Volunteer Airdrie’s Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) seeks to instill the spirit of community and engage local youth to find meaningful social activities to help others.
“Youth Volunteer Corps’ mission is to enable and empower youth to become lifelong volunteers,” stated YVC’s director of program administration, Jessica Neufeld. “We are teaching them life skills along with community-mindedness.”
According to Neufeld, there are currently about 150 local youth volunteers ages11-18 in the program. The Airdrie Youth Volunteer Corps is one of only three YVC affiliates in Canada. The others are in Calgary and Terrace, B.C.
Youth participants engage in free weekly activities, and help with various organizations and public events in the community. The group put in 1,109 volunteer hours in Airdrie in 2021-22 and completed 90 different projects.
There are also some programs YVC volunteers administer themselves, such as its Caring Cupboard at Bethany Care Centre, which provides free hygiene products and snacks to residents; its adopt-a-senior Christmas hamper program; and its Airdrie Food Bank community “Garden of Hope” program – where fresh food is grown and provided to the food bank during the summer months.
“Our youth have learned some really valuable lessons about things we take for granted,” said Neufeld. “Our program is a free program, and it is also a program where youth can learn job skills and life skills. They have an opportunity to create connections in the community.”
While there are undeniable benefits to the broader community thanks to YVC’s dedicated youth volunteers, there are also tangible benefits for the youth themselves. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Neufeld explained many local youth became socially isolated and have faced mental health challenges aggravated by that isolation.
Whether its working outside in the sunshine in the community garden, or working together for a common purpose with other youth their own age, or learning how to socially interact with people in the broader community, the YVC program helps foster greater well being in all its participants, stated Neufeld.
“What we hear from the youth mainly is they love coming to YVC because they are making friends,” she explained. “They love spending time with other youth. Many of our youth tell us they really love doing things in the community, especially after COVID.
"Getting out into the community, talking to people, engaging with people one on one, and having those friendships and meeting people who are like them – we are a very inclusive organization, and that is something we focus a lot on.”
And, Neufeld reminds, thanks to generous donations from local businesses and grants from local organizations, the corps is absolutely free of charge for all youth taking part, with no program fees or other costs.
“I love the fact Volunteer Airdrie, through grants and donations, are able to provide free programming,” she stated. “It is programming that gives back to our community, and we are able to participate in quite a few community events.”
For more information on Volunteer Airdrie’s Youth Volunteer Corps, visit volunteerairdrie.ca/yvc
