History

Growing Together

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The Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada started in 1900, modeled after similar organizations in the U.S. and Great Britain. These organizations operated with the belief that if kids were kept busy in their spare time they would stay out of trouble. Over time the Boys and Girls Clubs evolved to encompass a multicultural perspective, promoting programs and governance that reflect the cultural and ethnic groups that make up its membership on a local, regional and national basis.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg Inc. grew out of two teen drop-in centres established in the late 1960s: The Youth Action Centre of North Winnipeg and the Youth Action Project. In 1976, these two programs joined together to form a new organization known as the Winnipeg Youth Action Inc. and applied for membership in Boys and Girls Club of Canada.

In 1977, Winnipeg Youth Action Inc. became a member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and changed its name to Winnipeg Boys and Girls Clubs. In keeping with newly revised membership requirements, Winnipeg Boys and Girls Clubs changed its name once again to Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg in 2005 and to BGC Winnipeg in 2021.