Britannia Community Services Centre
1661 Napier Street. V5L 4X4 Vancouver, BC, Canada

Embrace the cool, frosty days, and welcome the new season with a cozy community evening of local live music, and sweet community connections. Come, let's be together while we are apart. Sunday night at 6pm on Zoom!

Don't forget to wear your black shirt tomorrow to support #BlackShirtDay

Many public skates to choose from this holiday season! Times can be booked up to 3 days in advance online at https://recreation.vancouver.ca

Find out what is open and when at Britannia over the holiday season! https://www.britanniacentre.org/2020/12/17/holiday-hours.php

We will have a select number of programs available for January 2021 and registration will be begin on Tue Dec 15th at 9:00am. To see what programs are available, visit http://recreation.vancouver.ca and the filter by location for Britannia Community Centre.

A reminder if you need to purge plastic/styrofoam and recyclables not picked up by the city: Beyond the Blue Box Recycle Depot is on tomorrow from 9am-noon in the Britannia parking lot!

Unfortunately due to the Provincial Health Orders we have had to cancel the Britannia Winter Craft Market this year. Please visit our market page for links and info on the artists so you can support them directly if you can!

One week until the 37th Annual Britannia Winter Craft Market! Come support some local crafters and find a few treasures for loved ones this holiday season. Sat Dec 12 from 1-6pm.

We're offering two art classes this fall with local artist Kathryn Wadel. Kathryn graduated with a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and is an associate of the James Black Gallery in Vancouver. She facilitates and encourages art-making as a creative process through socially-engaged material play. "From Drawing to Painting Landscapes" is a 4 session class that takes place on Monday evenings from Nov 2 - Nov 23. In this weekly art class, Kathryn will guide students... through the steps to draw and paint a landscape using reference images. Students can bring personal reference photos from past trips, their favourite places or images from magazines. Kathryn will teach professional techniques and provide artist tips. For more information and to register, click here: https://bit.ly/33J1K8N "Plein Air Painting" is a single session class taking place in our outdoor šxqelwn ct Carving Centre on October 17. Learn the art of Plein Air painting. Kathryn will guide you through the process of creating a landscape painting and positively encourage the development of your personal painting style. For more information and to register, click here: https://bit.ly/2SHzrRW

Our Latin American Youth Program is offering a 2-session mask making class on October 23 and 30 for youth ages 13-18yrs. Instruction is in Spanish. In this workshop, participants will learn how to create their own masks using cardboard paper. The first session will focus on technique (folding the cardboard paper to get your mask ready for the second session). This workshop draws on the similarities between Mesoamerican and Coast Salish mask-making traditions to help participa...nts acquire an understanding of how some of these masks were created. Participants will reflect, research and create a mask that is meaningful to them and encourage them to learn how masks have been used in the past and present. How will you approach your mask making? Will you explore a theme? For example, transformation, memory, love, or isolation. Will you explore an element? Earth, air, fire, or water. Or will you choose to tell a story? About the Art Educator / Artist: Carolina Aguirre is an art educator and multi-disciplinary artist based in Vancouver. She has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a major in art education from Concordia University. Her work focuses on portraiture and abstract art. Having a thirst to create, she continues to develop her own style and to find new projects in portraiture to enrich her art skills. As a community art educator, she is Inspired by the constructivism learning approach and gives great value to the experience she provides in each lesson. Her objective is to create a learning environment where participants are encouraged to relate to an artist’s work by viewing it through their own lens in order to create art and make real connections. To register, please email [email protected].

Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House is hosting an All Candidates Meeting tomorrow (October 14th) from 6:00-8:00pm on Zoom. See the link below to register.

We are excited to welcome our community back and offer in-person programs once again. We have safety procedures in place to help keep you safe. Register now for Baby and Me Yoga, Kids Yoga, Dance Aerobics, Strength and Stretch, and Capoeira: https://bit.ly/2S3iGQS

This Saturday, October 10th, is the last outdoor Britannia Market of the season featuring upcycled textiles from The Hawks Project, Nonna's Biscotti, Trudi Ann's Chai and Spices, and locally grown seasonal produce from Fractal Farm. See you there!

Every Child Matters. Today, September 30th, is Orange Shirt Day. The Elders and Seniors at the Britannia 55+ Centre crafted orange shirt brooches to gift to all the children at Britannia Elementary School and their families. Along with their own parents and families, many of our Elders are residential school survivors. These brooches were made to commemorate the history of residential school survivors and their experiences, to witness and honour the healing journey of surviv...ors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Britannia Elders were part of the UBC Learning Circle Webinar with Phyllis Webstad, author and originator of the Orange Shirt Day Story. Phyllis is a Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation member who attended the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school in Williams Lake, BC. This date, September 30th, was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. It is an opportunity to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come. Orange Shirt Day is a time to recognize the deep and inter-generational impacts that Canada’s residential schools have on survivors, their families and communities. On this September 30th, we call upon everyone to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it. Every Child Matters.

There are spots available in our Latin American Youth Soccer program on Tuesdays from 5:00pm-7:00pm. For youth ages 11-16yrs. Instruction is in Spanish. The focus will be on skill development and drills. The first session is on September 29, 2020. To register, please contact Stephanie at [email protected] or 604.787.9251.

There are spaces available in our Seniors 55+ Osteofit class that begins this Monday, September 28th. Osteofit is a gentle strength, balance and coordination program designed to improve fitness and promote healthy bones. This program focuses on improving individual functional ability and quality of life, and reducing the risk of falls and fractures. Taught by a trained Osteofit fitness instructor. Classes take place from 1:30pm-2:30pm on Mondays. To register, call 604.718.580...0 (1) or visit: https://ca.apm.activecommunities.com//seniors-55-os/281102 (Photo Credit: Sov Sin)

Our AGM is coming up next Wednesday, September 23 at 6:30pm. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our AGM will be largely held online. Registration is required. For more information, click the link!

Are you ready to groove? This Sunday is our Fall Equinox Coffee House, featuring the talented Dawn Pemberton. Vibrant, genuine and soulful, Dawn crafts her music with a sense of adventure, quirkiness, and some serious groove. Attend our Fall Equinox Coffee House on Zoom. The event kicks off at 7:00pm. For more information, check out the event page: http://ow.ly/j0Zg50Bu8s0

Registration is now open for our fall programs and you can now access our Pool and Fitness Centre by appointment. We have COVID-19 safety procedures in place to help keep you safe. To view our programs or book an appointment to swim or work out, visit: https://bit.ly/35EPxU1

From September until October 10, 2020 we're expanding the outdoor Britannia Market to Saturdays from 11am-4pm. Each Saturday, we'll feature local art, crafts and foods from local makers. This Saturday, September 19, enjoy body care products from A Healthy Beginning, jewellery and visual art from Dominique Norville, Nonna's Biscotti, and Curvy Pots Pottery.

Time to get fit at Brit again! Book your pool and fitness centre times through the Vancouver Recreation site here.

Enjoy the toe-tapping tunes of singer-songwriter Desirée Dawson at our Fall Equinox Coffee House coming up on Sunday September 20, 2020 at 7:00pm on Zoom. Event info: www.facebook.com/events/3096705353760060 Artist info: www.desireedawsonmusic.com

Our Elders Drum Circle at 5:30pm tonight is cancelled. Our apologies for any inconvenience.

We're now offering outdoor programs for children and adults, including Sportball (3.5-7yrs), Soccer Fundamentals (11-15yrs), Gymnastics (6-12yrs), and Tennis (8-14yrs), Zumba (18yrs+), and an Elders Drum Circle (55yrs+). Register through the Vancouver Recreation website and select Britannia Community Centre as the location to see all that we have to offer: https://ca.apm.activecommunities.com/vancou/Activity_Search

We love the East End Food Co-op members who just donated $2,000 towards the Grandview Woodland Food Connection / Britannia Community Services Centre COVID 19 Em...ergency Food Delivery Program. This money will really help us purchase quality food for our hampers. A huge THANK YOU! And please support our community businesses and the EEFC and help keep our economy local. See more

We're offering some outdoor programs for children and adults starting on August 6th, like Fun-nastics, Ki Aikido, an Outdoor Elders Drum Circle and more! Visit the Vancouver recreation website (link below) and select Britannia Community Centre as the location to see all of our offerings.

Britannia Community Services Centre relies on strong community management. Help shape the future of Britannia and run for the Board of Management. The election will take place at our AGM on September 23rd. To run, you must be a Britannia member by 9pm on September 9th. For more information, visit our website.

The City of Vancouver is inviting youth to get involved with planning for the future of Vancouver. Things like where to build new housing, where new parks or playgrounds will go, or how we will adapt to sea level rise and protect the environment all these decisions will have big impacts on how our city evolves for future generations. Help create a future where we can all thrive.

Taller de dibujo para adolescentes en Espanol gratis en linea por Zoom. Instructor: Yamiel Lopez Zaldivar. Viernes Julio 10, 3:00-4:00pm. Para registrarte contactar a [email protected]. Our free drawing workshop for teens (13-18yrs) on Zoom is coming up on Thursday July 10, from 3:00-4:00pm. With instructor Yamiel Lopez Zaldivar. Instruction is in Spanish. To register email [email protected].

This July and August, check out Britannia's biweekly market on Tuesdays and Thursdays featuring local organic produce from Fractal Farm and arts, crafts, and food vendors.

Weaving Our Community Together by Hazel Bell-Koski and Britannia community (Oct 2018) One hundred and thriteen people, ages 3 to 80, made a mark on this wall - from dots to horses, and raindrops to huckleberries. Elders, teens, children, families, Coast Salish, Anishinaabe, Cree, Latino, Italian, LGBTQ2S, and all different abilities. Our theme for the project was "All Our Relations". Through a participatory process the community was invited to express themselves through colo...ur, shape and form. Embedded in the mural are many stories and teachings. With guidance from: Squamish cultural teacher Wes Nahanee about the traditional Coast Salish history of the local area. Elder and artist Samson MacKay designed the central longhouse and rising sun scene. Pablo Andrés Ochoa spent many generous hours painting. We thank all of you who took part in making this gorgeous mural. We speak in colour. See more

We need more volunteers to join our COVID-19 Response Team. Since March, Britannia volunteers have packed and delivered over 2100 food baskets and conducted over 1800 wellness checks, connecting with seniors in our community. Help us build a resilient community by getting involved today! We ask volunteers to commit to 2-3hrs per week on a regular day for a minimum of four months. View our volunteer opportunities and fill out an application today: britanniacentre.org/community/volunteer If you’re a registered post-secondary student or a recent graduate, your volunteer service may qualify you for the Canada Student Service Grant of up to $5,000. For more information, visit: www.jobbank.gc.ca/volunteer

Big shout out to the Vancouver Food Runners for their recent food drop off of 400 lbs of fresh produce and 400 prepared meals to help support our Emergency Food... Delivery Program in partnership with Britannia Community Services Centre. Now into our 4th month, we have delivered over 2100 food hampers to 500 families throughout East Vancouver, greatly helping ease their stress. See more