As Canada’s largest dedicated child- and youth-serving organization, we understand the importance of youth development and creating environments that foster resilience in young people.
R2 isn’t a program, it’s an approach
If you’ve seen one Club, you’ve seen one Club. BGC Canada has more than 600 locations across the country, and each operates differently to meet the unique needs of their communities.
Rather than a program with a structure involving steps, timelines, and activities, R2 is an approach: guiding principles and ways of thinking that inform how Club staff work with youth. Because of this, R2 can be weaved into BGC Club’s existing work with youth—making it flexible for each Club to adapt into their daily operations, whatever that looks like.
A curriculum specifically designed for BGC Clubs
We’re thrilled to collaborate with Dr. Michael Ungar and his team at the Resilience Research Centre’s Evaluation and Training Institute to customize an R2 curriculum to support youth who walk through Club doors.
Social work scholar, family therapist, and global expert on resilience, Dr. Ungar has shifted how we understand the challenges faced by young people—helping us adapt how we approach those at risk of educational disengagement. With his support, we’ve given Club staff practical tools to foster stronger relationships with youth—something BGC Clubs are already great at doing.
It helps us do what we’re already doing, better.
BGC Clubs well equipped to support youth mental health needs
Recently, BGC Canada hosted staff from 10 BGC Clubs across the country for a “train the trainer” professional development session to give Club staff the tools to better support young people facing barriers that impact their mental health and well-being.
The training session included collaborative, hands-on activities and engaging conversations that linked our impact on the well-being of youth through BGC Canada’s Learning & Impact data. Club staff left the session with tangible resources and tips to help them apply R2 to foster youth resiliency.
When staff feel burned out by some of the vast issues youth are facing, they have been able to look at the resilience factors and focus on what the Club can control. Staff have reported the approach being helpful and uplifting, especially when systems in place to support youth are not working in the community.
We’re grateful for our partnerships with The Keg Spirit Foundation and The McCall MacBain Foundation, who made the resources for this program possible. With their support, BGC Clubs across the country are better equipped to address the mental health needs of their communities.
