National Volunteer Week (April 19-25) celebrates all the efforts, time and dedication that volunteers give to helping make their communities better. During National Volunteer Week, we want to give a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers who are supporting their communities, neighbours, and local organizations during these difficult times of COVID19. In celebration of National Volunteer Week 2020, Tamara Brunelle, Volunteer Coordinator of the Master Composter Recycler Program at the City of Edmonton and Vanessa Ostapchuk, Volunteer Coordinator at the Reuse Centre shared this wonderful ..read more

The #YEGWindowArt map turns Edmontonian’s neighbourhoods and Instagram feeds into an art gallery. As we spend more time inside, self-isolating and physical distancing to protect those around us, it’s more important than ever to be creative in how we connect to our communities.  Edmontonians have risen to the challenge of adapting to these challenging times. From volunteering to help their neighbours, to supporting local businesses and bringing colour and joy to their neighbourhoods. For those that need a little help, or those that have more time on their hands to give back, here’s a ..read more

Left to right: Linda Hoang, Sam Effah, Anthony Johnson and James Makois. Photo Credit: Catherine Maier NextGen is thrilled to receive support from RBC as a part of their Future Launch program on a number of our initiatives this year focused on leadership, entrepreneurship and community engagement. “It’s an honour to support Edmonton’s NextGen and their critical role in connecting the next generation of Edmontonians to our city,” said Tasha Giroux, RBC Regional Vice President, Business Financial Services. “NextGen’s work is well-aligned with our Future Launch Program, helping young Ca ..read more

Don Seller is one of our Pecha Kucha Night co-chairs. He is also one of the first two volunteers to complete 100 hours of volunteering in order to earn his Timeraiser art piece, ‘Forty-six-19’ by Alayne Spafford Don earned this piece at Timeraiser, an event we hosted in June where attendees bid volunteer hours in order to ‘buy’ art pieces by local artists. We auctioned off 13 pieces for a total of 1,200 volunteer hours! Don has been very busy over the pa ..read more

Bowling anyone? In this episode on the vlog series we are having a ball at Plaza Bowling Co. located at 10418 118 Ave on a busy street near NAIT this retro wood lane bowling alley gives you all the feels from 1959 when it opened originally, with of course some modern updates. Plaza Bowling Co is a family run business now in its third generation. To access the lanes there are a set of stairs that take you downstairs right to the check in desk and shoe rentals. The space is split with 16 lanes back to back, the decor still has some 1959 flavor, but the beer selection is all from local producer ..read more

Green Drinks: Carbon Neutral City written by Chris Gusen, Board Chair, The Local Good In a couple of weeks, on Wednesday, November 13, The Local Good will host the third Green Drinks event in our season-long exploration of the Climate Emergency. At Green Drinks: Carbon Neutral City we’ll explore the different ways in which cities can lead the way on fighting climate change and preparing for its impacts. I hope to see many members of the NextGen community there!   NextGen has kindly agreed to sponsor our November Green Drinks and three more upcoming events in the series. It’s a natural fit. Nex ..read more

A craft room with a view, Fern’s School of Craft’s sky office is located in Oliver. When you arrive you take the elevator to the 16th floor and then walk up one more flight to the roof top. Our eighth edition of the vlog series had us learning all about textile crafts from weaving to rug hooking and embroidery. It was a lot of fun that had us hooked! :)  With ample street parking in the surrounding neighborhood you can find Fern’s School of Craft at 10350 122St. The nearest bus stop is #1859 and weather pending you can have your lunch on the patio while enjoying the city views. The school ru ..read more

Changing the back alley scene one bakery at a time - this next edition of the NextGen vlog series (part 7) woke us up early, letting us indulge in coffee and bakery treats as well as the smells fresh baking brings. Sugared and Spiced is located at 10334 82 Ave - Rear. That’s right - REAR! At Sugared and Spiced - everyone is welcome, and even in the back alley its pretty easy to get to. They face the Strathcona Farmers market and have direct access to the backstage door of the Varscona Theatre. All of the delicious treats are made from scratch and there are so many to choose from. Cookies, ta ..read more

Edmonton’s NextGen, created by City Council and an administrative committee of Citizen Services, partnered with Age Friendly Edmonton (AFE), City of Edmonton Youth Council (CEYC) to bring a professional and personal development opportunity to the volunteers of these committees. NextGen’s Volunteer Engagement team and Coordinator, Christine Causing, planned a 3 hour training event for representatives of each of the committees to come and learn at a local social innovation collaborative space - MacEwan University’s Roundhouse. Bringing together volunteers from all ages and stages, the group netw ..read more

According to Merriam Webster, a volunteer is “a person who expresses a willingness to undertake a service ... Being a volunteer means that you are offering something – something that is not required nor an obligation. You do not volunteer for the pursuit of a monetary prize or recognition.”The reported volunteerism rate in Edmonton has fluctuated over the past few years, hovering between 44% and 51%. Edmonton’s NextGen wants to keep encouraging our demographic of 18-40 years, their families and those NextGen at heart, to continue to give back to their community through volunteering. Over the y ..read more