Pictured above: Youth from the James Bay Girls At Bat in Moose Factory, ON handed out kits and hampers to community members.

The Jays Care Foundation and Healthy Horizons Foundation partnered up to provide support to five communities in Ontario, helping kick-start community youth programming.

The James Bay Girls At Bat (JBGAB) is a Jays Care Foundation program that helps female and/or two-spirit Indigenous youth develop life skills and peer connections, and to find a place where they are able to flourish despite the challenges they face.

As many youth programs were put on hold due to COVID-19, the Game Time Fund initiative was created to kick-start youth programming in Attawapiskat, Peawanuck, Kashechewan, Fort Albany and Moose Factory. The initiative began in November 2020 and is being implemented and carried out in stages, allowing youth members to plan and create their own program and initiatives with the help of a JBGAB Community Captain.

Moose Cree First Nation (Moose Factory) is one of the participating communities where youth from the JBGAB program decided to help families by providing healthy and nutritious food to share and spend quality time cooking, baking or enjoying a healthy snack together.

So far, about 12 different activities have been prepared for the community, such as care packages for nurses and home care providers, toys and activity kits for children in care, Christmas baking kits, elders’ tea & puzzle kits, self-care kits, kits for family activities and grocery hampers. 

Pictured above: Meal kits have been delivered to over 30 families across the community and has already included kits for pizza-making night, fruit stacker kits and weekend board game packages.

“I feel it’s important to make the families of our community feel loved especially during these times. Our group prepares these activities for families so that they can come together and have a good time with each other. I love making the kits for them, it’s so fun. It makes my heart happy knowing that people of Moose Factory are going to enjoy them and have family time,” said Kayrene, James Bay Girls At Bat Youth Champion.

Every time there is news of a new family activity kit or hamper, families reach out to their Community Captain to let them know they are interested in receiving that item for their family. The Game Time Fund has been successful and there has been a lot of excitement among parents and guardians.

If you know of a youth program in one of the communities mentioned above that could benefit from the Game Time Fund, please connect with Julia.ursini@bluejays.com for more information.