About Us

Beverly is a community of 5 very diverse neighborhoods, Abbottsfield, Beacon Heights, Bergman, Beverly Heights, and Rundle Heights. The neighbourhoods of Abbottsfield and north Rundle Heights consist solely of multi-family row housing and apartment buildings. Most of this housing is low cost, rental accommodation with a fairly high transiency rate. Due to the affordability of this housing, the community has high numbers of new immigrants and a large Indigenous population.

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Youth Options began as a joint initiative between the Edmonton Police Service and community agencies to address the issue of youth gangs in the community. Meetings were held with youth to gain their insight into the issues they faced and to discover what they felt the community could offer them to help address those issues. Most of the youth we spoke with indicated they were bored and while there were some activities offered in the community, most of them had a cost attached, weren’t of interest to them, or involved travel outside of the community. 

 

During the pandemic, our youth options and Alpha Kidz closed. With many of our teens left to find other means of recreation, there was an increase in criminal behaviour. We would like to continue to bring the youth of our community back into the building and get them busy doing what they love! Sports and recreation are great ways for them to burn off their energy. Our hope is that this will help them to make good choices and steer clear of negative influences in the area. Since BTCDS was created, community pride has increased, crime levels have decreased, the physical appearance of the community has improved, and the youth have an increased sense of ownership and inclusion in their community.

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We are expecting youth to have the opportunity to be with other teens and see a decrease in drug use and criminal activities. Our programs will help the youth cope with post-pandemic stress. Youth will have the opportunity to volunteer in the Alpha Kidz program. Older Teens will be able to mentor younger children. Family activities will be offered to increase intergenerational ties and strengthen family bonds. The community will be more connected, safe, and productive. The programs benefit an average of 110 families with 400 youth/children a year.

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