BC Youth Week returns May 1-7, 2017 with events happening all around the province. This is an internationally celebrated event that aims to recognize the positive contributions youth make in our communities and to celebrate the valuable work youth and youth organizations do all year round. Since its inception in 1995, BC Youth Week has grown to include over 30 municipalities and non-profit organizations in BC.

The BC Youth Week Committee coordinates the logistics of Youth Week in BC; however, the youth themselves help to plan the actual events that take place in each area. This is a very unique aspect of Youth Week, as one of BC citYouth Week’s goals is to encourage youth to take an active role in their education, recreation, and personal development.

List of Events Around BC

Be sure to catch one of many events including everything from sporting events and art shows to award ceremonies and random acts of kindness. To find out what’s happening in your community today — and enter great contests for youth — become a fan of BC Youth Week on Facebook and Twitter.

The big list is below! If in doubt, contact your City office to inquire about BC Youth Week events between May 1-7, 2017. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

The Vancouver Canucks announced today that they will host Fan Appreciation Night to celebrate the team’s passionate and loyal supporters on Saturday, April 8th when the team faces the Edmonton Oilers.

As part of the night’s festivities and giveaways, the first 13,000 fans in attendance, of legal drinking age, will receive a commemorative Budweiser-Canucks Goal-Synced Glass which will light up in unison each time a goal is scored. This is the first time Budweiser’s Red Light innovation will be used in-venue and will provide fans with the opportunity to take their goal celebrations and support for the Vancouver Canucks to the next level.

Canucks Fan Appreciation Night

To celebrate the passionate fans and unwavering support, the special edition Budweiser-Canucks Goal-Synced Glass, will light up Rogers Arena in celebration of Fan Appreciation Night (#LightUpVancouver).

To start the festivities, fans will have a chance to view a special video that incorporates the Budweiser-Canucks Goal-Synced Glass and join in lighting up the arena in unison. Fans under legal drinking age will be provided with illuminated bracelets to join in lighting up Rogers Arena.

Fans who don’t have a ticket to the game can win the chance to be there. Fans can enter at canucks.com/fan for a prize of a pair of lower bowl tickets, a player signed jersey, a tour of the press box, a $50 concession stand gift card and 2 Budweiser-Canucks Goal-Synced Glasses.

Join the Party of the Plaza April 8, 2017, 4:30pm – 6:30pm
The Toyota Plaza on the North side of Rogers Arena will feature music, face painting, poster making station among other fun activities for fans to enjoy prior to the season finale at home. Fans will also get a chance to meet Canucks Alumnus who will be on hand for autograph signings on the plaza.

Player Awards and Season Finale Game April 8, 2017, 6:45pm
Fans with tickets to the game are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:45pm (doors open at 5:30pm) for the presentation of the 2016/17 player awards, including the Most Valuable Player, Best Defenceman, Most Exciting Player, and Leading Scorer that will be presented by a season ticket members. Each fan in attendance will receive a commemorative magazine prior to puck drop and will be eligible to win a number of great prizes throughout the course of the game.

Happy Hour from 5:30pm to 6:30pm will have food and beverage specials including discounts on all drinks, a special Budweiser promotion for holders of the Budweiser-Canucks Goal-Synced Glasses, and a kids combo (12 and under) that includes a hot dog, Lindt chocolate bar and bag of chips for $6.

Canucks Fan Appreciation Night Prize Pack

Budweiser has offered up a Canucks Fan Appreciation Night Prize Pack for me to give away to one lucky reader.

Prize includes:

• Canucks jersey
• Autographed Canuck photograph (Daniel Sedin)
• A Budweiser-Canucks Goal-Synced Glass

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Like, comment on, or share this post on Facebook (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a #lightupvancouver @BudCanada @Canucks prize pack http://owl.li/JTAn30axhgD” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

Follow Budweiser Canada on Twitter and Facebook for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, April 7, 2017. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly. Details of this prize are as listed in the post. Prize does not include tickets.

Update The winner is Mari Knuff!

For the past six years, the Canucks Autism Network (“CAN”) has hosted the CAN Family Festival, a free day of activities for families in Downtown Vancouver. Beyond the event, CAN delivers programs in safe and highly supported environments across the Lower Mainland, on the Island, and in the Interior.

Canucks Autism Network

Founded in 2008 by Vancouver Canucks Co-owners, Paolo and Clara Aquilini, the Canucks Autism Network provides year-round sports and recreation programs for children, teens, young adults and families living with autism, while increasing autism awareness and providing training in communities across British Columbia.

Families living with autism can become CAN members for an annual fee of only $25 per individual with autism by visiting canucksautism.ca/join. CAN currently supports over 3,000 families and continues to welcome hundreds of new families each year. One such family has been particularly impacted by CAN.

Karen Owen is a mother of three boys, Nicholas, Oliver, and Alexander, two of whom have autism. When she and her husband first got the diagnosis, she found herself letting go of many dreams she had for her son. She came to terms with the fact that he would not have a typical childhood and that she would likely never be a hockey mom.

Soon after, the Owen family found CAN.

The Owen boys have participated in many CAN programs including soccer, skating, and swimming but it was not until the hockey program was introduced that Karen truly felt her dreams becoming a reality. She remembers the exact moment she received the call confirming that her son had made the CAN hockey team. Flooded with tears, she immediately called her husband telling him he was going to be a hockey dad. One of the best calls of her life.

Through specialized support techniques, parent collaboration, and a high ratio of trained staff and dedicated volunteers, CAN is able to ensure that every participant is successful on their own terms, regardless of their level of need. CAN programs empower individuals with autism to build the confidence and skills necessary to enjoy a lifetime of sport and physical activity, while developing social and communication skills.

Last year, CAN filled over 10,000 program spaces, delivered 476 programs, and supported over 3,000 families living with autism. With 1 in 68 individuals now being diagnosed, and over 11,000 children and youth living with autism in BC alone, the need for support is greater than ever. To learn how you can donate, volunteer or join as members, please visit canucksautism.ca or email info[at]canucksautism.ca.

The 2017 CAN Family Festival

Stop by Jack Poole Plaza on Sunday, April 9, 2017 for the free CAN Family Festival. The day’s festivities will kick off with a fundraising walk and the lighting of the cauldron to commemorate April as Autism Awareness Month.

Follow the Canucks Autism Network on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for more information.

Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers is launching a multi-platform awareness campaign to reinforce the message that individuals can play a crucial role in fighting crime and help make their communities safer.

Using social media hashtags #WorldWithoutCrime, #WorldWithoutGangs and #WorldWithoutIllegalGuns, the campaign takes an unusually lighthearted approach to the very serious issues of gang activity and gun violence in British Columbia by showing what life might look like without crime.

“We want to reach out to people who may know individuals committing criminal activity — relatives, friends, people in the hospitality industry, and even rival gangs. We want to remind them if they suspect gang activity, possession of illegal guns or other crimes are taking place they can report it safely and anonymously,” says Linda Annis, Executive Director, Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. “Crime Stoppers has been a household name for decades but we want to connect with a new generation who may not know how our organization works.”

The province-wide campaign will reach people through more than 500 billboards and bus shelters as well as washroom posters, digital advertising in restaurants and bars, and eventually public service announcements on radio and television. There will also be an extensive social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Tips to Crime Stoppers can not only be provided by phone but through a secure server, texts, or free mobile apps.

» Download the app for iPhone
» Download the app for Android

Crime Stoppers is not the police. Tips from the public are passed on to authorities to investigate. They don’t record phone calls, log IP addresses and they don’t need to know your name. Tipsters are provided with a code number and if their information results in a charge, arrest, the seizure of stolen property or illegal weapons, or the denial of a fraudulent insurance claim, a reward of up to $2000 may be offered.

About Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers

Crime Stoppers is a non-profit society and registered charity that receives anonymous tip information about criminal activity and provides it to investigators in communities. Tip information is provided to a wide variety of provincial, federal and international investigative agencies.

Citizens may witness all or part of a crime without being aware of the importance or value of what they have seen. As a result, they may unknowingly possess key information that could assist police in solving the crime or taking a criminal off the street.

Crime Stoppers provides an effective opportunity for private citizens who can join together with law enforcement officials to solve crime without worry of reprisal. It serves as a chance for private citizens to relay criminal information to police and absolutely remain anonymous.

People can leave their anonymous tips in a variety of ways including downloading their information onto an iPad or iPhone app, calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, at www.solvecrime.ca, following the link on Crime Stoppers Facebook page, or texting a message to CRIMES (274637). Crime Stoppers accepts tips in 115 different languages.

» Download the app for iPhone
» Download the app for Android

You can learn something new with every footstep you take in our remarkable coastal rainforests, especially if you do so under the guidance of knowledgeable volunteers and experts. Here are just a few ways the whole family can connect with, and learn about, nature this season:

Guided Nature Walks Around Metro Vancouver

Surrey

Join guided walks in Surrey’s nature parks this season and learn a little more about the urban forest. These walks are part of the 20th Annual Surrey Environmental Extravaganza, a series of over 100 free nature programs and events happening April 22 to June 11, 2017. Explore Redwood Park, Bose Forest Park, Hawthorne Park, and Godwin Farm Biodiversity Preserve. Drop-in, rain or shine. Parent participation required for children ages 13 and under.

Stanley Park

Browse the Stanley Park Ecology Society‘s events calendar for a variety of guided nature walks throughout the year. Register online for a lower program fee. $5 for SPES members, seniors and children, $10 for non-members. In-person registration fees cost $7 for members and $12.50 for non-members. Unless otherwise noted, programs begin at the Stanley Park Nature House below the viewing plaza at the corner of Alberni St. and Chilco St. Walk themes include Birds of a Feather, Indigenous Plant Use, and events during the Big Tree Weekend April 30th.

UBC Botanical Garden

Experience the Pacific temperate rainforest, exploring 80 Acres of rare trees and plants, an intricate system of trails, and a tree top walkway for a squirrel’s eye view. Greenheart TreeWalk staff typically provide hourly tours from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily with paid TreeWalk admission. For groups over 10 guests, pre-booking is required. There are also Segway tours, group tours, and becoming a member of UBC Botanical Garden includes private seasonal tours with garden staff, horticulturalists and world-renowned experts.

Watershed Tours

Metro Vancouver hosts Watershed Tours, for Capilano and Coquitlam in the winter (by snowshoe) and in the summer. Metro Vancouver manages three protected watersheds to provide 2.5 million residents with a clean, reliable and affordable supply of drinking water Discover the treasures of the watersheds, where ancient trees tower in steep mountain valleys, wildlife abounds and water flows through natural landscapes to our drinking waters supply system. Summer tours run July to September.

Burns Bog

There are Burns Bog Public Tours every month. Join knowledgeable tour guides for an interpretive tour of the unique ecosystem that is Burns Bog. Learn about what a bog really is, the story behind the infamous sunken tractor, and what is capable of surviving the harsh conditions of a bog. Meet in front of Planet Ice Delta doors (10388 Nordel Crt, Delta). 10:00am to 12:00pm (check the schedule for which day). Pre-registration $7 per person, drop in (day of) $10 per person. Burns Bog Conservation Society members get a free bog tour. The next tour is April 15, 2017.