The Boys & Girls Club of Moncton marks 66 years in the city

BGC of Moncton, pictured Sept. 18, 2023. (CTV Atlantic/Alana Pickrell)

The Boys and Girls Club of Moncton celebrated its 66th anniversary this September, marking a milestone for the city.

“This place has been, I would say, a major hub over the years,” said BGC Moncton Executive Director, Moncef Lakouas.

“Making sure that every child or youth, or a little bit older than that — now that we’re servicing up to 30 (year-olds) — have a place to go to, to get access to the major thing that effects everyone of us, which is access to opportunity,”

Lakouas has been with the centre for almost five years and said it feels like he just started yesterday.

“This movement is growing. I think we’re serving close to 2,000 families every single year,” said Lakouas.

“Just this summer alone we served about 1,000 children and youth for just the summer camp only and there were about 800 on the waiting list that unfortunately we couldn’t get to just because of space capacity.”

Lakouas said the club has been growing quickly as the City of Moncton sees a rise in population.

“I think after people find a home, the second thing that is most important for them is coming here, which is registering their children for childcare or after school or drop in or business or employment activities so they can look after themselves and go find a job,” he said.

The space offers a little bit of everything for its members, including a junior golf program, tutoring, drop-in activities, business and employment programs, and even daily meals and snacks.

“Everybody is dedicated to making sure that we do create some type of value added in the life of children and youth who do attend the club,” Lakouas said.

Recently, BGC Moncton got a new bus, finished construction on a new gym facility, raised enough money for a new kitchen, and the organization is planning to announce another new campaign before the end of the year.

“We will be expanding, to be honest, in terms of leveraging every square footage of this building to make sure that it accommodates the requests of children and youth and their families,” said Lakouas.

“We’ll be expanding the number of classrooms that we have available so we can do our part in helping families in the greater Moncton area have access to… childcare services, or could it be for drop-in after school.”

While the club is a youth organization, those involved say BGC Moncton’s impact is felt by a broader community.

“In many ways this place is not just for children. What we have noticed over time is that it also has a major impact on families,” Lakouas said.

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