Parents, Families and Youth

Youth and Family Services identifies and addresses youth, young adult, and family social issues in the community through direct service and/or in partnerships with other social agencies.

Connect Parent Group

A 10 week Attachment-Based Program to support parents and caregivers of pre-teens (ages 10-14).

  • Parents meet in groups of 10-16 with two trained group leaders.
  • Each session provides parents with an attachment perspective on parent-child relationships and adolescent development.
  • Parents watch role-plays, do exercises and discuss ways of responding to challenging behaviour and problems.

Register now

To find out when the next session is running contact 780-992-6281.

Dragonfly Support Group

A monthly group for parents whose children face mental health challenges.

This groups is a safe and supportive place for parents and caregivers to:

  • share challenges and concerns
  • learn and grow as a caregiver, and
  • access supports from those who are facing similar struggles.

To register, please call 780-992-6281.

Rainbow Alliance

The Rainbow Alliance is a peer support group for youth ages 13 and up. It is a supportive and safe place open to all sexual orientations and gender identities, where youth can be themselves in a safe, affirming, sex-positive, alcohol and drug free environment.

Meetings are fun opportunities to make new friends, partake in fun activities and work on projects together.

To learn more about the Rainbow Alliance, call 780-992-6281.
Roots of Empathy

Please note Roots of Empathy has been put on hold temporarily

Roots of Empathy is a classroom program that has shown dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression and violence among school children while raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy.

A certified instructor with a parent and their baby provide classroom visits throughout the school year. The program helps children to learn about baby's needs and development and lets children see a loving relationship grow between parent and baby. The program aims to foster the development of empathy and emotional literacy while reducing levels of bullying, aggression and violence.

To learn more about the Roots of Empathy program, please call 780-992-6281 or visit rootsofempathy.org.
The Bridge, Wellness Hub for Youth

The Bridge is our community’s safe and supportive space for youth aged 11-24 years of age.

The Bridge is a collaboration of local agencies that share space so youth can come and access a number of services at once focusing on mental health and wellness. In addition to wellness services, youth can use our creator space, chill and read in our quiet space, use our computer lab, or grab a snack from our snack pantry!

The Bridge is open two days a week:

Wednesday and Thursday 2:00 – 8:00pm

Services available onsite are Drop-In:

  • Counselling
  • Addictions Counselling
  • LGBTQ2+ Peer Support
  • Indigenous support
  • Sexual Assault support
  • Restorative Justice

Located at Suite #2, 10307 – 100 Ave, Fort Saskatchewan

For more information, please email manager@thebridgewhy.com or call 780-589-0224.

Youth Action Committee

The Youth Action Committee (YAC) is open to all youth ages 13 – 18 and will focus on:

  • Volunteering and fundraising
  • Project orientated activities
  • Youth Wellness
  • Youth driven Initiatives 

Goals:

  1. Engage youth to be involved in the community through volunteering
  2. Plan youth specific events and activities
  3. Collaborate with other groups and agencies
  4. Promote and create initiatives to support the well-being of youth

Location: TBD
Hours: Every Second Tuesday from 4:00 – 5:00pm
Dates: September – June

Sign up for the Youth Action Committee (YAC)

For more information, please email Family and Community Support Services or call 780-992-6281.
Youth Council

Youth Council is an opportunity to be a voice on issues and concerns that affect youth and collaboratively work towards solutions.

If you want to have your say and help make your city a better place join Fort Saskatchewan Youth Council.

Open to youth ages 14 – 24 years of age.

Sign up for the Youth Council

For more information, please email Family and Community Support Services or call 780-992-6281.
Youth Outreach Program

The Youth Outreach Worker provides short-term, goal-oriented support to youth, aged 6-18 years, and their families. They work with the youth's existing strengths while building connections between families, schools and community services.

Youth Outreach helps with:

  • Emotional Concerns: self-esteem, managing emotions, grief and loss, stress, life changes, coping skills;
  • Family Concerns: separation or divorce, parent-teen conflict, sibling conflict, parenting tools, advocacy;
  • School Based Concerns: transition to a new school, attendance issues, improve communication between families and the school; and,
  • Social Concerns: problem solving, social skills, communication, peer relationships.

Who is eligible?

This is a confidential, free service provided to Fort Saskatchewan residents. The Youth Outreach Worker is able to meet in a variety of settings – at school, home, our offices, or other community spaces.

Individual sessions may focus on:

  • Connecting the family to community resources,
  • Acting as a liaison between the school, community agencies and the family,
  • Identifying strategies to support both the youth and/or family,
  • Supporting parents to empower themselves and their children, and
  • Working to meet goals while building relationships.

The Youth Outreach Worker does not provide psychiatric assessments or intervention services.

To apply to the program or for more information, please contact the FCSS Intake Line: 780-992-6267.