Routes Youth Centre

A huge thank you to Luba and the team at here in Dundas for nominating us to receive a grant from ! Your continuous support of Routes is incredibly meaningful to us!

Happy August! Our second and final babysitting course offering of the summer is just around the corner! If you are turning 12 or older in 2024, you can sign up for this two-day course for Thursday, August 8th and Friday, August 9th! This course covers important topics including infant care, child care, health and safety information and is recognized by the Canada Safety Council. You can learn how to register on our website at http://www.routesyouthcentre.ca/babysitting-course. Spots are limited, so register today in order to reserve your spot!

Our field trip permission forms for all of our amazing trips in August are now live on our website! Come join us for a jam-packed August at the Dundas Community Pool (Thursday August 1st), Warrior Factory (Wednesday August 7th), on our Dundas Cactus Festival Parade float (Thursday August 15th), and at McMaster's Spheros Robotics Workshop (Wednesday August 21st)!

August is nearly here and our calendar is packed with fun activities you won't want to miss! Join us for our August Trip Series (forms available on our website), our weekly walks to the driving park and our End of Summer school supplies shopping party! 🎉☀️ We look forward to seeing you this August!

Are you turning 12 or older this year? Do you have an interest in caring for babies, toddlers, and school aged children? If the answer to either of these questions is YES our babysitting course might be for you! The course begins next Thursday so register today to reserve your spot!

Are you ready to join the ride? 👀

Join us on Sunday Sept 22/24 and enjoy late summer cycling at its finest 🚲

Choose from 5 routes including a family-friendly route, while experiencing beautiful rural roads and countryside.

After your ride, grab a beer and enjoy the outdoor food court and festivities from , 11am-4pm. Lunch is included with routes 36K and up!

In support of , Margaret’s Place Hospice at St. Joseph’s Villa, and local community projects.

Tour de Dundas is only 7️⃣5️⃣ days away! To register visit our link in bio 🚴!

Summer is here and Routes is ready to have some fun in the sun!🌞🏖️ Join us for drop-in from 12-5pm starting on July 3rd or on one of our weekly field trips (permission forms available online)! See you next week to kick off Routes Summer 2024 🤠🎉

The summer is here and that means two sessions of our Babysitting Course are available!

If you are turning 12 or older in 2024, you can sign up for this two-day course either for Session 1 in July or Session 2 in August. The course covers important topics including infant care, child care, health and safety information, and it is recognized by the Canada Safety Council. Find out more and download a registration form by visiting: https://www.routesyouthcentre.ca/babysitting-course

We are SO incredibly thankful to our longtime supporters at the Dundas Legion Branch 36 for their very generous support! We were beyond excited when they reached out about providing a donation as a part of their Catch the Ace campaign, and were STUNNED to hear that they would be doubling their contribution at the cheque presentation today! Be sure to check out their Catch the Ace fundraiser event starting next month on their website, www.dundascatchtheace.com

Check out our Summer hours! These hours will begin July 3rd! We hope to see you for some more fun in the sun activities and field trips! ☀️

Hello! Our end of school/Summer party is coming up soon! We are now accepting sign up requests starting today until Thursday, June 20th! There will be a sign up sheet in Routes today! Feel free to also call or DM us for a spot! We are looking forward to celebrating with you! ☀️

Routes End of School Summer party is now open for sign up! There will be a sign up sheet at Routes! Feel free to DM us or call as well to sign up in advance;

The June calendar is live! Head over to our website to check out all the great things coming up this month like two workshops with artist Heather Smith from DVSA, a LEGO build day, Pride Month activities, and a start of summer party planned by Routes own youth council!

https://www.routesyouthcentre.ca/program-calendars

We are looking for new or gently used LEGO for an upcoming Routes program - if you have LEGO sets or assorted bins of bricks you have been looking to relocate to a loving home, reach out to us by phone, email, or DM us!

This Wednesday is pancake-making-dragon-defying staff, Violet's, last day at Routes. Violet started with Routes as a Dungeons & Dragons expert volunteer and quickly became staff who youth can count on for homework support, Wednesday night casserole creations, and a caring adult beyond the D&D table. We are excited for Violet's new adventures at teacher's college, but she will be very much missed by youth and staff alike. If you haven't had a chance to say goodbye, stop by the Centre on Wednesday evening. Until we meet again, good luck and best wishes Violet!

On Wednesday, May 22nd, we are so excited to have Goodwill Amity back at Routes for a free workshop to help you find your summer job! Open to all youth ages 13 to 19, no registration required and snacks provided.

Last week, we were grateful to meet with the Director of Education at Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini (pictured here), as well as Amber Aquin who is the HWDSB Engagement Officer. We were thrilled they both could join us at Routes for a tour of our space and a fantastic chat!

National Youth Week comes to a close for us today with our Friday Field Trip to Lazer Mania Hamilton! Just a reminder that the Centre will not be open for drop-in or open gym hours today.

It's that time of year again - if you are doing some spring cleaning and looking for a place to donate your scrap metal, look no further! This Saturday, May 4 from 9am to 1pm, you can drop off your scrap metal, electronics, batteries, barbecues, bottles and cans in support of Routes.

Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday's Dundas Dinner Dash in celebration of National Youth Week! From the community members who volunteered to be a 'living clue' and the businesses like Freewheel Cycle who welcomed us as a stop on the Dash to Picone Fine Food, Dundas Chocolate Shop, and Mickey McGuire's Cheese who made sure the Dash ended in a delicious dinner!

Happy Youth Week! It's Dundas Dinner Dash day - join us today for a Dundas-wide scavenger hunt to collect our dinner ingredients and then later this week, we are celebrating Youth Week with a field trip to Lazer Mania Hamilton

May is almost here! Check out the website for all the programming highlights for and lots more happening the rest of the month, including Youth Council, Arts For All workshops, and a job search support workshop with Goodwill Amity!

Join Routes at the Dundas branch of Hamilton Public Library for a talk with author, KP Parker. Ask all of your questions about self-publishing and listen to their new work. This event is for youth ages 13+

Thank you to all the volunteers who make Routes possible! Last year, Routes volunteers gave 5,127 hours of their time to support fundraisers, prepare lunches, create memories in the gym, the kitchen, and the park - thank you for lending your time and talents to Routes!

We are thrilled to share the new logo for Routes Youth Centre. Crafted by the talented team at We Are Midfield, our re-imagined logo builds on the history of Routes and the idea of strength in numbers. "After all, the safety of a net only exists because of the strength generated by its intersecting points. We blend perfectly imperfect abstract shapes in variety of colors, weaving them to imply an ever-moving, always adaptable support system." (Midfield)

A huge thank you to Midfield and all the folks who shared their ideas along the way, especially the youth at Routes who shared their votes and feedback.