The Boyle Street Education Centre grew out of Boyle Street Community Services in September 1995. As inner-city adults coming into the co-op for support often brought youth with them, we realized something needed to be done to support them. We didn’t intend to grow a school out of the co-op, but youth showing up at our doorstep needed a learning environment where they could be given a chance. Students who come to BSEC are often reluctant to return to conventional school systems in Alberta – where they have been treated unfairly and without regard to their needs.
At Boyle Street Education Centre, we take a trauma-informed approach to education. We understand what our students have been through – drastic, life-changing events such as homelessness, physical and mental abuse, drug addiction, and poverty. We’re here to give youth a home, where they don’t just succeed academically but feel safe, appreciated, valued and seen.
Our Program
Marginalized students in Alberta are faced with racism, cultural abuse, and feelings of abandonment. At Boyle Street Education Centre, we offer something truly different – a trauma-informed, reconciliation-first approach that accepts students for who they are – one that nourishes and heals their spirits.
Our program gives students the chance to learn at their own pace while still keeping achievable goals in sight. Students can learn in our commercial kitchen, fully-stocked music room, woodworking studio, and full-sized gym and workout centre complete with a basketball court. If students feel like they need space and time away from the classroom, we’re here to give it to them.
Students at BSEC don’t have a conventional education in our school. They are given the opportunity to learn skills that are often out of reach for students in conventional classrooms. While students in other schools can pay to take extracurriculars (band class, woodwork, etc.), students at BSEC have the opportunity to take extracurriculars for free – led by inspiring, wonderful instructors.
We provide students a space free from harm – no matter your identity, ethnicity, gender or sexuality – we welcome you home.
BSEC Programs
Art
Gold eye Camp
Indigenous Cultural Experiences
Woodworking & Painting
Cooking
Hairstyling & Cosmetology
Music
Yoga & Meditation
Fashion
Improv Drama
Recreational Activities
Cooking
Hairstyling & Cosmetology
Recreational Activities
Woodworking & Painting
Music
Fashion
Art
Improv Drama
Indigenous Cultural Experiences
Yoga & Meditation
Goldeneye Camp
Our Community
We care about our community. It’s a sentence often replicated by most schools, but at Boyle Street Education Centre, our teachers have been volunteering and working alongside inner-city youth their entire lives. We’re not just here for our students’ academic highs – we’re also here right alongside them for every low they may face.
We are proud to have such a dedicated team of caring, supportive staff who want to see you succeed. Our teaching and administrative team is supported by mental health professionals and social workers.
