Youth Central Society is a charitable non-profit organization founded in 1992 by Penny Hume, originally called Child Friendly Calgary. Penny put Calgary on the map as one of the first child friendly cities in North America. Under the inspiring and innovative leadership of Penny, the organization evolved to become a leader in youth engagement and volunteerism in Calgary and beyond. In 2010, the organization rebranded as Youth Central to better reflect its youth focused and empowering programming. Penny retired from the organization after 30 years of visionary leadership.
Our mission is to empower youth to find and build their communities. Through our different programs, Youth Central offers volunteer and leadership opportunities to youth aged 12-18. Our goal as an organization is to change the perception of youth in our communities by giving youth the tools and support they need to become engaging, empathetic and caring citizens with a sense of ownership and responsibility. We support youth in building valuable skills for future employment, give youth a voice, and grow youth’s understanding of their community. We are building Calgary’s leaders of today and tomorrow.
Empower youth to find and build their communities.
We visualize a city in which all youth participate in shaping a vibrant community
Youth Central believes diversity builds community and all individuals should be valued, empowered and respected members. To be accountable to this statement, we are taking steps to continuously strive to do better as an organization. Here are the actions we are taking:
The Youth Central Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring that the mission and vision of Youth Central are being fulfilled through strong leadership, effective planning, and sound fiscal management. Thank you to the Youth Central Board of Directors for their hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm.
Chair: Julianne Rohel, CHRP – Human Resources, Team Lead, CANA Group of Companies
Vice Chair: Sarah Pervez – Principal Consultant, Community Voices Consulting Inc.
Treasurer: Yisha Pang, CA – Manager, Consolidations and Financial Reporting, Enbridge Inc.
Secretary: Bryce Kapsha – Support Operations Lead, Benevity
Directors:
Lana Bentley, RSW – Director Program Strategy, YW Calgary
Ranita Charania – Executive and Leadership Coach, Ranita Impact Coaching
Michael Doerksen – Lawyer, Field LLP
Derek Fraser, CFRE – President, iDophilanthropy
Jason Kraatz, CPA, ICD.D – Director, Hopewell Group
Esmahan Razavi – Principal, Champion Communications & PR
Henry Su – Chief of Staff, Embark Trucks
If you’re interested in joining the Board of Directors or would like to reach a specific Board Member,
please contact Lisa Kindree at 403-266-5448 or lisa@youthcentral.com.
Thank you for generously supporting Youth Central. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list, however, if you discover any errors, omissions or you would like to be removed, please call 403-266-5448 or email lisa@youthcentral.com. All major program funders can also be found on the program page they support. Thank you.
$50,000+
Catapult Canada, Family & Community Support Services (FCSS), The Calgary Foundation, Government of Canada under the Canada Service Corps, The Prosser Charitable Foundation
$25,000 – $49,999
Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited, Werklund Foundation
$10,000 – 24,999
5th Avenue Building and EPIC Investment Services; Birdies for Kids, presented by AltaLink; Canada Life; Enbridge Inc.; Gibson Energy; Home Depot Canada Foundation; Jessalyn Rohs and Michael Stensby; Lyla Amery and Stefano Pizzal; Sentinel Storage; Youth Volunteer Corps
$5,000 – $9,999
Cenovus Energy, Government of Canada – Canada Summer Jobs, Kinette Club of Calgary, Penny Hume, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary – St. Bonaventure Parish
$1,000 – $4,999
Anonymous; Bridal Expo YYC Inc.; Calgary Youth Foundation Fund – Youth Central at the Calgary Foundation; Calvert Home Mortgage Investment Corporation; ConocoPhillips Canada; Cremers and Elliott Chartered Accountants; Harry & Martha Cohen Foundation; Hunter Family Foundation; Koeller Charitable Giving Fund at Calgary Foundation; Lisa Kindree; Matco Financial Inc.; Matt Grant; Purdy’s Chocolatier; RBC Foundation; Rotary Club of Calgary East; Sandstone Asset Management Inc.; Sanjel Energy Services Inc.; SMART Technologies; Stephen Cleaners; TD Bank Group; Usman Tahir Jutt