Rossland youth will be excited to learn that the Rossland Youth Action Network is introducing a cooking program this fall.
The program, called Chef’s Table, will allow local youth to learn some mad cooking skills from local chefs.
“Once it gets going, a different local chef will be invited to come and teach the kids just one recipe a night,” explains Kristen Renn, YAN program facilitator.
Chef’s Table will be a six-week, registered program on Tuesdays, but the exact dates have yet to be set. Those interested should check rosslandyan.ca or the YAN Facebook page for updates.
Cooking is just one of the new programs being offered by YAN this fall. Back in March, YAN held a Teen Town Meeting at the Prestige to find out what programming young Rosslanders wanted over the next three years. The fall programming, beginning Monday, Sept. 19, reflects the feedback shared at that meeting.
“We had 45 youth come and tell us about what they liked about what we were doing, and some other things they’d like to see happen. So from that we’ve been making a plan for fall programming,” says Mike Kent, YAN coordinator.
Youth also requested designated homework time, and YAN staff obliged by creating MindTime.
“When we had the space open for homework, or snacks, or hanging out or playing games, the kids who wanted to actually come and do homework, it was very hard for them to actually want to do homework once they got here and there were games going on,” says Renn.
MindTime will be on Mondays and Wednesday, 4:30-6 p.m., and will offer homework help and resumé building.
This year there will also be Workshop Wednesdays, with a different theme each month.
“So for example, September is art mixed with nature themed workshops, so it will be like terrariums, going out in nature and building art that goes into nature. We’re going to be working with wood and things that we find in nature to create art,” says Renn. “Then in October — super fun one — that will be a registered program, because that will be costuming and special effects makeup workshops.”
Girl Talk, MakerLab and after school drop in time will all return again this year. Girl Talk will be Mondays, 7-9 p.m., for girls ages 14 to 18; MakerLab is Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m., for youth ages 12 to 18; and drop in will be Monday to Thursday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
The Me to We and Creating a Supportive Rossland (CSR) groups will also be resuming meetings. Those interested in joining Me to We can contact Mike Kent at yancoordinator@gmail.com or through the YAN Facebook page. Youth or young adults interested in being part of CSR can check the Facebook page to find out when meetings are.
Work to begin on YAN’s future home
The construction plan drawings for the new YAN space, to be located on the former Emcon lot, are now complete and work on the space will begin in September.
“Right now we’re just looking at talking to skilled and unskilled labour about … making a timeline and plan about what needs to be done,” says Kent.
The old shop has two bays, and for the first phase of the renovation, YAN will just be renovating the south bay, while the north bay will be renovated next year.
Renn and Kent hope that the new location, across from Rossland Summit School and next to the skatepark, will help them reach youth who aren’t yet familiar with YAN or its programs. They also hope to make a better connection with JL Crowe students this year, as Trail is applying to the Columbia Basin Trust for Basin Youth Network funding to start its own youth network.
“We’re hoping to work closely with Trail and Beaver Valley — who are also working on [getting] Basin Youth Network funding from CBT — to kind of come in together and talk to students,” says Kent.
All three youth networks could then address JL Crowe classes together to spread the word about available youth programming.
YAN seeking community volunteers
YAN is also looking for new volunteers to help with programming.
“We kind of had a little bit of a refresh — our seasonal people in town are some of our best volunteers and so with a new season coming in, there’s new interests and so that will be fun to bring in new people,” says Renn.
Anyone interested in getting involved can fill out a Rossland YAN volunteer interest form at goo.gl/forms/bXY2NujKVQSKQ3S43.