The Youth Recreation Activity Worker (YRAW) Program, delivered in partnership between BGC Winnipeg and RRC Polytech, continues to open doors and transform lives for young adults in our community. Designed for individuals facing barriers to post-secondary education, the full-time, nine-month certificate program offers hands-on training in the field of youth recreation, empowering students to become leaders, role models, and agents of positive change. 

Since its inception over two decades ago, the program has graduated more than 225 students. Nearly all are now employed or pursuing further education, a powerful testament to the program’s long-term impact. Graduates leave not only job-ready, but with the option to continue their education through RRC Polytech’s Child and Youth Care Worker Diploma program. 

None of this would be possible without the generous support of the Province of Manitoba, Neeginan Education and Training Services (NETES), and the City of Winnipeg’s Aboriginal Youth Strategy, Oshki Annishinabe Nigaaniwak. As 2025 graduate Avril Cook shared, “On behalf of this year’s Youth Rec Class, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the organizations that make this program possible… This program has helped me find my passion working with children, youth, families and the community.” 

For many students, the program is more than a classroom, it’s a catalyst for personal transformation. “Throughout this program I have grown in ways I never could have imagined. I became more confident. I learned that if I put my mind to a goal that I can achieve it. I discovered strengths I didn’t know I had because this program pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best ways possible.” 

Fellow graduate Ember Wiens echoed this sentiment, adding: “Through this journey I’ve learned that growth isn’t always loud – sometimes it’s the small choices, such as choosing patience over frustration and presence over distraction. I carry these lessons with me, not just academic knowledge but deeper wisdom that teaches us how to be better and stronger people.” 

Graduates also spoke movingly about how the program fostered a sense of belonging and community. Loren Anderson reflected, “For a long time, I felt like just another case file… But coming to this course, none of that mattered. They got to know me first, and who I was. It truly healed a part of my inner child because thanks to them I finally got some of my voice back.” 

From sharing laughs in class to smudge ceremonies after hard days, the YRAW cohort forms a bond that strengthens each student’s capacity to care for others. “Whether we were out in the hallway doing a movement break and pretending to be animals or doing role plays in front of the class, everyone was so genuine,” Sara Wilson recalled. “It was a really positive environment for all of us.” 

As Ember shared in her graduation speech: “The most defining parts of this experience were getting to work with so many amazing children and youth in my practicum. Those moments felt and relationships built taught me things I don’t think any classroom could ever teach.” 
 
With deep appreciation to our instructors, partners, funders, and students, BGC Winnipeg is proud to celebrate another inspiring year of the Youth Recreation Activity Worker Program – a program that not only builds youth workers, but builds futures.