Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Jane Wachowich (FULL INTERVIEW)

Starting point is 00:00:00 We are here with Jane Walkowitz from Youth Centers of Calgary. Jane, we've been collecting silly little comments for a year, and we're super excited to raise over $7,000 for youth centers of Calgary. But I thought it'd be a great opportunity rather than to boast about what we've done to talk about what youth centers of Calgary does in our city. And I guess for the people watching the show that have contributed money, give them a little more insight on what's happening with this proudly raised money. Well, thanks, Ryan.

Starting point is 00:00:28 First of all, over $7,200. Thank you. It's incredible what we can do with that money. We buy food. We buy school supplies, art supplies, sports equipment, all the stuff that kids need after school every day. And it's amazing. So thank you. I have been challenged the last three and a half weeks with a teacher's strike.

Starting point is 00:00:54 I cannot imagine what's going on in communities that are struggling more to get by than, you know, how fortunate we are to live where we live and the support networks that we have. Nevermind that I've got parents and family. What's it been like the last three weeks that you Center's in Calgary? It's been hectic, but it's been incredible. One of the silver linings of the pandemic was that we got the chance to learn what it's like to completely switch gears and do something different depending on what the needs are. So this time, we were ready when the teachers struck, we started opening in during the day. And in the two communities that were in Ogden and Forest Lawn, both really low-income neighborhoods, families already struggle to meet their

Starting point is 00:01:39 kids' most basic needs. We knew that we could give them an open house a safe place for the kids to be every day after school. So lucky for us, we co-locate in communities where kids don't have enough. They can easily access what they can walk to and from school and home to us every day after school and during the summer months. And we keep them safe and fed. And safe is big because the two neighborhoods we're in have high crime relative to the rest of the city. And, and kids are untethered. They can wander around do whatever they want. So we keep them from, keep them out of harm's way. So you've been dealing for all day, full shifts with this strike. Incredible stuff. You've got the two locations.

Starting point is 00:02:31 Yeah. One of them has just recently come on stream or whatever you want to call it. It's just been opened. It started as one. It feels like this thing's kind of blowing up on you in the sense that, you know, it used to be one house and now it's growing and now you see need elsewhere. And it sounds like you've made some great connections fundraising wants to. Yeah, we've made great connections. Well, you guys throwing a cocktail party for the the 40-some things was very helpful, opened all the doors for us. This idea came to me 30-some years ago when I lived in Chicago and had the opportunity to work in the inner-city projects. At the time, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in North America. And it was from that experience, fast forward through a long career, it was that experience that made me realize and my colleagues that if kids who are otherwise statistically destined not to thrive in life,

Starting point is 00:03:22 for all kinds of reasons, no fault of anyone's, had three things, a safe place to be a kid, consistent access to healthy food, and relationships with adults who truly care about their future, that their chances of thriving are just that much better in breaking the cycles. And so I've been doing this work for 15 years, the two houses, yeah, it's blown up, and lots and lots of interests. We're working with one of the universities, hopefully they want to start something, we'll all oversee it. We can do it all under the umbrella. It's a very simple, relatively inexpensive model. All you need is a house and a bunch of really nice people

Starting point is 00:04:03 who want to see kids thrive. I know you've had a lot of people come through. You've had open houses. You want, you know, when people can see the youth centers themselves, I mean, gosh, it's easy to believe in. You had a few Calgary Flames roll through, and it sounds like they have been incredibly committed to helping you guys, you know, keep the fridges full and chase those great fundraising goals you've got. That's right. Yeah. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:04:31 It started with Andrew and Claudia Mangupani. They worked with us for a couple years and with the Italian Center and fed the kids, ran our hockey program. These are guys that show up. They don't, you know, they don't come just for a photo op. They, because, and the photo ops are pretty adorable, I have to say. Everybody's welcome, by the way, to drop by, either center. But they'd show up in the minus 28 and put on their skates and skate until the kids were done.

Starting point is 00:05:03 And then Justin Kirkland and Jonathan Huberdow and his, his lovely wife, I believe it is, maybe not. Fiance wife either way, yeah, one of the two. Yeah, they were. showing up and they've offered to help us throughout the year this year. And it's going to be an amazing year. Our hockey program to watch kids who have never put on skates and would never otherwise have the opportunity to put skates on. These guys, these guys with the Flames Foundation have given us all the equipment, tickets.

Starting point is 00:05:38 The kids were at, um, at Hubertos box last week. It's, it's, uh, yeah, it's a labor of love. And these guys have really. stepped up. That's amazing. And it's funny because, you know, hearing from behind the scenes that they're involved, like, this isn't a thing where it's like, hey, let's be there. Let's get a big photo. Like they truly are cared and connected to the cause. No, they are truly care. They truly care about the cause. It shocked me last year how they were willing to be out in the minus 28 with these kids and not. And then they just didn't come in until they were done, as I said. But yeah,

Starting point is 00:06:15 It's the nice thing about being small and nimble is that we can adjust depending on who wants to put some time and energy into what we do. And hockey's become big because we've got these incredible guys who said an example and care. So it's perfect. A couple quick questions. So I've heard stories about like, you know, obviously you're impacting youth incredibly. And to your point, if it's food, it's a safe place, and it's an adult that cares about their future, just those three things can really alter the course of someone that might be a challenge for society versus a contributing member society or even, you know, a leader in society.

Starting point is 00:07:00 Who are the people that are working at your centers? How do you get, find, I guess, just the programming? Like, how do you operate like that? Because it sounds like there's a lot of people that have in spots you might not expect that have been really, important for you. Absolutely. Our staff are largely kids in university, kids who graduated from university, wanting to get into law school or med school, and they, you know, want to participate in the community and have relationships with young people. People just show up. If I get a phone call, someone says they want to help, they want to coach, they want to mentor, they want to do homework help.

Starting point is 00:07:42 They want to do yard work. They want to read with kids. We find a spot. And that's the key to our success is the people who lean in. Yeah. Amazing. And finally, what is the future hold? You know, you have lofty goals.

Starting point is 00:08:00 You've grown from one to two locations, but the need certainly doesn't stop. Well, this is a replicable model. It's simple. It's, as I said, inexperienced. relatively inexpensive. Costs $100,000 a year to incarcerate a kid. And a lot of kids can end up on the wrong path because the communities have nothing for them to do

Starting point is 00:08:24 except belong to something that isn't healthy for them. I think, and I've spoken to a lot of different people who want to do this, we'll develop the template so that we can essentially hand it off to anybody who wants to start a youth center in an underserved community. I'd oversee it and sky's the limit we could have one of these in every

Starting point is 00:08:46 underserved community in Canada if the opportunity opportunities were there well it's an incredible start here in Calgary thanks so much for for being involved and if someone's watching the say oh my gosh I want to know more I want to figure out how I can help

Starting point is 00:09:02 would you drive to your website is that the best thing today our website usecentres of Calgary.com my email address Jane at Ucentres of Calgary.com. The phone numbers on the website. Call me anytime. Come by for a visit and just,

Starting point is 00:09:18 and I'm sure you'll, it'll light you up. All right. Thanks to you, viewers over $7,200 for the U.S. of Calgary. Jane Walkowitz, telling us more about the great cause you've, I guess, spearheaded. So thanks so much for what you do. Thanks, Ryan.

Starting point is 00:09:33 Thanks, everybody.

Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Jane Wachowich (FULL INTERVIEW)

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.