After 15 years of fundraising work, the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) has broken ground on what will become a 5,000 sq. ft. youth centre serving Indigenous youth along International Avenue.
The first-of-its-kind centre is set to open in spring of 2025, following a ceremony to mark the final steps towards construction and completion on March 25.
LeeAnn Ireland, Executive Director for USAY, said that there would be between 6,000 to 10,000 people per year accessing the building, with the majority of those individual visitors coming from local high schools, including Jack James and Forest Lawn.
“We want this space to feel like a home. There’s not even going to be a reception area. If people are going to be in it, it’s going to feel very home where they can feel safe and secure. That’s really the key part,” Ireland said.
Among the highlights of the new building will be a maker space for youth to create anything from ribbon skirts to 3d printing, a full kitchen and gathering space for eating, a multi-purpose space for programming, office space on a second floor for USAY staff, and a 1,600 sq. ft. rooftop garden.
She said that the decision to locate the new facility next to International Avenue was the result of USAY already offering programming in the community, and has the added benefit of easy Calgary Transit access.
“This is just a strategic location for where we already offer services. Many of our youth are already going to the Marlborough Community Center to meet with us,” Ireland said.
Funding from government, foundations, and industry
Ireland said that the centre is going to be a boon to the local community, which had asked for the vacant lot where it will be located to be cleaned up for many years.
“The building will never really be a high-use drop-in space. It’ll be intentional programming where people are gathering for a purpose, and I think that that makes everyone in this neighbourhood really excited that this will be a place that’s protected, and safe, and almost like a sanctuary,” Ireland said.
Major funding for the youth centre, at $3.92 million, came from the Government of Canada’s Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund.
Ireland said that $800,000 in additional funding from the Calgary Foundation allowed for the improvement of design elements on the centre to make it a truly beautiful building.
Zoom—the video conferencing software company—provided funding to upgrade the electrical connections on the property including moving overhead power lines underground, Ireland said.
“A few years ago, USAY made an unlikely partnership with Zoom, and they were so kind in reaching out. In fact, I thought initially it was a scam so I avoided them for a long time. Because I thought what does Zoom have anything in common with USAY, but they’ve been so amazing,” she said.
Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal, speaking on behalf of Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, said that the new facility would provide much-needed opportunities for Calgary Indigenous youth.
“Now, in a setting they know and love, in a city they’re helping to transform positively, with respect for their cultures, they’ll be able to hone their skills and move towards a promising future. This agreement demonstrates that we can deliver appropriate services to Indigenous People by listening to communities and collaborating with their leaders,” Chahal said.
Important for Indigenous youth who have not had their own space
Mason Machiskinic, an Indigenous Youth originally from Saskatchewan who moved to Calgary approximately three years ago, said that USAY had provided him with a family away from his family.
“I value them so much. I’ve really built a family with USAY in the last two years. They’re not my blood relatives, but they have taken me in as family,” he said.
“This new youth centre is, I think, going to be great for youth. It’s in a good area, generalized for our youth. It’s in walking distance, and it’s going to be a bus away for our youth. I also think it’s going to open up so much more opportunities for our youth.”
Elder Doreen Spence O.C., who also spoke at the groundbreaking, said that she felt blessed by the steps taken toward building the new youth centre.
“I have been to other ceremonies in other nations and there are many, many different temples, and organizations for people who moved to this country. This is the first time in my life that I have experienced a groundbreaking ceremony for Indigenous people,” she said.
“This is a really warm-hearted feeling for me today to experience this because it has been an uphill battle for my people. Everything we do, we have to work twice as hard as anybody else to get to where we are.”
