Local program hosted by YMCA a chance to keep kids active

Parents looking for a weekly event to keep their kids active have at least one option available to them.

On Tuesday nights, the YMCA of Niagara is hosting its Youth Action program at Our Lady of Victory (OLV) Catholic School, two hours of exercise and social interaction starting at 6 p.m. inside the school’s gymnasium.

The program started a couple of weeks before Easter but continues until June 10 when a break is taken for the summer, said Steve Wideman, the YMCA’s director of community programs.

The program has also been running at Garrison Road Public School since November but concluded this week.

It is meant for kids ages 10 to 14 years old, and it is not required that they are a student of the school.

Wideman said the mentors who run the programs “try to mix it up” by encouraging involvement in multiple games and activities, not just playing the same sport for the full two hours.

Even with many kids having their own smartphones and tablets, Wideman said it’s promising that those things can be set aside.

“You’d be surprised how easy it is, even in a world of Playstations and Xboxes,” he said in an interview with Fort Erie Radio.

The weekly gathering is a chance for those who attend to “run around and really be kids,” he added.

The program has been part of the YMCA for 40 years.

“It’s a model we know works,” said Wideman.

There is no registration required for kids to take part, and parents are contacted upon arrival if a child is not accompanied by an adult.

The YMCA takes a maximum of 30 kids each night, said Wideman, noting that this Tuesday’s edition at OLV brought out 24 young people.

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