Red Fox Healthy Living Society
Grant Program: Community Grants 2022
Funder: Howard Martin Memorial Fund
Red Fox Healthy Living Society transforms the lives of children and youth who face barriers through the power of recreation and mentorship. We do this by providing free, ongoing recreation and cultural programs to children and training and mentoring local youth to lead the programs. We also deliver youth life and employment skills programs including a full-time paid youth internship program and a volunteer environmental stewardship program. The foundation of our success is our youth leadership continuum where youth who face barriers can progress from participant (ages 5 – 12) to Junior Leader (ages 11 – 14) to Youth Leader (ages 15 – 20) to Youth Intern (ages 18 to 30) to staff member at Red Fox or another community organization. Our programs foster health, capacity building, self-esteem and inclusion.
To date, twelve North Shore youth participated in our leadership program – volunteering at Active Play programs, going on outdoor recreation outings, volunteering at community clean ups, and accessing mental health and other supports as needed. We reached over 50 children at the new Active Play program at Chartwell Elementary, 160 children at our three North Van Active Play programs, 100 children at our two West Van park programs, and 375 at community special events. We connected with school staff and planned for an Active Play program at Hollyburn Elementary.
Our new program at Chartwell Elementary has proven to be very popular. The Middle Childhood Index identified the British Properties as an area with a high level of children who enter school with lower than average social development. Many are recent newcomers to Canada from China who are cared for by grandparents before entering Kindergarten. There are also children of Persian and Filipino heritage who don’t live in the British Properties but cross school boundaries to attend Chartwell, as the parents perceive Chartwell as offering more opportunities than the children would have at the North Vancouver schools that they live close to. Children and parents have shared that the programs are helping children to feel more connected to their peers and gives them something active and fun to look forward to each week. Teachers and administrators report that the program is helping children adapt to the school environment.
"Children and parents have shared that the programs are helping children to feel more connected to their peers and gives them something active and fun to look forward to each week."
"Teachers and administrators report that the program is helping children adapt to the school environment. "
