O-YA Osgoode Youth Association

O-YA Osgoode Youth Association Community built, non-profit youth centre in rural south Ottawa's Osgoode Ward. Programs for youth in Grades 2 - 12.

O-YA is a non-profit registered charity, governed by a fantastic volunteer Board of Directors and funded through the City of Ottawa, The United Way, The Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion, The Trillium Foundation, Scotiabank, Foodland, various grants and generous donations. All of O-YA's drop-in programming is FREE for participants!

🌸 Happy Minds is back! 🌸Calling all youth in Grades 7–12 who identify as female! 💕 Join us for a 6-week mental wellness ...
10/09/2026

🌸 Happy Minds is back! 🌸

Calling all youth in Grades 7–12 who identify as female! 💕 Join us for a 6-week mental wellness program designed to help you connect, relax, learn, and have fun in a welcoming space with other youth.

Each Tuesday evening includes dinner, a workshop, and a fun activity—so you can build wellness skills while spending time with friends and meeting new people! ✨
📅 Starts Tuesday, October 20
⏰ 5:30–9:00 PM
📍 O-YA
👥 Grades 7–12
Spaces are limited, so don’t wait to register! 🌷
👉 Learn more and register at www.o-ya.ca/happy-minds.html

📣 TONIGHT! 🗣️💬Calling all youth in Grades 7–12! Join us tonight for our YSB Youth Focus Group and share your thoughts ab...
10/08/2026

📣 TONIGHT! 🗣️💬
Calling all youth in Grades 7–12! Join us tonight for our YSB Youth Focus Group and share your thoughts about mental health and substance use services in our community. 💙
Your voice matters! Come tell us what’s working, what’s missing, and what you’d like to see change. 🙌
🍕 FREE PIZZA
🎁 $10 Amazon gift card for EVERY participant
📅 TONIGHT — October 8
⏰ 6:00 PM
👥 Grades 7–12
Come hang out, grab some pizza, share your ideas and help make a difference! 💭✨
No registration required.

As part of our 20th anniversary celebration in 2026, we’re sharing 20 of our favourite moments at O-YA over the past two...
10/08/2026

As part of our 20th anniversary celebration in 2026, we’re sharing 20 of our favourite moments at O-YA over the past two decades.

✨ Moment #13: Happy Minds ✨

📸 The Moment:
As we prepare to launch another fall session of Happy Minds today, we’re taking a look back at this fan-favourite program! 💙 O-YA has been hosting Happy Minds since 2019, creating a welcoming space where youth can connect, learn about mental wellness, share experiences, enjoy a meal together, and have fun.

Over the years, Happy Minds has become a special part of O-YA, with each session bringing new youth, new conversations, and new memories.

💙 Why It Matters:
Mental wellness is an important part of growing up, and having a safe space to talk, connect, and build supportive relationships can make a meaningful difference. Happy Minds gives youth an opportunity to take time for themselves, learn new skills, and connect with others in their community.

For 20 years, O-YA has been creating safe spaces, meaningful programs, and lasting connections for youth in our community. This moment is just one of many that tell our story.

👉 Follow along as we count down 20 moments from 20 years of O-YA.

📣 Calling all youth in Grades 7–12! 🗣️💬Want to help shape the future of mental health and substance use services in our ...
10/07/2026

📣 Calling all youth in Grades 7–12! 🗣️💬

Want to help shape the future of mental health and substance use services in our community? Join us for a youth focus group with YSB! 💙

Come share your experiences, ideas and thoughts about what’s working, what’s missing, and what you’d like to see change. Your voice can help make a difference!

🍕 FREE PIZZA
🎁 $10 Amazon gift card for EVERY participant
📅 October 8 at 6:00 PM (that's tomorrow!)
👥 Grades 7–12

🍂🎃 October is packed at O-YA! 🎃🍂🌿 Indigenous Village — Wednesdays starting October 21Grades 7–12 | 6:00–7:30 pmLearn, cr...
10/06/2026

🍂🎃 October is packed at O-YA! 🎃🍂

🌿 Indigenous Village — Wednesdays starting October 21
Grades 7–12 | 6:00–7:30 pm
Learn, create and connect through four engaging workshops exploring Indigenous culture and teachings. Registration is required at https://www.o-ya.ca/indigenous-village.html

🧠 Happy Minds — Tuesdays starting October 20
Grades 7–12 | 5:30–9:00 pm
Our 6-week mental wellness program includes dinner, workshops and fun activities each week. Registration is required at https://www.o-ya.ca/happy-minds.html

🕺✨ Halloween Glow Dance — Friday, October 30
Grades 1–3: 6:00–7:00 pm
Grades 4–6: 7:30–9:30 pm
Come dressed in your best Halloween costume and get ready for music, dancing, glow fun, snacks and more! 🎃 Pre-purchased tickets are required at https://www.o-ya.ca/youth-dance.html

🍕 YSB Focus Group — FREE PIZZA! — Thursday, October 8 at 6:00 pm
Grades 7–12
Drop by and share your experiences, ideas and thoughts about mental health and substance use services in our community. Your voice can help shape future services for youth!

🎲 Board Game Night — Thursday, October 15
Grades 5–8 | 5:30–9:00 pm
Bring your friends and join us for an evening of board and card game fun! 🎮🃏

📅 Check out our October calendar for all our regular Teen Drop-In dates and other O-YA programs!
👉 Registration and details at www.o-ya.ca

🍂 Check out our October Teen Drop-In schedule for Greely! 🍂We’re closed two Mondays this month, but we have a ton of fun...
10/05/2026

🍂 Check out our October Teen Drop-In schedule for Greely! 🍂
We’re closed two Mondays this month, but we have a ton of fun planned for the Mondays we are open!

🏒 TONIGHT, October 5 — Mini Sticks Tournament!
📍 Greely Community Centre
🕡 6:30–8:30 PM
👥 Grades 7–12

Mini sticks not your thing? That’s cool too! 😎 There’s plenty of space to just come hang out, chat with our Youth Workers, play board games, or join in on the tournament.
And don’t forget to check out what else we have planned for October! 🎃🍿
See you tonight! 👋

Welcome to another round of Meet the Staff Monday! We've hired 3 new youth workers this fall and NROCRC hired a new Men...
10/05/2026

Welcome to another round of Meet the Staff Monday! We've hired 3 new youth workers this fall and NROCRC hired a new Mental Health Counsellor to work out of O-YA! We are thrilled to welcome Ryan to O-YA, see what he has to say below.
✨ Hi there! My name is Ryan (he/him), and I work at Nepean Rideau Osgoode Community Resource Centre as the Rural Youth Counsellor.
✨ I was born and raised in Ottawa’s far west end (Carp), so I know what it’s like to come from a small town! 😊 Over the past 5 years, I have worked in community mental health to help youth get to know themselves better, navigate relationship conflict, and learn new life skills. I’m excited to become a part of the O-YA community, where I’ll provide 1-on-1 support in person on Tuesday afternoons/evenings! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to stop by in person or connect with me through O-YA!
✨ In my spare time, I’ve always enjoyed getting physical activity through sports. 🏃‍♂️🏆 Fun fact about me: my sport of choice is curling! 🥌 In my younger years, I represented Team Canada 🇨🇦 at a youth mixed doubles tournament in Sweden 🇸🇪. If I’m not playing sports, you can typically find me reading 📚, baking 🧁, or watching TV shows 📺 with my partner.
✨ Three emojis to describe me are: 😅🤔🙃

More information about Ryan's services can be found at: https://www.o-ya.ca/youth-mental-health-counsellor.html

As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, we’re proud to highlight the incredible people who have been part of O-YA o...
10/01/2026

As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, we’re proud to highlight the incredible people who have been part of O-YA over the past two decades. ✨

Today we’re featuring Joe, a former youth participant and youth worker who was involved with O-YA for over 12 years, from 2011 to 2023.

📍Then:
Joe first joined O-YA as a youth participant in 2011 and spent six years taking part in summer camps, Teen Leadership Camp, and evening programs like Cooking 101 and Coding, while also getting involved in community events like the ’Goode Run. In 2017, Joe transitioned from participant to youth worker, a role he held until 2023.

📍Now:
Joe graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Kinetics in spring 2024 and is now working with the Department of National Defence for the Government of Canada. Although he currently lives downtown, Joe still makes frequent trips home to Osgoode and enjoys fishing, reading, and aviation.

💬 In his words:
“Growing up at O-YA was more than just having a safe place to go after school, it’s where I learned what community means and how to have fun being a kid in a small town. Transitioning from a participant to a youth worker allowed me to pass that legacy forward, taking the support, guidance, and skills O-YA gave me and using them to mentor the next generation. I can honestly say O-YA shaped me into the person I am today, and nothing has been more rewarding than watching others grow up and want to give right back to O-YA themselves.”

For 20 years, O-YA has been shaped by passionate youth, dedicated staff, and a supportive community. We’re honoured to celebrate 20 past youth workers and 20 past participants!

👉 Stay tuned as we share more stories throughout the year!

🌸 Happy Minds is back! 🌸Calling all youth in Grades 7–12 who identify as female! 💕 Join us for a 6-week mental wellness ...
09/29/2026

🌸 Happy Minds is back! 🌸

Calling all youth in Grades 7–12 who identify as female! 💕 Join us for a 6-week mental wellness program designed to help you connect, relax, learn, and have fun in a welcoming space with other youth.

Each Tuesday evening includes dinner, a workshop, and a fun activity—so you can build wellness skills while spending time with friends and meeting new people! ✨

📅 Starts Tuesday, October 20
⏰ 5:30–9:00 PM
📍 O-YA
👥 Grades 7–12

Spaces are limited, so don’t wait to register! 🌷

👉 Learn more and register at www.o-ya.ca/happy-minds.html

Address

5479 Osgoode Main Street
Ottawa, ON
K0A2W0

Opening Hours

Monday 3pm - 5:30pm
Tuesday 3pm - 5:30pm
Wednesday 3pm - 9pm
Thursday 3pm - 9pm
Friday 3pm - 10pm

Telephone

+16138260726

Website

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