School’s Out provides opportunities in the Bulkley Valley 

Eleven-year-old Bree loves playing soccer and volleyball, and her favourite school subjects are art and history.  

“We’re learning ancient Egypt stuff right now and it’s pretty cool how they did things back then,” Bree says. Right now, Bree is really enjoying Grade 7 and life, but that wasn’t the case a few months ago.  

Recently, Bree, her brother Braxten, mom Janelle and dad, Karl, moved to Houston from Smithers. While the two communities are in the Bulkley Valley, changing towns and schools can be hard for both kids and families. They didn’t know anyone in the area, so Janelle went to Facebook to learn what was going on in their community and found out about the United Way BC School’s Out program offered through Houston Link to Learning, a local non-profit agency. 

Helping kids be kids 

Bree has been attending the School’s Out program, which runs Tuesday and Thursdays after school and focuses on building developmentally appropriate mental health and positive wellbeing through art making, cooking, and special activities. 

“Bree has really bad anxiety…her anxiety sometimes doesn’t even let her go to school. She doesn’t like being away from Mom. The program has totally changed her,” Janelle says. “She can be who she wants to be there and there’s no judgement…it’s done wonders for her.” 

“JJ really allows kids to express their feelings. Like every time we go there for art, we get a check-up sheet, and she lets us express how we’re feeling. JJ really changed how my anxiety happens and she made me reach out to a bunch of other people that I didn’t know for my school, and she really helped me through my anxiety,” Bree says. 

Along with art, program activities include visits to the local swimming pool and cooking; something Bree really likes to do. “Her pancake breakfast was pretty good,” Janelle says. “She had bacon and sausage, and pancakes. We had breakfast for dinner.” Meals cooked at the program are brought home helping ensure nutritious food support for families. 

Vital connections during tough times 

Like many rural, remote and northern communities, Houston has been hit hard by shifting economic times. “Our program prioritizes spaces for those who are from vulnerable situations or have no access to other after school activities with a goal of engaging populations in the most equitable manner possible,” says Josée (JJ) Gulayets, Indigenous Community Family Support Worker with Houston Link to Learning. The School’s Out program is offered free of charge and runs in three 10-week sessions per year. Across BC, there are 101 School’s Out programs running in communities like Bamfield, Skidegate, Enderby and Buick Creek. In addition to supporting kids like Bree, it also helps local youth volunteers as well. 

“With our town having a lack of economic opportunities for youth to enter the workforce, this program has been a significant part of work experience for the five youth volunteers we’ve had through the program,” JJ says. “One volunteer has already gone on to work for the school as a support worker, another spent their summer working for the local fish hatchery running children’s programming, and the volunteers we are engaging with right now have hopes to become a teacher and a social worker.” 

“The chance for opportunities for the youth to volunteer and engage with our participants is enormous and not only serves the participants in an exceptional manner but also our community at large as we are helping to build those up with confidence and the skills that are going to be filling extremely important roles within our community. This program serves not just kids in Houston, but our entire community in its own unique way, and I am so proud to be a part of the program,” JJ continues. 

‘In economically challenged areas, families often face daily trade-offs like choosing between groceries and rent or juggling multiple jobs just to stay afloat. Many communities have few safe parks or community spaces, so kids end up with limited places to go and limited chances to learn, play, or build confidence. Over time, this can lead to stress, isolation, and fewer opportunities to grow into their full potential. School’s Out programs help provide a safe place for kids to land, caring adults to lean on, and activities that spark curiosity and joy,” says Trisha Dulku, Strategic Initiatives Manager at United Way BC. “For many kids, it’s the first time they feel supported, connected, and free to simply be themselves.” 

Donor support critical for community 

All this happens because of the generous and caring support of United Way BC donors. 

“I cannot express enough how integral a program like this has been for our community. In an economic climate where program funding is becoming increasingly difficult to find – we’ve had multiple other program funding lapse this year – it is such a relief to know that partnering with United Way BC has allowed for this program to continue for a second year,” JJ says. 

“If we had to pay for the program, we probably wouldn’t have been able to afford to send her,” Janelle says. “So having the donations really, really helps the low-income families.” 

“I had many parents last year reaching out to write support letters and to do anything they could to secure this program for another year. Our community knows the value of it, the parents know the value, and the kids feel the value every single session.  

“Without donor support, we simply couldn’t be making the difference in the lives of these children or families–it’s unfortunately that simple,” says JJ. 

Thanks to donor support, Bree’s 9-year-old brother, Braxten is in the program this January.

Donate today to help kids grow up great. Together, we are UNITED for kids and youth.