In its first year of operation, a new integrated services hub for Edmonton youth is creating spaces for young people to access services, peer-support, and a community that knows they have something to contribute.

Since opening in January of 2025, Edmonton’s Kickstand location in West Edmonton Mall has continued to see rising engagement month-over-month, as information about the centre spreads among youth, primarily through word-of-mouth.

Kickstand Edmonton offers mental health support, substance use support, peer support, groups and workshops, family and caregiver support and Indigenous services.

What this looks like in action is a space designed by youth, for youth, that provides access to medical care, mental health care, and a growing community all in one place.  Integrated Youth Services is a model that is being implemented in every province and territory, as well as all over the world.

“By the end of April 2026, we’ll have 11 physical locations in Alberta as well as ongoing expansion of the virtual clinic called Kickstand Connect,” says Katherine Hay, Executive Director of Kickstand Alberta.

Each community location brings together partners from the community to offer services to youth collaboratively in one place, with one local organization acting as the lead. In Edmonton, Kickstand is led by the YMCA of Northern Alberta, who were selected by the community partners during the consultation process.

Edmonton’s Kickstand location is not just youth centred but youth designed – from the lighting and colour scheme, to the inclusion of braille on signage, the youth advisory council had a hand in guiding the creation of a welcoming, comforting space that youth meets their needs.

“If it’s not youth-centred the services are not consistent, they're not navigating the barriers, making it a safe space, if it’s not safe why would you go there? The core team, they’ve been very supportive and aware of the barriers and wanting to work towards something better,” says Christine Wincentaylo, a 23-year-old member of the local Youth Advisory Council.  “Kickstand’s team has been willing to listen, make the changes, and listen without speaking on our behalf. A lot of services are not doing that it shows in how the services are run, and whether youth are using them. If youth aren’t showing up, it speaks for itself.”

The site’s busiest stream is the mental health stream, with an average of 90 appointments a month. Youth coming through the space have totaled around 360 unique individuals and 1300 visits since the Centre opened at the end of January 2025, but numbers continue to rise as word-of-mouth knowledge about the centre spreads.

Making the space inviting to youth and welcoming for all goes far beyond soft lighting and comfortable chairs. There are semi-private cubbies for youth to charge their phones, a communal area with easily moved furniture centred around a television with multiple video game platforms. There is a room for spiritual practice for all faiths, with smudging materials, prayer mats and a Qiblah, which is an indicator of the direction to which muslims pray, as well as Bibles, Qurans and even tarot cards. This room, named Wolf Den in ceremony by Elder Rose from Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, ensures that youth have a space to connect to their own spiritual practice to support their ongoing health.

“You don’t have to have a reason to come in, you can just be in the space,” says Aaron Teel, Operations Manager for Edmonton Kickstand. “That’s completely acceptable, they can access services in their own way. It’s not a top-down process,  we’re walking alongside them.”

To this end, the centre aligns its hours to the times that make sense for the youth, rather than 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The presence of multiple streams of care in one place takes the onus off the youth to tell their stories over and over again and navigate between different professionals who aren’t in contact with each other.

With seven sound-proofed talking rooms, and two clinical exam rooms, professionals who work with youth are able to provide their services in a centralized and private environment.

“We had one youth tell us they were so grateful to have these talking rooms because previously they had to meet with their social worker at a Tim Horton’s to receive private test results,” says Aaron. “Now with these private spaces they have that dignity while receiving care.”

In addition to accessing services, youth at Kickstand are creating their own community, taking ownership of the space, and taking responsibility for creating the community that they know they need. From building their own food library to address food insecurity, to giving presentations about how to pass the Alberta written driver’s test, youth are using the space to identify gaps and lean on each other to fill them.

“They’re so committed and passionate about it being easier for other people,” says Katherine. “They all have experience with things being difficult.”

In building the space as a hub for community and wellness, youth have a space to feel like they belong, and a place to go when feeling isolated or alone. In a recent example of this, youth took an afternoon to watch a movie in the large multi-purpose room in the back on a hot summer day.

“We had snacks and like 40 kids back there, and the counsellors were saying ‘hey there’s no line up for drop-in sessions right now if anyone needs one’,” says Aaron. “But of course they didn’t need one in that moment. Their needs were being met.”

For more information about Kickstand Edmonton, visit their facebook, instagram, or website. The Edmonton centre is located in West Edmonton Mall at Entrance 23, on level 2, next to The Brick.