By Owen Charters, President & CEO of BGC Canada

October 29, 2025

Kids need a place beyond home and school. At BGC Clubs, 160,000 kids find that special place each year.

When we talk about where kids grow up, we often think about two places: home and school. But there’s another place that plays a powerful role in shaping who they become—the ‘third place’.

Why Third Places Matter

The idea of a third place is important. It may have started as an idea, an academic concept of a place to pause between the rigours of school and the reality of home. But it has increasingly become vitally important in an era of screens, mental health challenges, and an ever-changing, always-on society.

A third place is a space that’s neither home nor school, but somewhere kids can belong. It’s where they can be themselves, connect with mentors, and build skills that will serve them for life. And across Canada, no one does that better than BGC Clubs.

BGC Clubs are built around one powerful idea: opportunity changes everything. In a world where kids and youth face growing challenges from stress and isolation to hunger and uncertainty, Clubs provide what every kid deserves: safety, support, and opportunity. Guided by 125 years of experience and across more than 600 communities in Canada, 160,000 young people find a place to belong each year.

RELATED: BGC Clubs want the best for Canadian kids.

BGC Clubs address critical issues that shape the future of young Canadians.

At BGC Clubs, kids find people who care. Through recreation, mentorship, and belonging, Clubs create safe, inclusive spaces where kids can talk, laugh, and just be kids. For many young people, that’s life-changing. It’s a reminder that they are seen, supported, and never alone.

BGC Clubs are where curiosity turns into confidence. From homework help to STEM and arts programs, leadership training to job readiness, BGC Clubs nurture every child’s potential. Kids build real-world skills, and even more importantly, they learn how to believe in themselves.

BGC Clubs step up to make sure kids have access to nutritious meals and snacks. For too many families, putting food on the table is a daily struggle. Kids who are fed can focus, learn, and thrive. Without food security, nothing else is possible.

BGC Clubs give kids a place to go after-school and a path forward for life. They give youth positive outlets and supportive mentors who help them make good choices, stay connected, and build stronger futures—for generations.

BGC Canada’s latest PSA: #1 Third Place for Kids

When home is the first place and school is the second, BGC Clubs are the third place where everything comes together—where kids find belonging, learn life skills, and build the confidence to lead.

The voice of The #1 Third Place for Kids campaign belongs to someone who knows firsthand what it means to belong at BGC. Kayla Grey, a proud BGC Alumni Hall of Fame member, lends her voice and her experience to bring the story to life. Through her work across traditional platforms and social media, she continues to amplify diverse voices and inspire the next generation, just like BGC Clubs do every day.

The third place is a place you choose to belong, not one where you are required. This choice matters, and it’s a safe, desirable place. Clubs provide that space and more—it becomes the space to find opportunities, to grow and flourish. We all need a third place in our lives.

Partnership Kicks Off With In-Club Fundraiser to Support Judgement Free Generation® Programming

TORONTO, Oct. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Planet Fitness, one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, announced a partnership with BGC Canada as part of the leading fitness provider’s ongoing commitment to advance youth wellbeing and create kinder communities. The partnership will kick off with a nation-wide fundraising campaign across all Planet Fitness clubs in Canada from October 1-31. Members can donate to BGC Canada by visiting their local Planet Fitness front desk or donating online.*

Planet Fitness is committed to ensuring that young people have access to welcoming and Judgement Free spaces that help foster confidence, resilience, and community connection. Planet Fitness’ Judgement Free Generation® initiative includes the creation of mini-Judgement Free Zones® complete with high quality strength and cardio equipment, branding, motivational signage and a non-intimidating environment where youth can focus on their fitness journeys.

“This partnership builds on our long-standing history of collaboration and our shared purpose of improving youth well-being to create healthier communities,” said McCall Gosselin, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. “With this partnership, we look forward to deepening our impact alongside BGC Canada for years to come.”

BGC Canada (formerly Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada) is the country’s largest child and youth serving organization, providing safe, inclusive spaces for nearly 150,000 young people across more than 600 diverse communities. Through community-based programs, BGC Canada helps kids and teens develop essential life skills by offering food security, physical and mental wellness support, and academic assistance.

“By working with Planet Fitness, we can now extend programs that promote physical and mental wellness, inclusion and kindness – giving more youth the tools and confidence they need to succeed. The scale of this partnership also unlocks new opportunities at a local level, strengthening our ability to create and adapt programs that meet the evolving needs of young people across Canada.”

As part of the collaboration, Planet Fitness will also provide free one-year PF Black Card® memberships to the 2025 BGC Canada Youth of the Year honorees in Oshawa, Toronto, London and Ottawa in Ontario, and Leduc in Alberta, to help them start or continue their fitness journeys in a welcoming space.

Planet Fitness already has more members than any other fitness brand. And now, while supporting this meaningful cause, Planet Fitness is making fitness accessible for all through its October sale. Now until October 9, new members can join for just $1 enrollment, with memberships starting at only $15/month.

*Canada members can donate at bgcdonors.donorsupport.co/page/FUNZKJEGXLH.

About Planet Fitness

Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the world by number of members and locations. As of June 30, 2025, Planet Fitness had approximately 20.8 million members and 2,762 clubs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, Australia and Spain. The Company’s mission is to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone®. More than 90% of Planet Fitness clubs are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

About BGC Canada

For 125 years, BGC Canada has been creating opportunities for millions of Canadian kids and teens. As Canada’s largest child and youth serving charitable and community services organization, our Clubs open their doors to young people of all ages and their families at over 600 locations nationwide. During out-of-school hours in small and large cities, and rural and Indigenous communities, our trained staff and volunteers provide programs and services that help young people realize positive outcomes in self-expression, academics, healthy living, physical activity, job readiness, mental wellness, social development, leadership, and more. Opportunity changes everything. Learn more at bgccan.com and follow us on social media @BGCCAN.

Media Contacts

Heather Pearson, Public Relations Manager
603-957-4661
press@pfhq.com

Kristen Scollard
Narrative XPR
Kristen.scollard@narrativexpr.com

By Owen Charters, President & CEO, BGC Canada

February 3, 2025

Over six hundred BGC Club locations across Canada serve nearly 150,000 children and youth. Each Club is being asked to do more to support young people, but they don’t always have the resources they need.

BGC Clubs support communities in key issue areas

During my time with BGC, I’ve had the opportunity to visit almost every one of our 85 BGC Clubs, and two truths stand out: Our Clubs are very dynamic, and they face challenges every day. Yet, repeatedly, Clubs rise above challenges to provide great service in their communities.

While the services provided at each Club look a little different, they all support key issue areas: before- and after-school care, youth employment, youth mental health, food insecurity, and learning, to name a few.

Those 85 BGC Clubs provide six hundred Club locations nationwide and serve 150,000 children and youth. With rising living costs, each Club is being asked to do more to support young people in their communities.

For example, we know that Canadians are facing food insecurity more than ever. From 2018 to 2022, food costs rose by 19.1%. Recent reports show that as of 2023, 1 in 4 Canadian children under 18 live in food-insecure households—that’s 2.8 million young people. Times like these are when BGC Clubs come in.

At BGC Canada, food support means more than just providing snacks

On top of providing nearly 7 million healthy meals and snacks every year, our food programs teach young people food literacy—where food comes from, how to prepare it, and how to make healthy choices. Without food literacy, food security is impossible.

When I visit a Club, food is the hub for everything: it’s the snack the kids gravitate to immediately when coming through the doors. It’s the smell of a hot dinner wafting through the halls for kids and families. And it’s making sure kids have the food they need for their family when they leave each night.

RELATED: BGC Clubs provide kids with basic needs so they can have brighter futures

Our Kid Food Nation and Kid Chef Nation programs were recently re-designed to help young people develop their food knowledge and cooking skills. This means that not only do they get healthy meals from their Club, but they also get skills that set them up for lifelong success.

Read more:

• BGC Clubs want the best for Canadian kids
• BGC Clubs are a modern solution to help parents
• BGC Clubs are a safe ‘third place’