Last week, YMCA Calgary’s YMAP team gathered with 92 youth at the Kerby Centre to celebrate another year of growth, connection, and community at our annual YMAP Year-end event.
The evening was filled with award presentations, food, performances, and lots of laughter. It was a moment to recognize the strength and leadership of the young people who make up our YMAP community.
The YMCA Achievement Program (YMAP) is a free program that supports high school youth and young adults who are new to Canada. Since its beginning, YMAP has welcomed participants from over 50 countries, including refugees, immigrants, international students, and second-generation Canadians.
Throughout the 2024 to 2025 school year, our YMAP team:
- Worked with 358 unique youth across Calgary, with over 1,200 program visits each month.
- Ran more than 18 workshops with community partners like NELY and Servus Credit Union, covering topics such as financial basics, university readiness, health and nutrition, and resume building.
- Coordinated over 34 volunteer outings across Calgary with organizations including Brenda’s House, Samaritan’s Purse, the Calgary Food Bank, and many more.
- Took 70 youth on two major field trips—to Drumheller and Camp Chief Hector YMCA—where they explored Alberta, enjoyed delicious food, participated in team building activities, and strengthened connections with one another.
From Youth Fun Fridays and All About YOUth sessions to the Community Advocates program, curriculum programs, and our amazing YMAP Youth Council, we saw youth grow in confidence, leadership, and build a sense of belonging within their communities.
"Our programs would not be possible without the support of our many, many funders who provide their donations, time, ideas, and collaboration for our events,” said Sabrina Putman, Center Manager, Youth Engagement.
We are especially thankful for our long-standing partners at Servus Credit Union, who continue to provide our youth with new and engaging experiences, from mock interviews to curling and ice skating. A special thank you to Cindy Nguyen and Karen Thompson for supporting our programming and for volunteering at our year-end celebration where they served dinner and dessert from Noto Gelato.
One highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Rotary Club of Calgary scholarships. This year, eight youth were awarded a total of $18,000 to help support their post-secondary education. The scholarships were presented in honour of the late Lou MacEachern, whose long-standing commitment to youth continues to make a lasting impact. We were honoured to present the awards alongside Michael Pierson, and to witness the pride, joy, and surprise on the faces of each recipient. Next year marks our 20th year of partnership with the Rotary Club, a milestone we are proud to celebrate.
We are also grateful for the continued support from the Anonymous Family Legacy Fund at the Calgary Foundation, the Donor Directed Endowment Fund, United Way Calgary, Travis Luehr and Claudia Barocio, Howie and Sher Shikaze, our anonymous donors, and all the individual donors who contributed to our Let’s Raise Campaign. Your generosity helps ensure that the youth in our communities are supported through programs like YMAP.
To our YMAP staff, Rey, Mandy, Melvi, Desarais, Tadael, Abbie, Maricar, Thanya, Harleen, and our passionate volunteers: thank you for your year-round commitment to creating safe and empowering spaces for youth to thrive. Your dedication and hard work are the foundation of this program. We also want to acknowledge our student emcees, Laiba and Palash, who led the evening with warmth and confidence.
Reflecting on the night, Sabrina shared, "Thank you to everyone who came out to the event to support our team and the amazing work they are doing for our youth. We felt so deeply supported and loved as we celebrated the youth last night.”
As we wrap up this year and look ahead, we remain committed to creating spaces where youth are welcomed, supported, and celebrated. Thank you to everyone who joined us at the YMAP Year-end event and to all who continue to support this work.
Click here to learn more about YMAP and how to get involved.