AS well as facing the usual youth challenges like homework and curfew, Mizret Alekic had to adjust to a new city, country and language.
He was only 12 years old when his family moved to Winnipeg in 1995.
Mizret Alekic, now a club volunteer, says that when he started going to the club, he was very shy.
"When I got here I was very shy," Alekic said.
He started going to the Victor Mager Boys and Girls Club in St. Vital. The club would become a sanctuary for him.
"It was a place to get away and play with regular kids," he said.
It was also a place that provided some much-needed stress relief as Alekic.
His family had just immigrated to Canada from Croatia, escaping the violence and suffering they had endured in their home country of Bosnia during the war.
"It was a good place to learn Canadian culture," said Alekic, now 24 years old.
The club offers many different activities including sports, homework clubs, crafts and summer programs to youth aged 6 to 18.
Alekic said the club's staff mentored him and improved his English skills.
"They kind of took me under their wing and helped me with my English. Every day they would be persistent, initiating that contact."
In his 10 years at the club, club manager Glen Williams has watched Alekic develop into a leader.
"I consider him one of our success stories. When I first met him, he was so shy and quiet," Williams said.
In 2000, Alekic landed a summer job at the club.
"I worked one summer and I loved it," Alekic said.
He continued to work part-time while he was in university, graduating from the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba last year.
And even though he's started his professional career, he continues to volunteer at the club.
"I've benefited so much from these youth programs. I feel there's a need and that I can give back," Alekic said.
"He's made a difference in these kids' lives," Williams said. "It's remarkable."
Alekic paused when he considered what life would have been like without the Boys and Girls Club.
"It's been a huge part of my life," he said. "I think it would have been a tougher road without it."
The St. Vital club receives a large portion of its funding from the United Way.
Encouraging youth is one of the United Way's three main strategies made possible by their annual fundraising campaign.
"It's tremendously important to support youth in our communities because they are our future," said Mike Krebs, vice-chair of the organization's Youth Relations Council.
"They need to grow up in a safe environment," said the 21-year-old. "We give them a place to go."
The United Way directly supports 30 different mentorship programs and after-school activities each year. As a result, more than 2,200 children in Winnipeg take part in after-school activities each week.
"Without the United Way, I don't think we'd be here," Williams said.
PREVIOUS
