Youth Development through Recreation Services

Overview

Dates: April 30 – May 2, 2025
Location: Camp Kindle, Water Valley, AB

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), April 30 – May 2, 2025, at Camp Kindle (near Cochrane, Alberta).

Throughout this summer-camp style event, you will attend sessions facilitated by recreation professionals from across Alberta 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!

Program COMING SOON!

Check out the 2024 YDRS Program:

External Grant Opportunities

To potentially support attendance at YDRS 2024, 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.

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 to Apply: Ongoing

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

Contact

If you have any questions or are currently not affiliated with an organization and would like to attend YDRS 2024, please reach out to Jen Goeres, jgoeres@arpaonline.ca