Central Neighbourhood House

Children & Youth Programs

Kids rule! We have several clubs and
activities for children and for youth.

Programs & Services : Children & Youth Programs

Central Neighbourhood House has been working with children and youth since our very beginnings, tailoring our services to the needs of young people in our communities and responding to the call of the times. We know that kids face a lot of challenges as they journey through the school years on their way to become amazing adults, and our job is to support them along the way, to provide a safe and stimulating environment where they can grow to reach their full potential. We offer programs that address many needs like after-school care, weekend recreation and social programs, evening workshops and entertainment, healthy life habits, drug proofing and alternatives to violence and other high risk behaviours. We work hard to give kids and young adults a place to have fun, learn and grow.

The Tutoring program offers one-on-one support to students from grade one to grade 12 for those who live in the Moss Park, Regent Park and St. Jamestown communities. Volunteer tutors are carefully screened and matched with students based on academic capabilities. These matches can also become a mentoring relationship between the student and the volunteer tutor. Tutors meet for one hour weekly with the students and can also offer additional assistance for exams, EQAO testing if needed. All Tutoring sessions happen at the Central Neighbourhood House location.

Our KidzKlub After-School program operates from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. each weekday, and offers a free program of activities, homework support, physical and social recreation activities and snacks for the after school crowd. For a small fee, we offer an all day program for PA days and March Break. Participants are included in weekly open circles where they discuss activities and make suggestions about the program. This program helps children foster positive relationships with their peers, and best of all, it’s fun!

Transformation Club is a free Saturday afternoon program for Children age 10 - 13 yrs, from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., participants get active in the Central Neighbourhood House gym playing sports and take part in facilitated life skills workshops and craft activities. They are given a healthy snack each day and get to spend time with friends old and new. When it’s sunny outside, the group goes out to parks and swimming in nearby community pools.

Boyz2Men Step Up runs every Thursday night from 6 p.m. -8 p.m. The program is geared towards boys age 10-13 and offers a safe place to meet with other young men from the community. Step Up is a program male youth can get together and build relationships with peers through recreation, workshops, cooking and group discussions.

The Boyz2Men program has been a part of Central Neighbourhood House for many years now, and offers boys and young men a safe place to; discuss issues and concerns, mentoring, opportunities to build self-esteem and skills that young men need to succeed. The group also cooks together and learn basic kitchen skills. Boyz2Men is offered every Friday from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. for boys, ages 15 - 17.

GEMS (Girls Empowerment for More Success) Jr. is a program for girls age 11-12. Every Tuesday from 6 p.m. -8 p.m. In this program, the girls get active in sports, leaderships, arts and social activities, homework, games, outings and group discussions.

GEMS (Girls Empowerment for More Success) Is an extensions of our Gems Jr. program for older girl’s age 13 - 15 yrs. Young women get together to discuss current issues, play sports, build their self-esteem, talk about body image, gain leaderships skill and can meet new young women from their communities. The group cooks a healthy meal every week and sit down together to eat and have “table talk”. The program supports young women empowerment to succeed in all aspect of their lives. GEMS runs every Thursday from 6-8 pm. 

Weekend Programs:

On Saturdays and Sundays, Central Neighbourhood House has Social Recreation Drop in programs for youth age 13  - 24.

Every Saturday, Girls Social Recreation runs from 1:30 p.m. -3:00 p.m. Young women can get active in the gym or just have a safe place to meet with friends.

Saturday evenings is the Boys Social Recreation from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Young men can get active in the gym or just have a safe place to meet with friends.

On Sunday from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m, we have a peer led floor hockey team that gets active in the gym.

On Sundays Social Recreation runs from 4:45 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. All youth can get active in the gym, play board games and hang out with friends at Central Neighbourhood House.

First Fire Dance program is a collaboration between Central Neighbourhood House and Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre. The groups consists of a junior and senior dance team. The junior team is referred to as the First Fire Juniors and the senior team as the First Fire dance crew. The dance groups meet every Tuesday and Thursday. Members of the senior crew work closely with the coordinator to support the junior crew.  After a lot of hard work and dedication, the first fire dance crews host an annual dance showcase to present their learnings and growth throughout the year. The participants live in the downtown area and are from various Indigenous communities.

Summer Camp:

Camp CNH is a fun and educational day program for children and youth between the age of 5 and 13. We provide many opportunities for the social, recreational, cultural and educational development of our campers, through team-building activities centered on recreation, language, and the arts. Activities include arts & crafts, sports, games, drama, dance, music and photography as well as swimming and field trips. Most important, friends are made and unforgettable adventures are to be had!

Our campers enjoy diverse programming that includes daily swimming trips, arts and community engagement activities in and around our neighbourhood, as well as group trips to exciting destinations every Friday.

We also offer a terrific Summer Leadership Program for youth aged 13 and over. This program is part of our Summer Camp program.

We look forward to another exciting summer of fun and adventure!