05/22/2026
BGC Olds and Area has received a $20,000 Community Board grant from the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation®, supporting the launch of The YOUth Studio, an innovative year-long makerspace and micro-enterprise program for youth.
The YOUth Studio is a community-based creative entrepreneurship program designed to teach youth how to build a brand, create merchandise, represent their community with pride, and understand the basics of fundraising and financial literacy. Through hands-on workshops, collaborative projects, and mentorship, participants will develop creative, business, and leadership skills while using the studio space as a hub for learning and community connection.
The YOUth Studio will provide youth with opportunities to build confidence, creativity, leadership, coding, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship skills through hands-on learning experiences. The program will include access to makerspace technology such as Cricut machines, 3D printers, coding software, digital design tools, and youth-led business initiatives.
This funding is creating opportunities that many youth in our community would not otherwise have access to. The YOUth Studio will give youth a safe and supportive space to explore technology, creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership while building real-world skills that will support them far beyond the program itself. Youth will not only learn how to create products, but also how to budget, market, problem-solve, and actively work together to accomplish shared goals.
The program will allow youth to design and create products that can be sold through youth-led fundraising initiatives, with proceeds reinvested into activities, field trips, supplies, and future projects chosen by the youth themselves.
For more information please visit our BGC Olds and Area Website, https://www.bgcolds.ca/youth-studio/ or you can check out more details on this funding here TELUS Friendly Future Foundation.
