The Arcade Drop In

The drop-in is open twice a day; from 11:15am - 12:30pm and from 3:00pm – 6:00pm for youth aged 12 -21. Our drop-in is a comfortable rec room/Arcade environment with a pool table, lounge area, foose ball table, computer lab, and kitchen. Most youth visit the drop-in most days of the week. There is no registration, but all youth meet with staff when they arrive for the first time. Within the drop-in hours we offer a snack program, life skills workshops on pertinent issues affecting youth, informal counselling and daily crisis intervention and resolution needs, participation in events and community celebrations, and generally a safe, supportive and stimulating youth-friendly environment.

Programs for youth
We offer several distinct programs. Some are locally based and some are City Wide.

Services for Parents and Youth Workers

Contact Arcade Youth Services

About Arcade Youth Services
St. Stephen’s Community House Arcade Youth Services has served the community for over twenty years. Our program serves youth aged 12 to 21, in dynamic and evolving programs and services, in response to the varying needs and interests of our program participants and the community. Arcade programs are designed to assist youth in making a healthy transition from being a teenager to young adult by providing programs and services that address needs as they relate to Health, Justice and Education, while assisting the parents, leaders and community to build capacity to meet its own needs. We are fortunate to have a multi disciplinary team of 5 full time staff and 10 – 15 part time community based staff. Our overall program goal is to provide a range of youth services that (1) meet emerging and critical youth social, health, recreation and education needs; (2) engage and empower youth to speak, advocate and lead youth programming that impacts their lives; (3) assist youth facing a range of barriers and life experiences through the transition to young adulthood safely and confidently; (4) encourage youth to think critically about themselves and the community in which they live.

Philosophy and principles guiding our work
In our program we work from an asset based approach. Meaning that each young person that comes to us has something unique to offer and our job is to figure out what that is, what their spark and passion is - and build on it and provide opportunities for them to excel. Our program model is based in empowerment, leadership building, and meaningful engagement in their own development. Our youth focused community capacity building approach adds significant value to the community in addressing key issues such as youth safety and enabling youth to use their collective voice. Our programs focus on prevention and reduce the number of youth who may get involved in other social systems like the child welfare and criminal justice systems.
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