Grants help youth in and from government care get in the game (flickr.com)

Media Contacts

Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

Government Communications and Public Engagement
250 952-2928

Backgrounders

Facts about government supports for children and youth in and from care
  • As of December 2020, 5,370 children were in care in B.C. and 3,616 (67%) of them Indigenous.
  • Children and youth in care (up to 18) and youth formerly in care (ages 19 to 26) are eligible for RISE grants.
  • Government offers a range of programs and services aimed at supporting children and youth in and from care, including:
    • the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program and the Youth Futures Education Fund through the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training;
    • financial support through the Agreements with Young Adults program while attending educational, life-skills, rehabilitative and/or mental-health programs;
    • the Temporary Housing Agreements and Temporary Support Agreements allow youth in care to stay in their homes past their 19th birthday;
    • the After School Sport and Arts Initiative, which supports high-quality sport, physical activity and creative arts programming, free of charge, for children and youth in kindergarten to Grade 8;
    • the empowering YOU program, which offers a free 10-week mental-health education through the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association, to help youth develop skills and enable them to cope with challenges in life; and
    • additional transition supports and program improvements announced in budget 2022, starting with the introduction of an earnings exemption and a new rent supplement program starting this year.
  • The RISE Grant Program responds to:
    • The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action #89:
      • “ensuring that policies to promote physical activity as a fundamental element of health and well-being, reduce barriers to sports participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in sport, and build capacity in the Canadian sport system, are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples.”
    • The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action #90:
      • “ensure that national sports policies, programs, and initiatives are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples, including, but not limited to, establishing: In collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, stable funding for, and access to, community sports programs that reflect the diverse cultures and traditional sporting activities of Aboriginal peoples.”
    • Section 4.6 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan, which is to: Promote culturally relevant sport, physical activity and recreation initiatives and opportunities that increase Indigenous engagement, participation and excellence in both traditional and mainstream sports for individuals in both urban and rural or remote areas.
    • Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which promotes the Right to Play.

Translations

Translation files are incoming and will be available shortly.