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What is this project about?
The Markstay-Warren Public Library launched our Afterschool Program in September 2025 with the goal of creating a safe, welcoming space where children and youth can spend time after school while developing confidence, independence, responsibility, and positive friendships.
The program provides young people with an opportunity to explore their interests in a supportive library environment and learn how to respectfully use and care for public spaces. We encourage young people to see the library as a place where they belong, where they can learn, socialize, be creative, and develop a sense of independence.
The program is self-led, allowing participants to choose how they spend their time. We provide access to crafts, board games, puzzles, books, computers, and Wi-Fi, giving youth a variety of ways to learn, create, read, and connect with their peers. We also use the program as an opportunity to inspire young readers and encourage youth to discover the library's resources.
An important part of the program is providing a snack to every child and youth who attends. We recognize that an afterschool snack is not always readily available to every young person, and we want to ensure that participants have something to eat while they are with us. Currently, we work hard to obtain donated snacks whenever possible, but this can be unpredictable.
Our goal is to provide more than simply a place to go after school. We want to give young people a safe and positive community space where they can build confidence, develop independence, make friendships, discover a love of reading and learning, and feel connected to their community.
Why is this project important to the community?
The Afterschool Program is especially important to our community because Markstay-Warren is a small rural municipality of approximately 2,800 residents spread across five villages. Our two library branches serve a large geographic area, and access to services and recreational opportunities can be limited.
Only one of the five villages has a convenience store where children and youth can easily purchase snacks. There are also very few safe, accessible places where young people can spend time after school while waiting for their parents or caregivers to return home from work.
Our community also experiences financial challenges, with many local families working hard to make ends meet. For some families, the cost of activities, recreation, food, and transportation can be a significant barrier. Our Afterschool Program is designed to remove those barriers by providing a free, welcoming space where youth can spend time, have a snack, socialize with friends, read, play games, complete crafts, and access computers and Wi-Fi.
The program gives young people a place where they feel welcome and connected to their community. It also provides parents and caregivers with reassurance that their children have a safe, positive place to go after school until they are able to return home.
For a small rural municipality like Markstay-Warren, the library is more than a place to borrow books. It is a community hub and one of the few accessible public spaces available to local youth. Supporting the Afterschool Program means investing directly in our young people and ensuring they have a safe place to belong, learn, build friendships, and develop confidence and independence.
Target Completion Date
January 1, 1970
Location
8 Church St Markstay & 14 Warren Ave Warren
Markstay-Warren
P0H2N0