BGC Winnipeg (formerly Boys and Girls Clubs Inc.) is celebrating a big milestone this summer — 20 years of its CSI Summer Learning Enrichment program, which operates in 13 schools in Winnipeg’s inner city and North End.

The CSI — which stands for Community Schools Investigators — program is directed at children in Grades 1 through 6, and connects young instructors with around 600 kids over the summer for five weeks of play and education.

According to the BGC Winnipeg website, kids strengthen their math, reading and writing, as well as engage in physical activity and cultural experiences on a daily basis. The experience also includes guests, field trips, and two healthy meals a day.

The program is officially old enough for former participants to return to the playing field as instructors, such as is the case with Thai Nguyen, a 21-year-old education student at the University of Winnipeg.

This will be his second year taking part, and he describes the part he plays as a positive role model for kids as “a bit surreal.”

“It’s just amazing to me, to see how fast time changes,” he said. “And I was once in their shoes, so I want to become someone that they can look up to and follow.”

Nguyen said that, growing up, the program had a positive impact on him — especially as a kid who didn’t necessarily enjoy regular school. He hadn’t realized the program was still ongoing until his brother told him that it was hiring new instructors, which pulled him back in.

“I really wanted to come back because I forgot how much joy (it had) brought me during the summer and I never realized how much work goes into the planning of all this behind the scenes … you’re constantly on the go, but it’s not bad because it’s so fun. And it’s a joy coming back and seeing all the kids remember me (this year),” he said.

So far, the program has served 11,000 kids over its 20 years.

Michelle Schmidt has been director of programming for 14 years, but has been with BGC Winnipeg since the program was introduced.

“The program is really about removing barriers,” she said, using the fact that it’s free of charge as an example. But, she said, as much as it’s about removing barriers, it’s also about community.

“I mean, the C in CSI stands for community, right? And I think that’s really what the program is designed to do, to be is to be in the community. We want to hire youth from the community in the program, we want to, obviously, service the participants. We look to utilize talents of participants in the program … to build and showcase their skills,” Schmidt continued.

“The program is really about removing barriers,” she said, using the fact that it’s free of charge as an example. But, she said, as much as it’s about removing barriers, it’s also about community.

“I mean, the C in CSI stands for community, right? And I think that’s really what the program is designed to do, to be is to be in the community. We want to hire youth from the community in the program, we want to, obviously, service the participants. We look to utilize talents of participants in the program … to build and showcase their skills,” Schmidt continued.