Youth Development through Recreation Services

YDRS 2023

Are you looking for amazing, budget-friendly professional development? 

Do you want to get connected to other staff working in children and youth programming across Alberta?

The Alberta Recreation & Parks Association (ARPA) is excited to be bringing back the Youth Development through Recreation Symposium (YDRS), May 10 – 12, 2023 at Gull Lake Centre (Gull Lake, Alberta).

Throughout this summer-camp style event, you will attend sessions facilitated by recreation professionals working in outdoor programming, leadership development, and mental health as well as participate in tons of fun and interactive activities you can bring back to your organization!

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to help grow the next generation of recreation professionals in Alberta!

Who Attends

Registration

ARPA Member – YDRS registration with Meals (no accommodation): $339
Includes all scheduled meals and social events.
2022-23 Membership must be current on the date of the event.

Non-Member – YDRS registration with Meals (no accommodation): $359
Includes all scheduled meals and social events.

Accommodations @ Gull Lake Centre: $40.00
Campus-Style Shared Accommodations – 2-Nights

Optional: HIGH FIVE® Principles of Healthy Child Development (4-Hour) (https://www.highfive.org/take-action/get-trained/principles-healthy-child-development-4-hour-phcd-4-hour) ($87.00 per person – you must attend the full four hours to receive your certification).

If you are currently not affiliated with an organization and would like to attend YDRS 2023, please reach out to Jen Goeres, jgoeres@arpaonline.ca 

Program

External Grant Opportunities

To potentially support attendance at YDRS 2023, here is a list of current grants/funding opportunities to explore:

Community Services Recovery Fund
The Community Services Recovery Fund is a $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support charities and non-profits as they focus on how to adapt their organizations for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deadline: February 21, 2023, at 5:00 PM PT. 
communityservicesrecoveryfund.ca

Canada-Alberta Job Grant
The Canada-Alberta Job Grant is a training program where an employer applies on behalf of their present or future employees for eligible training costs. Employers decide who gets training and what type of training may be needed for their employees.
Deadline: Ongoing
alberta.ca

About YDRS

Mandate: Providing an educational forum to advance knowledge of youth development through recreation.

The Youth Development Through Recreation Services (YDRS) Symposium is based on the National Youth Development Symposium that was launched in Calgary in the spring of 2003 and is a bi-annual forum for advancing the knowledge about the contributions of recreation programs and services. It aims to provide information about children and youth development by promoting the delivery and expansion of positive development through sport, recreation, physical activity, education and general health promotion.

The YDRS Symposium attracts delegates from municipal recreation, community service departments, not for profit groups, community sports groups, public health, educational institutions and social service organizations. Presenters range from front line staff to youth policy makers.

The educational opportunity is designed to provide delegates with the opportunity to:

Learn first hand about child and youth development and its application in recreation
Hear from colleagues and peers through focused and themed presentations
Enjoy networking opportunities and return home with practical and applicable resources