— Boys & Girls Clubs support new Teen Centre & van —

(OSOYOOS TIMES — June 6, 2007) —

By Lawrence McMahenrnOsoyoos Times

The effort to connect with local teens and give them positive, fun things to do has received a major boost from the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs.
The Clubs have recently funded a new Osoyoos Teen Lounge in the Sonora Community Centre, hired a Youth Programmer, and donated a van filled with sports equipment and a barbecue to take fun activities out to kids in parks around town during the summer.
The new Youth Programmer, Casey Brouwer, is optimistic that the initiatives will make a difference in the lives of a number of young people in town.
Brouwer is excited about building on the work he has already been doing with Osoyoos teens. He moved to town three years ago and is Assistant Pastor at the Gathering Place church, is Assistant Programmer for the Town of Osoyoos Recreation and Leisure Department, and hosts youth events such as the local Teen Idol competition and the youth 'TGIF' drop-in event Friday evenings at the Sonora Centre. Before moving to Osoyoos, he was a youth worker for eight years in Fort Langley, B.C.
Brouwer says the outreach van and the new Teen Lounge will give teens a safe place to hang out and an example of positive choices they can be making in their lives.
He says the lounge offers young people a no-pressure environment and lets him connect with the kids and be there to help them with issues they may be facing.
The Teen Lounge was officially opened on May 25 with great fanfare, including a Teen Talent Contest that offered a $100 top prize.
Brouwer says about 50 people gathered for the Lounge opening and talent contest. Seven boys and two girls displayed their talent “ everything from singing and playing an instrument to doing celebrity impersonations and emitting a hilarious laugh.
Contest judges were RCMP Constable Jodi Kohlman, Boys and Girls Club Director Allen Helm, Osoyoos Royalty Candidate Amanda Sandyke, and Okanagan Sun Publisher Robert Schuster.
They awarded the $100 first prize to singer Kansas Hatherly, second prize to Colton Pighin, and third prize to Josh Bergstad.
The new lounge contains a pool table, a video-game system, a TV with DVD and VCR players, a computer (with internet and e-mail coming soon), board games, crafts, magnetic darts, and a snacks area.
Brouwer says the lounge is open to 12-18 year-olds from 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays, 4-9 p.m. Thursdays and 1-7 p.m. Fridays. He says Yore Movie Store will generously donate one movie each Thursday for the young people to watch.
With the new lounge and the travelling sports and games van (which a provincially funded assistant will help him with this summer), Brouwer says he's ready to connect with an increasing number of teens this summer and into next fall and winter.
While just a few are dropping into the new lounge at this early point, he expects word of mouth to spread, and more teens will begin to drop in. He notes there are often 70-80 kids at the TGIF events held in the Sonora Centre from 7-9:30 every Friday over the past number of months.
Brouwer looks forward to building friendships and helping Osoyoos young people, one by one.
God has given me a gift to work with youth and kids and I'm very thankful for that.