with registrations evenly split between male and female participants.
At St. John, programming includes a Kids Movements Matter program, a ribbon skirt making program, a girls wellness program, a Lemon Yellow art exploration program, and they are planning a jigging program following Easter.
Similar programming is also offered at St. Catherine, with a Silicone Beading program being offered after Easter.
The Dream Broker mission is to initiate and sustain youth participation in arts, sports and cultural recreation activities. Trumier said it’s much needed initiative that’s working well for students.
School division reports show that inner city youths are less likely to be physically active and participate in sports or recreational activities outside of school compared to their peers. Dream Brokers help identify areas of interest and the ability to purse sustained participation in the sport of the family’s choice.
Their vision is to contribute to children and youth becoming healthy, active and successful members of their community. Trumier said that they were happy to have the Dream Broker program.
"Locally, there are different recreation programs and cultural programs that are supporting the dream broker endeavours, so you've got willing organisations to work with us too,” she said.
