ESTEVAN - October marks the anniversary of a project that was long needed in the community.
This month the Estevan Public Youth Centre (EPYC) is celebrating their first birthday.
In just one year, the centre was able to significantly progress on all fronts, including finding their permanent location and securing furniture, games and many other items for youth development and entertainment, growing their program offerings, widening their participation and gaining financial support.
"We have been so fortunate to be able to provide programming for youth in Estevan and to learn and grow over that past year," said Juli Dzuba, EPYC's executive director. "I feel great about having one year of programming coming up here. I think it's absolutely amazing to look back over the year and see how everything came about and how we evolved. And really excited to see what the next year brings."
EPYC began in 2021 by renting space nightly in the Estevan Leisure centre. This allowed for youth in Grades 7-12 to come together for programming and meet regularly at a consistent location. After five months, EPYC was able to rent a building and moved into a space of their own in March. This move allowed them to set up their own permanent space, move in games like pool, ping-pong and air hockey, and set up their own couches and gaming systems.
"That really allowed us to set down our roots now that we have a space of our own, and then really focus on what that programming looks like, engaging different youth and expanding our programming," Dzuba said.
The move also allowed EPYC to expand programming hours for youth to include after-school and evening hours outside of Friday and Saturday nights; granted more flexibility for the types of events that could be offered; and expanded partnership opportunities.
"Our programming has also evolved to give us the opportunity to have structured and unstructured time. So we are trying to find ways that youth can engage with each other at EPYC, and also still have time to decompress and be on their own," Dzuba said. "I've been really listening to what they have to say and if they have an idea, or if they want to do something, that guides our programming process.
“We try to include things that are hands-on, we try to include things that have moving [physical] components, learning components, and just tactile, creating components as well. Those are the things that guide our programming."
Over the first year, EPYC also significantly grew their participation.
"We've seen steady progress in terms of the participation between the youth that are coming, and it has been great to see the numbers keep growing each week and each month," Dzuba said. "We're noticing that now that youth are back in school, we're continuing to see them come back. We saw a lot of Grades 7-9, and now they continue to come back to EPYC as they grow into the Grade 9-10 range. And we're still seeing new youth each month."
Over 220 youths used EPYC as a gathering place and/or for programming in their first year, with over 1,000 visits to the facility.
"Every three months, we went from just over 100 youth visits to now we're just about 450. And we're still seeing over 50 new youths every three months," Dzuba said.
EPYC's space and programming are developed for youths in Grades 7-12. They also had a few events for younger students who may choose to become their patrons in the future.
When asked what they liked most about EPYC, youth who attend talked about enjoying the many game options, being able to meet new friends, having a peaceful place to hang out and enjoying the activities offered.
EPYC offers a variety of programs throughout the year. Life in an Instant, held this summer, along with their gym nights were among the most popular projects of 2022.
"I think the partnership components of EPYC throughout the last year have been really successful and important to us, because not only does it allow our youth to try new things, but it allows us to work with other agencies in our community and bring new and exciting things out," Dzuba said.
Community support and partnerships have been an asset for EPYC throughout the year.
"The community support has been fantastic in terms of championing and letting us know that this is something that our community wants. In terms of the financial side of things, we are still working towards getting more permanent funding," Dzuba said.
"We don't have any funding that is guaranteed. So we are trying to find creative ways to make that happen. And we are continuously looking for grants. Our community donations are a big part of how we are able to be here. And the support from the United Way and the City of Estevan has been amazing. It's been a big factor in how we can maintain our space and other things, but we are still working every day on figuring out how we can keep that financial piece stable."
"We couldn't help youth the way we do without the amazing support of our community members and organizations who have partnered with us in various ways. And we are so thankful that people believe in what we are doing and want to create new opportunities for youth and help them grow."
EPYC is a proud community impact project of United Way Estevan and also receives funding support from the City of Estevan, provincial and local grants and local donations.
There is still a long way to go for EPYC in terms of reaching their goals. Going forward, EPYC hopes to continue with partnerships with other community organizations to provide different opportunities to youth, as well as utilize what Estevan has to offer. With a strategic plan recently completed, they are currently working to get signage on their building and flooring inside their location at 1104 Sixth Street. These improvements will help with awareness and increased comfort for youth to enjoy.
If there are any community members interested in helping EPYC reach their goals, they can reach out to Dzuba at 306-421-3134.
The Estevan Public Youth Centre's vision is to be the space in our community where youth explore their passion, purpose and potential.
If you would like to be involved with EPYC through partnership, volunteering or sponsorship, you can find more information on their website at www.theepyc.ca.
