For 27 years, the Boys and Girls Club in Yorkton has been helping youth through a variety of programs, and now the club that so many have grown up with and participated in is undergoing a change.
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Boys and Girls Clubs throughout Canada are changing their name to BGC.
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Lorraine Moeller, the executive director of BGC Yorkton, said that it had been something that has been a topic of discussion for a while.
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鈥淔or years, it鈥檚 been a topic that has come up when we鈥檝e met with our peers from across the country; what about this name? It has over 100 years of history; however, not everyone identifies as either a boy or a girl, and not everyone by the limit of their age wants to be called a boy or a girl,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen we are serving up to the age of 18, 18-year-olds don鈥檛 really want to be called boys and girls. More and more, we are seeing youth come forward involved in the LGTBQ2+ umbrella.鈥�
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Erin Roussin, program manager BGC Yorkton said it鈥檚 something they felt was something they had to do to be inclusive of everyone.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 not to be trendy, but it is to modernize the name and just to be inclusive of who walkthroughs our door. We can make sure that every time you enter the BGC Yorkton, that you feel welcome and accepted and that your voice is heard. It鈥檚 really a great way for us to be inclusive of who comes in.鈥�
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Moeller notes that this isn鈥檛 the first name change in the club鈥檚 history.
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鈥淲ay back when the club started, it was called The Boys Club because that was what the clubs were doing at times was responding to a need for activities for boys, and as times changed, girls needed a safe place to be too. It鈥檚 just modernizing, sticking with the times, and being conclusive and a reflection of who your audience is.鈥�
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As for a total brand change, it will still be the same logo, and the change is in its early stages, so it will still be a while before the whole BGC Yorkton is rebranded.
