YFC opens doors in Blumenort

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This article was published 09/12/2023 (570 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Blumenort’s youth have a new place to call their own as Youth For Christ just opened a new drop-in centre in town.

“Youth for Christ is a drop-in centre for youth ages 12 to 19. It’s a safe place for youth to connect and build relationships with trained staff and volunteers. Drop-in is a great place for friends to connect, be in a supportive environment where they’re encouraged and walked along side. It’s our goal to be a place where young people can experience hope in the foundational areas of life, which would be relationally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,” said ministry director Vince Kehler.

The 2,300 square foot space has couches for lounging, a pool table, a video game, a ping pong table, chess table, and a coffee/drink bar.

Kehler said the idea to expand into Blumenort came when an invitation from locals and the local church asked Youth For Christ Steinbach to open a centre in town.

“Blumenort has grown a lot and there are about 250 students between the ages of 10 and 19 years old and there’s not a lot to do in the town so its an opportunity for them to come to the drop in and connect with us as staff,” he said.

Kids who come to the centre can speak with staff about a myriad of issues that are relevant to them as teens, including emotional needs of youth.

“I think coming out of some of the pandemic, I think the media world, some of those things, plays a factor in some of the emotional needs and health needs that students have. Lots of change going on in our world. Lots of uncertainty, which I think for many teens it is a development time so that can be challenging in the best of circumstances and there’s been lots of change and stuff going on in the last few years,” said Kehler.

One of the benefits to teens coming to the center is a chance for them to reconnect or maintain relationships with classmates as they enter high school in Steinbach. Kehler said as they enter high school they might not see the friends they had from kindergarten to Grade 8 and coming to the centre is one way of maintaining those relationships.

“So I think that’s a really important thing that we’re going to be able to provide for the young people of Blumenort is a hub where they can come and meet their friends from their small town when they hit high school. Looking forward to seeing how that develops. That’s an important thing for us as a drop-in.”

Currently, the centre is only open from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kehler said they might consider adding more days as the needs of the community increases.

The drop-in centre is located at 67 Friesen Drive.