11/05/2026
🌟 An Important Message for Youth in Our Region – BGC’s Anchor Youth Site Finds a New but Familiar Home for Youth!
Yesterday, it was announced that the Provinces newest Integrated Youth Services (IYS) site will find its home on Main Street at the current Mariners on Main location!
Thanks to BGC Yarmouth and a recent agreement with the Town of Yarmouth, BGC will take over the building when the new pool opens on Starr's Road early next spring. This creates an incredible opportunity to build something special for young people in our region.
At a recent Youth Wellbeing Network event, one message came through loud and clear: young people want and need more spaces of their own.
When the opportunity arose to create this space on Main Street, everyone involved jumped at the chance. There is something special about this location. This building has a long history of serving young people in our community, and now it has an opportunity to continue that legacy for many years to come.
Yarmouth was announced as the Province’s eighth Integrated Youth Services site in January 2025. The goal is to bring health, social and employment supports together under one roof for young people aged 12–25. This comes with an initial 10 years of provincial funding support.
BGC Yarmouth will serve as the host organization, working alongside the Youth Wellbeing Network, SHYFT Youth Services, Southwest Employment Services, Tri-County Restorative Justice, and so many other community organizations and partners, including the Province and IWK.
Together, we will help connect young people with mental health and addiction supports, counselling, primary healthcare, employment and training opportunities, housing assistance and much more.
Another exciting part of this opportunity is preserving the gymnasium, with the intention of keeping it available as a community space moving forward.
Kris Burley has been hired as Project Manager to help bring this vision to life. Over the coming months, youth and community input will help shape what this space becomes.
The possibilities are enormous! We have an opportunity to build something truly special – a place where young people feel welcome, supported, connected and, most importantly, that they belong.
Let's bring our community together and build something monumental for the next generation! An investment in our young people is an investment in the future of our region.
