ABOUT YOUTH CENTRAL







WHO WE ARE










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.















OUR MISSION






Empower youth to find and build their communities.





OUR VISION







We visualize a city in which all youth participate in shaping a vibrant community

OUR VALUES







• We believe that all youth are awesome!













• We honour the power of the youth voice and the importance of youth in our society.














• We value a community in which all youth are respected and encouraged to be active citizens.














• We value the diversity, skills creativity and talents of our volunteers, participants, and staff.














• We value community partnerships that align with our vision and mission.












DIVERSITY STATEMENT





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:















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































• We will ensure the safety and well-being of all program participants, volunteers and staff are of the utmost importance;




























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































• We will strive to ensure all program participants, volunteers and staff feel welcome and accepted for who they are;




























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































• We will offer programming that has limited barriers to involvement and unique platforms to amplify the youth voice in a safe and supportive environment;
  















• We will educate ourselves through training and development opportunities, and seek input from youth and others; and
  












• We will strive to ensure our program partners recognize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the community, and are educating themselves on ways to improve their organizations.































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































 










































TEAM








OUR FUNDERS