After-School Program

 

The goal of IRCOM’s After-School Program is to assist new Canadian children and youth to positively integrate into their new environment in Canada. Our motivation is to provide opportunities for newcomer children and youth that will allow them to harness their potential, develop leadership and set goals for their futures.

 

Objectives of the IRCOM After-School Programs:

• EDUCATION: To create educational activities (i.e.: literacy, homework clubs) in order to assist newcomer children and youth in cultural adaptation and language
• RECREATION: To provide stimulating and active recreational activities for children and youth which will promote the values of cooperation, non-violence and cross-cultural communication
• EMPOWERMENT: To create a ‘space’ where self-esteem, recognition and appreciation for self, other and the environment can be learned and practiced
• OUTREACH: To expose IRCOM young people to the different service providers, opportunities, cross-cultural scenarios and types of activities that exist in their neighbourhood through outreach and collaboration with other agencies
• PREVENTION: To keep youth away from high risk activities such as gangs, violence and substance abuse by providing positive mentorship, engaging, youth-friendly activities

Children’s Programs
Our children’s programs run five times a week after school from 4pm to 6pm and comprise of a number of different activities aimed at helping newcomer children integrate positively with their new community in Winnipeg. We run a different themed activity everyday of the week and this helps to engage the kids and keep them interested. Some of the activities that we do include:

• Arts & Crafts; this includes puppet making, thematic crafts (ie: Halloween, Mother’s Day), drawing, painting, sculpting, collage, photography, jewellery making, outdoor crafts (ie: bird feeders etc.), cultural arts, visits to Graffiti Art Gallery, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Art City, and other creative centres.
• Family program once a week with selected families; families including all children and parents take part in 8 week session programs at a time. New families are enrolled per session
• Variety programs including a mix of all of the children’s favourite activities including: literacy through karaoke or puppet plays, watching movies, swimming, environmental activities (i.e.: composting, planting flowers in summer etc.), culturally relevant activities and outreach to neighbouring communities and agencies programs.
• Raise-a-reader; a literacy program that involves helping newcomer kids improve their reading skills, to like school and learning, help kids set reading targets and goals to increase their literacy.
• Gym program at Victoria Albert School; includes fun recreational as well as skill building activities. Half the gym is set up for an organized indoor sport, and the other half is open gym where kids can play other sports or games with the assistance of volunteers and staff

Youth Programs
Our youth programs run four times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) from 7pm to 9pm with a variety of activities that are fun, empowering, and recreational helping to build the self esteem of newcomer youth. The content of our programs vary from season to season but for this year they include:

• Arts Programming including an evening where youth learn how to mix music and its creation with the help of a local DJ and Hip Hop Artist, a joint program with our partner agency at Spence Neighbourhood Association, and hip-hop workshops
• Youth leadership programs including healthy relationships workshops, a book making project with the IRCOM Ambassador’s, and themed workshops on integration
• Homework drop-in program where our staff and volunteers help youth with their homework. This whole program takes place in English, so they are encouraged to speak and practice English during all programming activities.
• Girls’ night on Fridays is an evening run by female staff and volunteers and provides a safe space where girls can share, talk with positive female role models and have fun! Activities include helping with homework, leadership & teambuilding activities, hair and nails night, art, sports, games and activities, discussions about women’s issues (i.e.: relationships, women’s health etc…).
• Boys’ night on Fridays is an evening is run by male staff and volunteers and provides a safe space where boys can share, talk with positive male role models and have fun! It includes mentorship & leadership activities, as well as sports and team building.

IRCOM is a member in good standing of the Coalition for Community Based Youth Serving Agencies and participates in its programming. This includes the Rotary Leadership Circle Program, summer camps and other collective programs.

IRCOM is also a member in good standing of the Youth Peacebuilding Project and participates in the annual summer youth peace gathering where youth between the ages of 14 and 16 from diverse cultural backgrounds get together to dialogue about diversity, culture, identity, faith, racism and racial stereotyping and differences.

 

With support from Assiniboine Credit Union and the Charleswood Rotary, IRCOM hosts a yearly celebration for children and their families- IRCOM’ Mosaic Summer Celebration held every summer.

 

In addition, IRCOM also runs speciality programs for children and youth, based on their interests. For example in 2009, IRCOM completed the With Art Program. Funded through the Winnipeg Arts Council, newcomer youth worked with two professional filmmakers to create a documentary and hip hop video called ‘Live from 95’ that depicted their realities as newcomers to Canada.