News & Stories

Based out of Wabamun Elementary School, the BGCBigs Wabamun Club offers children and youth opportunities to build the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their full potential by supporting kids in culture, physical activity, health and nutrition, academic support, growth and empowerment, life skills, and leadership. Below is an update from our wonderful Parkland Community Program Facilitator, Bethany Tynes.

At the beginning of the year, we did some idea generating and goal-setting with our Club kids. They mentioned that they were interested in learning new arts and crafts they hadn’t done before. So recently, we’ve been including a bit of art history in our Club programming. I will introduce the kids to a feature artist and then we do an activity related to that artist and their work.

One of our first activities was about “selfies,” self-portraits, and self-expression. We showed the kids pictures of Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Pablo Picasso, as well as pictures of self-portraits that each had painted, and talked about the way artists saw themselves might be the same as or different than other people saw them. We encouraged the kids to paint a portrait that represented themselves!

Another of favourite activities was our abstract art day. I told the kids about artist Jackson Pollock and shared a famous quote:

My painting does not come from the easel. I prefer to tack the unstretched canvas to the floor. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides. – Jackson Pollock

Then we went outside to try it for ourselves! We placed large cardboard “canvasses” on the ground, and encouraged the kids to drip, pour, or splatter paint. They had SO much fun being allowed to throw paint for once! We now have their giant works of art decorating our wall at the Club!

It’s so meaningful for kids to have a safe place to go after school that also provides them with opportunities to learn and discover over and above what they learn in the classroom. To get involved at a Club, please click here. To support this good work please visit our donation page.