ESTEVAN — Lindsey Bigsky sees continued growth happening with the Estevan Public Youth Centre (EPYC).
Bigsky started in the executive director’s role in January, sharing the duties with Bonnie Chepil-Kvamme. When Chepil-Kvamme left EPYC during the winter to focus on teaching, Bigsky moved into the top job on her own.
“I enjoy it. I love the youth. I love everyone who has been a part of of EPYC and brought it to where it is today. It’s genuinely one of the best places I’ve been at,” she told SaskToday.
Bigsky said she has a lot of experience working with children through the non-profit sector. Among her previous jobs was at the Envision Counselling and Support Centre, where she was an intake counsellor and a program services assistant. She dealt with children exposed to violence while at Envision.
“Helping kids is something that hits home for me," she said. "I’ve lived here all of my life, and there’s a very noticeable gap for our youth today, and it’s very important for us as adults, that we bridge that.”
Bigsky has also worked at early childhood education jobs in the past, and she has a daughter, niece and nephew.
“Everything that I do with EPYC, I’m always thinking of them and the betterment of youth,” she said.
Bigsky said she grew understanding what it meant to need somewhere safe to turn, but didn’t always have that place.
“Every young person deserves a reliable, consistent support and a place where they feel secure in, and that’s what I’m really building EPYC to be, because we’re creating an environment where young people know that they’re welcome and someone shows up for them, and … the work is very personal to me just because of my personal life and my father’s life,” she said.
Attendance has continued to grow at EPYC, she said. They used to have single-digit numbers for activities, but now they have up to 20 youths some nights. The agency has also been branching out into programming with science, technology, engineering and math. Children have particularly enjoyed science activities, Bigsky said, and many of EPYC’s volunteers are also involved in science.
“They’re going to be researching some different science experiments and implementing those,” said Bigsky.
She wants to get the public’s feedback on having a gratitude day, whether it be going around the community to pick up garbage or doing other activities.
EPYC will be open for extended hours during the spring break, including April 8 from 1-5 p.m., and April 9-11 from 1 p.m. to the regular closing hours. EPYC is open weekly Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. on Thursdays, and Fridays and Saturdays 6-10 p.m.
Bigsky said she wants to use the week off school to boost the decor of the building and make the place feel more welcome.
