Youth Group & Outings

Are you a parent, guardian of a youth? Or a youth? Take part in monthly outings to places like Metro Town, paintball, Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre, and more! Want to learn skills? We also have weekly workshops to help you gain certifications to get jobs.

Just want to meet other youth and hangout? Come to the Youth Centre for our weekly Youth Drop-in & Dinner nights.

Permission Form Youth Outings 2020.PDF

Youth Drop-In Program

◦ Daily drop-in program Monday to Friday from 3-8pm for youth ages 13+.

◦ Safe, fun environment with caring youth staff.

◦ Free meals provided to reduce food barriers that many Indigenous youth face.

◦ Programing includes life skill development such as cooking, health workshops and fitness.

◦ Regular visits in drop-in space from Elders and health professionals such as nurses and clinical counsellors.

◦ Free access to personal hygiene items and condoms.

Photo: Youth and Elders Dinner 2019

School’s Out- Ewolem Seabird Program

◦ School’s Out Ewolem Seabird began in May 2020 and is part of a three year contract funded by the United Way.

◦ Ages 9-12 years old.

◦ Program offerings include daily drop-in classes,  daily tutoring and School break/summer camps.

Photo: Canoe drop-in May 2020

Tes Outreach Program

◦ Tes Outreach program is a pilot project which was established in May 2020. Funding has been provided by the Civil Forfeiture Fund.

◦ The outreach program consists of one clinical counsellor and three outreach workers.

◦ Tes Outreach is youth centered and based on the clients’ needs and goals.

◦ The program currently serves over 50 youth from moderate to very high risk levels.

Youth on the Land

◦ The Youth on the Land project began in 2015, as a Canadian Health Research Institution pilot project.

◦ Partners in this project have included Seabird Island Band,  the University of the Fraser Valley, Fraser Health, First Nations Health Authority and Sto:lo Nation .

◦ The project is centered around life promotion for Indigenous youth.

◦ The youth resiliency model was developed as a result of this research project and continues to inform Seabird Youth programing.

Youth Empowerment & Employment

The Youth Program is youth-led and promotes youth ownership of the program. One of the initiatives that is at the heart of our program is to provide opportunities for the youth to gain employment skills and life skills through our program so that they are in positions to become employed as youth mentors and youth workers. Since 2019, we have hired seven youth ages 16-18 years old. They have been provided with extensive training and paid above minimum wage. This is particularly exciting because Canadian reserve populations only have a 50% employment rate, many of whom are under-employed. The Seabird Youth Program is helping to break employment barriers.

Photo: Advanced Wilderness First Aid Training Summer 2020

Connection to Culture

◦ A primary offering of the Seabird Island Child and Youth Programs is to offer cross-cultural teachings to reflect the many cultures of the community members.

◦ Opportunity to engage in cultural teachings are an important factor in restoring culture which colonization attempted to eradicate.

◦ Connection with culture supports youth in being proud of their First Nations heritage and supports them in having a sense of identity.

Photo: Youth mentor and youth painting mural on youth trailer wall Spring 2019.

Connection to Elders

◦ The Seabird Island Child and Youth Programs work collaboratively with the Elders Program to provide opportunities for connection including having Elders as special guests at events and hosting youth and elders seasonal dinners.

◦ This work continues the importance of revitalizing culture by sharing teachings.

Photo: Elder guest and speaker at youth movie night  2019.

Community Engagement

◦ Seabird Island Child and Youth Programs are informed by community need.

◦ Formal and informal evaluations are conducted to engage the community in providing feedback including the Annual Child and Youth Program Feedback Dinner.

◦ As an extension of the programs, we offer community events to promote family togetherness.  (Family Day events, Children’s Festivals, Community Movie Nights)

Photo: Children’s Festival Summer 2019

Dedicated Child & Youth Team

◦ The Seabird Island Child and Youth Programs are made possible by the dedicated staff who work in our multiple programs.

◦ These staff continue to provide front line services through COVID-19 to support youth wellness and health.

◦ All staff are engaged in regular training including trauma-informed practice, basic counselling skills, and cultural teachings.

Photo: Youth team training and development during Covid. January 2021