The After School Program is one of the newer initiatives undertaken by the Center's Recreation Department. In 2003, after some discussion with Crime Prevention Yukon, the local R.C.M.P Youth Strategy Division, and aboriginal youth at both Youth Centers (WYC & Blue Feather), as well as interested community members, we found that there was a definite need for some effective after school programming for aboriginal youth in the Whitehorse area.

After some brainstorming with key contacts (Crime Prevention, R.C.M.P, local youth centers etc.) it was decided that holding a blend of after-school recreational and cultural activities at two different school gymnasiums would be an effective way to deliver meaningful recreational opportunities to the city's aboriginal youth. This occurred with the help of the Youth Investment Fund, YRAC, and the National Child Benefit Program here at the Center.

The After School Program's main objective is to provide meaningful activity and physical exercise in the short time frame from when school ends and parents arrive home from work. The After School Program has been highly successful, and offers such activities as floor hockey, Arctic Sports and Dene Games, volleyball, basketball, soccer, kickball, tag and many other fun activities. The Program runs from early November to early June of each school year.

Juice & snacks are provided with each after school programming.

Currently, we provide After School Programming on the following dates:

• Monday: 3 - 4:30pm Takhini Elementary School (co-ed grades 3-7)
• Wednesday: 3 - 4:30pm Elijah Smith Elementary (co-ed grades 3-7)
• Thursday: 3 - 4:30pm Jack Hulland Elementary (co-ed grades 3-7)
• Friday: 3 - 4:30pm Selkirk Elementary (co-ed grades. 3-7)

Arctic Sports (also called Inuit Games) as well as Dene Games are a major focus of the Center's Recreation Program. The Recreation Coordinator annually travels to schools around Whitehorse and the outlying communities to teach the skills and history of each of these sports to our Territory's youth.

The Program is available to come to any school or function that is interested in learning more about these cultural games.

The Recreation Program offers Cultural Enhancement workshops in both Whitehorse and the outlying communities. These workshops help or Territory's youth to rediscover aspects of their and other's culture, and provides a meaningful outlet for creative expression and involvement.

Some past Cultural Enhancement Workshops have include such activities as drum-making, wood carving, soap making, and dream catchers.

Keish Summer Day Camps are week long camps throughout the summer that allow urban youth to enjoy a week of fun and rewarding activities hosted by the Recreation and CCAY Programs here at the Friendship Centre. There are 8 different camps that are one week in length. The camps alternate in age with our target ages of 6-9 and 10-14 years old. Past activities have included (but are not limited to): - Museum tours - canoeing - horseback riding - movies - hiking - camping - various sports - go carts - workshops - T-Shirt making - computer labs - boat tours

Registration for Keish Summer Camps generally begins in early June.

>> History of Rediscovery
Rediscovery was born twenty-five years ago on the remote shores of the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii). Challenged by substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, and many painful forms of family disruption, the local native and non-native communities set up a dynamic youth project. They began the first Rediscovery camp for local youth at Lepas Bay on the northeast tip of the Islands.

Rediscovery staff, with the advice and guidance of Haida Elders, opened camp participants' eyes to a renewed contact with the land and heritage around them. Wilderness activities, blended with native culture, served to develop and strengthen feelings of confidence and self-worth for native and non-native participants alike. Since they were integrated in a tolerant and respectful community, participants were free to learn from each other, the environment, Elders, guides and from themselves.

News of the success on Haida Gwaii spread quickly and there are some twenty-one Rediscovery camps in B.C., with other camps across Canada (including Alberta, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon) as well as in the United States and Thailand.

Drawing on the strengths of indigenous cultures and the wisdom of the elders, with a philosophy of respect and love for each other and the Earth, Rediscovery aims to empower youth of all ages to discover the world within themselves, the world between cultures, and the natural world.

The Skookum Jim Rediscovery Wilderness Camp is an annual opportunity for youth from both Whitehorse and the outlying communities to participate in a week-long, fun-filled camp with everything from horseback riding in the mountains to making soap using local flowers and fragrances from the outlying bush.

- Horseback Riding - Soap Making Workshops - Arctic Sports and Dene Games - Rediscovery Games - Swimming at the Lake - Capture the Flag - Hiking - Learning from Elders - Hand Games - Camp Fire Sharing

The Rediscovery Wilderness Camp takes place at the beautiful Cultus Bay camp near Burwash Landing, Y.T and is a successful and long standing tradition that empowers local youth to learn about themselves, one another, and their natural environment.

This annual display of Aboriginal performing artists takes place at the beginning of February each year and is extremely popular for bringing together First Nations from across the territory in a night of fun, socializing, and entertainment. The Annual Keish Elder Awards are also presented at the folklore show.