‘OST is working for us, our voices are heard’: the value of supportive collaboration

A collaborative initiative that works to leverage the best information, opportunities and funding for local youth helps small organizations punch above their weight when it comes to providing programming.

The Out of School Time (OST) Collaborative is a preventative, city-wide backbone initiative that strengthens the capacity of community organizations to provide accessible, high-quality after-school and summer programming for children and youth ages five to 24 who experience barriers to participation. It places particular emphasis on newcomer, Indigenous, racialized and low-income communities, as well as children and youth with disabilities and others who may be underserved by mainstream programs.

Direct programming is delivered by community partners across Edmonton. REACH's distinct role is to coordinate and strengthen the service ecosystem so that grassroots and equity-led organizations can share resources, improve quality, respond to emerging needs and help more children and youth build resiliency, belonging, school connection, cultural identity, positive relationships and access to natural supports during critical out-of-school hours.

Because the REACH has dedicated staff that focus on supporting the OST Collaborative, service providers are able to focus on serving the kids in their communities while benefitting from knowledge and resources shared by the OST community.

“Being a part of the collaborative we can benefit from knowing what’s happening out there, what other people are doing – it gives you ideas,” says Liyu Gebrewold, Youth Programs Manager at the Africa Centre. “Unless you’re deliberately looking for these things you might not know about them. I always see power in coming together and that wouldn’t have been possible without OST.”

The value of being able to tap into community knowledge cannot be understated.

“When you know what’s happening in the community, and who’s doing what, it gives you peace of mind,” says Liyu. “Sometimes you feel like you’re the only one doing this, but when you come together and share you see: someone else is working for the betterment of the community as well.”

By hosting this collaboration, OST enables groups to work together to leverage the larger group for discounts on transportation, and access small grants for things like field trips, which might not otherwise be covered by more traditional program funding.

“These are key things that make a difference,” says Liyu. “If we were working on our own, we’d pay full price, wasting money. These are practical things.”

When it comes to spaces for summer programming, the OST Collaborative works with community groups and the City of Edmonton to facilitate the Joint Use Summer Access Program.

“Because OST is there, we take it for granted. We’ve never failed at being in this space every year,” says Liyu. “The OST Collaborative makes this feasible for us. OST is working for us, our voices are heard.”

In addition to these supports, the OST Collaborative hosts a low-cost professional development opportunities through the OST Conference every spring, before summer camps get going for the year.

“The conference is one of the best places to learn a lot of things, we get to see different partners and talk about what we’re doing,” says Liyu. Topics covered at the conferences include working with neurodivergent kids, gang involvement, low-cost activity ideas and subsidized first aid training.

In addition to these benefits, partners who are running programming also have access to support from two REACH staff dedicated to the program.

“That’s something we really value,” says Liyu. “The commitment from Brandy and the team, being there and showing up for us. It comes from the heart. They make sure everyone gets to share, they communicate well and you always know what’s happening.”