Child & Youth Friendly Calgary

Child and Youth Friendly Calgary
Suite 820, 1202 Centre Street SE
Calgary, Alberta T2G 5A5
(403) 266-5448 phone
(403) 264-0266 fax

www.ChildFriendly.ab.ca

Our purpose: to lead in providing meaningful opportunities for young people to contribute to our community.

Child and Youth Friendly Calgary envisions a community where all children and youth are engaged, involved, informed and inspired. This vision is based on the firm belief that young people who experience involvement and philanthropy at an early age grow up with an ongoing sense of responsibility to their community. Youth in modern society are undervalued and should be challenged to take more on: They need to be included in all aspects of community life.Through various initiatives, CYFC provides youth the opportunity to volunteer, serve on steering committees, voice their opinions to business leaders and politicians, learn about the diversity in their community, serve on a youth foundation and develop citizenship skills. To create these opportunities, CYFC runs ten different programs and events, all of which give young people the opportunity to grow as individuals.

When junior and senior high school aged youth get involved in CYFC's programs, they get first-hand experience with citizenship and teamwork, which complements the formal school setting education. In addition, youth gain leadership skills and enhance self-esteem while starting new friendships. The community is opened up to them and they learn about its diversity, at the same time gaining valuable employment skills to help prepare them for the future.

Our GoalsVision
* All youth participate in shaping a vibrant community.

Mission
* Inspiring, engaging and celebrating youth through community participation.Values
* We value all young people and their importance in our society.
* We value a community in which all children and youth are equal and respected, and are encouraged to be active citizens.
* We value the diversity, skills, creativity and talents of our volunteers, participants and staff.
* We value community partnerships that promote and believe in the value of actively engaging youth in the community.

Some History -- CYFC is 15!JoAnne James, producer of the Calgary International Children's Festival, came back from a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, with an exciting idea to build a child friendly city. While Edinburgh's initiative was focused on tourism, the original concept of a Child Friendly Calgary organization was that of developing diverse opportunities for children and youth to get involved - and have a voice in their communities.

Penny Hume became Child Friendly Calgary's first Executive Director in 1992, and she continues to steward this award-winning charitable non-profit organization today.In 2001, Child Friendly Calgary changed its name to Child and Youth Friendly Calgary to let the community know our organization is about giving all young people - children and youth - the opportunity to get involved.

Child and Youth Friendly Calgary (CYFC) is a worldwide recognized authority for including youth in community. The child and youth friendly city concept is spreading, and CYFC has assisted many cities around the world in developing their own youth-inclusive initiatives modeled after their programs but tailored to their own community's specific needs.