Youth in Silvermere

Silvermere Youth Action Network (YAN)

YAN is a Silvermere-based youth council run by the Silvermere & District Community Services Society (SDCSS), with funding partners including the West Highlands Community Trust and the Vancouver Foundation.

• Ages: 12 to 18 (and adult community members welcome)
• Meets: about once a week
• What they do: plan events, brainstorm projects, voice youth perspective on community issues, build leadership skills
• Cost: free

First time? You don’t need to commit to anything. Show up to one meeting, see if it’s your kind of thing, and decide from there. SDCSS posts the next meeting date and the room number on their site.

Silvermere & District Community Complex

The Complex (operated by the Regional District of the West Highlands) is Silvermere's main hub for recreation, fitness, and seasonal camps.

• Phone: 250-555-0100
• RDWH Recreation: Community Complex programs and schedules
• What's inside: indoor pool, gym, weights, fitness studios, ice arena, programming rooms.
• Summer camps: themed weeks and single Destination Fridays, typically announced each spring. Discounted rates available for family memberships.
• Specialty youth camps run at the beginning of July (Fiddlers, Golf, and Kayak Academy are regular offerings).

Foundry BC (virtual)

Foundry BC is a province-wide organization offering no-cost mental-health counselling, primary care, substance use services, and peer support to youth ages 12 to 24 and their families.

• Virtual services via Foundry Virtual (video, voice, chat) available anywhere in BC.
• Self-referral through foundrybc.ca. Book an appointment online or on the Foundry BC app.
• Free and confidential , parents don't need to be involved unless you want them to be (for eligible youth).

Mental health support for youth

Kids Help Phone

If texting feels lower-stakes than talking, that’s totally fair. They don’t know who you are. It’s just you and a counsellor on the other end. You can stop the conversation any time, no follow-up, no record at school, no parent call.

• Call 1-800-668-6868
• Text 686868 (any keyword works, CONNECT, CARE, HELLO, or text PRIDE 686868 specifically for LGBTQ2S+ support)
• Live chat at kidshelpphone.ca
• Free, confidential, 24/7, ages 5 to 29

9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline

• Call or text 9-8-8. Canada-wide, 24/7, free.

Regional Crisis Line Network

• 1-888-353-2273 24/7 phone, chat, text

Silvermere Mental Health & Substance Use

• 310-MHSU (310-6478) from any phone, no area code. Routes to local MHSU.
• In-person: 707 10th Street, Mon, Fri 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. (closed noon, 1)
• See the full Mental Health & Crisis Support page.

LGBTQ2S+ youth

• Kids Help Phone LGBTQ2S+ text line: text PRIDE to 686868.
• Trans Lifeline: 1-877-330-6366
• QMUNITY BC counselling and community: qmunity.ca
• Foundry BC has LGBTQ2S+-affirming counsellors province-wide.

Indigenous youth

• KUU-US Crisis Line , 24/7, Indigenous-led: 1-800-588-8717
• Hope for Wellness Helpline , 24/7, multiple Indigenous languages: 1-855-242-3310
• West Highlands Indigenous Youth Circle serves Indigenous youth 15+ across the West Highlands.
• See Indigenous Resources & Reconciliation for more.

Library programs for youth

The Silvermere & District Public Library at 1005 3rd Street is a free youth hub:

• Free library card for residents
• Teen fiction, graphic novels, and dedicated teen spaces
• Summer reading clubs
• Free WiFi and public computers (60-minute daily limit)
• Tech help drop-ins

Things to do outside

• Lantern Bay Park bike park (pump track and progression features), skateboarding, swimming ponds in summer, the region's tallest play structure.
• Lakeline Bike Network paved multi-use paths connecting the city.
• Cottonwood Point old-growth cottonwoods, lakeshore walking, photo spots.
• Local trails Raven Point (moderate), Cedar Creek (easy), Silvercrest Summit (expert), Greystone Ridge (expert mountain biking).
• Lakelight free rotating outdoor art. Bring friends and make it a photowalk.

Education & employment

• Highwater College main campus in Silvermere, trades, academic upgrading, university transfer, business, arts programs.
• Summer employment , many community businesses hire for the tourist season. Check the Chamber of Commerce directory.
• Canada Summer Jobs funds employers to hire youth 15 to 30 each summer.

If you're being bullied or abused

• Kids Help Phone is trained for this. Call or text.
• Helpline for Children (BC): dial 310-1234 (no area code, 24/7) to speak with a child protection social worker.
• Child Protection Report Line for anyone reporting: 1-800-663-9122.
• School counsellor , your school has one. They're confidential (with legal exceptions they'll explain).

For parents and caregivers

Supporting a young person through hard moments is its own challenge. Resources:

• Kids Help Phone parent resources: kidshelpphone.ca/parenting
• Family Smart , BC non-profit for families of youth with mental-health challenges: familysmart.ca
• Foundry BC Family & Caregiver Peer Support connects you with others who've navigated the same path.
• If you need your own mental-health support, see the Mental Health & Crisis Support page.