Clubs and year-round programs

A free year-long conservation program: explore one big conservation question through expert videos and discussion online, monthly Saturday field trips and hands-on service-learning at real conservation sites, while meeting people who work in conservation careers. Ends with a certificate of completion.

Alberta's provincial honour choir for singers aged 16 to 22, led by conductors from across Canada and abroad. For AYC 2027 your teacher or conductor recommends you by November 2, 2026, and auditions run November 23 to 28. The choir meets for a rehearsal weekend and a residency.

Free conservation research and leadership program connecting youth 15–18 with nature through hands-on environmental research and conservation projects. Active programming available in Edmonton and Calgary areas.

Your class plants two sets of tomato seeds, one flown to the International Space Station, and compares germination. Free, teacher-ordered, and a real dataset.

4-H Alberta's Senior division runs from age 15 to 20. Members carry a project through the October-to-September club year and present it to judges. The project list reaches well past agriculture (Veterinary Sciences, Engineering, Welding, Entomology, Photography and Written Communications are all on it), grouped under four pillars including Science & Technology. Senior members can also compete at the spring Senior Symposium at Olds College for national and international travel selection; it charges a registration fee, and its dates are announced each year.

Free curriculum-aligned AI learning kits and guest speaker sessions that Amii provides to Alberta schools, including an AI in Junior High stream. Delivered by your teachers rather than applied to directly, so the way in is asking a teacher to bring it into your classroom.

Volunteer alongside science communicators at Calgary's science centre, running workshops, staffing exhibits and supporting summer camps. A steady way into science outreach experience, and one of the few STEM volunteer roles in Calgary open at 14 through the camp stream.

Virtual platform with active Canadian school partnerships providing mentorship and micro-credentials in artificial intelligence, web development, and cloud computing. Students earn IBM-recognized badges upon completion.

Volunteer placements in AHS regional hospitals and clinics offering direct exposure to clinical environments, health administration, and medical technology. South Zone placements available for students in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and surrounding communities.

An observing group rather than a research placement. Members learn the constellations and the bright star names, follow the moon phases, keep an observation logbook, sketch or photograph the night sky, and work through the RASC observing certificates from the easy targets up to the faint ones thousands of light years out. The group meets monthly on a Friday evening at the Wilson Coulee Observatory just south of Calgary, and on Zoom, breaking for the summer. A RASC youth membership lets you use the observatory site on your own time; you register by emailing the youth group coordinator. The Edmonton Centre has no equivalent youth stream.

JA Southern Alberta's flagship program: a student-led, mentor-supported team builds and runs a real company over 20 weeks, covering market research, financial planning, sales and a year-end tradeshow. Participants also get executive and sales training plus events like World of Choices. Runs in class or as an after-school activity at multiple Calgary locations.

Financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness programming for northern Alberta students, including the after-school Company Program where a student team builds and runs a real business. Delivered in partnership with schools; self-directed options are also available.

A non-competitive award earned by logging hours in four areas: physical recreation, a skill, voluntary service and an adventurous journey, with a residential project added at Gold. It is the standard way to get formal, internationally recognized credit for the sport, clubs and volunteering you are already doing, and it is recognized in more than 130 countries. Over 4,000 young Albertans are enrolled. Bronze is presented by a community leader, Silver by the Lieutenant Governor and Gold by the Governor General or a member of the Royal Family.

The largest youth startup accelerator in Canada, a national charity founded by Hootsuite founder Ryan Holmes. Launch It is a free self-paced course for getting an idea off the ground. Labs is the flagship 12-week virtual accelerator, with workshops, mentors, AMA sessions and a cohort of other young founders. Boost is a 12-month program for founders further along. All three are free and take no equity, and the deposits are returned on completion. Applications for the fall 2026 Labs cohort opened in July 2026.

Volunteer at Edmonton's science centre: welcome visitors, lead hands-on activities and experiments, and explain the space, nature and health galleries. Applications are taken anytime, with intakes in late August, late November and late March.

Hundreds of guided group volunteer projects across Calgary that you sign up for one at a time, with no minimum commitment. After 20 volunteer hours, Youth Central writes you a reference letter, useful for scholarship applications.

The federal youth volunteer service program: find a service placement with a partner organization, or propose your own project and apply for a micro-grant to run it. Placements are volunteer, not paid. Search and apply for current placements at youth.volunteer.ca.

A free national youth program in three elements: Air Cadets (aviation, including ground school), Army Cadets and Sea Cadets, all built around leadership, fitness, marksmanship, public speaking and community service. Pick an element, find the nearest unit in the corps and squadron directory, register online, then meet local staff to finish joining.

Youth-led mental health groups in more than 150 high schools, colleges and universities: members plan their own initiatives, run awareness events and advocate on the mental health issues that matter to their community. Jack.org provides training, monthly coaching calls and annual funding to chapters.

An outdoor club program in wilderness skills, forestry, ecology and leadership, with regular meetings, camps, hikes, canoe trips and skiing. The Adventurers and Challengers level includes a conference weekend and competitions that test outdoor knowledge and teamwork. Find a club near you on the association's site.

The Scouts Canada section for ages 15–17: youth plan and lead their own outdoor expeditions, service projects and leadership challenges with others who share their interests. Fees combine the national membership fee and a local group fee; Scouts Canada offers financial assistance so cost is not a barrier.

The Girl Guides branch for teens: Rangers lead community projects, mentor younger girls, raise awareness for causes they choose, and go on overnight canoe trips while learning skills like budgeting and resume writing. Registration for 2026–27 is open.

A free province-wide youth group on environment, energy and climate: meet online every two weeks, lead your own AYLEE Action Project in your community, and present at environmental and education events, with chances to work on advocacy campaigns, white papers and youth summits.

A worldwide network of student-led high school coding clubs where members learn by building and shipping a project at each meeting. Everything is free: leadership training, curriculum, an online community, a web-based coding environment, and "You ship, we ship" programs that reward finished projects with hardware.

Rotary's service and leadership clubs for teens. Members plan local and international service projects, run fundraisers and build leadership skills with support from a sponsoring Rotary club. Northern Alberta's District 5370 alone has about 18 high school clubs, and southern Alberta's District 5360 sponsors more.

Kiwanis's high school service club, on more than 5,000 campuses in 30 countries. Members run service projects and build leadership skills with support from a local Kiwanis club. Alberta clubs are at Brooks Composite, North Trail in Calgary, Jasper Place, J. Percy Page and Strathcona Composite in Edmonton, Holy Rosary in Lloydminster and Crescent Heights in Medicine Hat. Kiwanis Western Canada can help start one at your school.

A Calgary youth theatre that runs weekly drama classes, summer camps and a season of four productions that young actors audition for. Teens have their own classes and specialty camps, including musical theatre, improv, stage makeup, and acting with stage combat. Register through the CYPT registration store.

Summer research applications are open now, and the signature Introduction to Quantum Computing course runs from October. Qubit by Qubit teaches quantum computing to high school students, taught by PhD researchers with Google Quantum AI.

Students research global food security, agricultural technology, and sustainability, then pitch solutions to real agricultural problems with input from industry mentors.

Hackergal's national program for girls in Grades 9–12, built for the ones who have aged out of its Grades 6–9 hackathon. Ambassadors start Hackergal Clubs in their own school or community, run workshops, mentor newer ambassadors, and meet women working in tech, moving through four yearly stages from Role Model to Future-Ready Focus. Taking part also qualifies you for Hackergal's scholarship for graduating secondary students, which reopens in November 2026. The ambassador intake is closed at the moment with no reopening date posted.

Open to Albertans interested in data science and the environment. Students analyze massive open-source data sets relating to marine biology, ocean chemistry, and climate from ONC's global sensor network. Virtual participation accessible from anywhere in Canada.

Calgary's youth council, running since 1992: members meet weekly in subcommittees on civic engagement, careers, health and current issues, hear from guest speakers, meet city officials and plan youth-led events. The 2025–26 council drew from 16 schools across 11 wards. Applications open each fall.

Youth volunteers who give Alberta Children's Hospital a youth voice on its programs and services, through consultations and meetings with staff. Recruitment runs each year from June 1 to September 7; apply through the hospital's volunteer portal.

Former patients and their siblings advise the Stollery and Alberta youth health care on programs, policies and platforms. Interviews run through the summer for a September start; apply through the hospital's MyImpact page.

Youth volunteers at the Calgary Zoo help with visitor engagement, summer camps, ZOOLIGHTS and Easter events (not with the animals). Apply online, then attend a group interview, orientation and training, and a 20-hour shadowing period.

A free weekly math enrichment program run by Waterloo's CEMC, exploring topics beyond the curriculum through short lessons and problem solving. The Grade 9/10 online section meets Wednesday or Thursday evenings (Eastern Time, so late afternoon in Alberta). Register September 10–28, 2026.

Youth volunteers at Edmonton's aviation museum work as docents, visitor representatives and historical interpreters alongside the programming and visitor services teams: museum and public-speaking experience with a focus on aviation history.

Work on a conservation action project with a mentor, do field studies with professionals and present your work at a showcase. The 2026 cohort's applications opened April 1, with a bootcamp August 22–23 and a showcase December 5; expect the next intake to open in spring 2027.

Calgary's senior youth orchestra, run by the Mount Royal University Conservatory. Auditions are held once a year, in person in late May and June, and adjudicated by the music director. New players bring two contrasting pieces plus scales, and returning players also prepare orchestral excerpts. Private lessons are strongly recommended. The 2026-27 season has no harp part.

Edmonton's youth orchestra has two ensembles, Intermediate and Senior, placed by skill. You audition by video with a 2 to 5 minute piece with contrasting sections, uploaded as an unlisted YouTube video; no accompanist needed. For the 2026-27 season submissions closed May 29, 2026 with results by the end of June. Members pay a membership fee by the first September rehearsal, and scholarships and bursaries are available.

A free cadet program run by the Calgary Police Service. Cadets meet Thursday evenings from 5:45 to 9:15, September to May, and join weekend exercises and volunteer work. Over five levels they build leadership, fitness, first aid and marksmanship skills. Uniforms and equipment are provided. Applications for the next September intake open November 1 and close March 31, so a Grade 10 student who is still 16 can join.

A music education and performance program in which youth aged 16 to 21 rehearse all year and perform through the 10 days of the Stampede. Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings plus one full band-camp weekend a month, with a week of full-day rehearsals right before Stampede. Auditions for the 2026-27 season were June 5 to 7, 2026 on Stampede Park. Members pay an annual fee for uniforms, equipment, instruction and local travel; tours cost extra, and there is fundraising help.

The Calgary Stampede's performing arts school, whose members sing and dance in the Grandstand Show every July. Seniors (15 to 21) train 12 to 15 hours a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and some Sundays, and attendance is mandatory. Tuition is $2,100 a year plus a one-time fee for new members, with financial help and payment plans. Audition dates for 2027-28 are not posted yet.

Pre-professional theatre training at the Citadel in Edmonton for 16 to 21 year olds planning on theatre school or a theatre career. One cohort trains as actors and the other in production (tech, design and stage management). Local theatre professionals teach, and the season ends with a spring production in the Rice Theatre. Submissions for 2026-27 are closed; 2027-28 audition details come later.

Alberta's provincial honour band for high school and university players. The ensemble meets for one weekend with a guest conductor of national or international standing and ends with a concert. Admission is by individual audition: submit the questionnaire and a recording. Auditions have opened September 3 and closed December 1. There is a participation fee of $275.