By Angela Roy, Educational Program Coordinator • Rotary Centre for the Arts
Did you know there’s a place in the heart of Kelowna’s Cultural District where creativity, family connection, and community come alive every single day? It’s the Rotary Centre for the Arts (RCA), and whether you’re 5 or 75, you can find activities for your family to experience, express, and explore together.
At the RCA, we believe art is a pathway to stronger family bonds and a more vibrant community.
Our programs are built to be inclusive and accessible, welcoming every person at every stage, just as they are. You don’t need to be a professional artist to benefit from creative expression. You just need a little curiosity and the willingness to discover something new. Whether it’s through dance, music, painting, movement, or storytelling, the arts help us grow, heal, and connect.
As the Educational Program Coordinator, I see firsthand how powerful hands-on, accessible programming can be. Every time I design a new program, I ask myself two questions: How will this impact our community? And how can we meet the needs and interests of families and youth? Guided by these questions, we build much more than camps or classes. We build connection.
Many families first discover us through our Art Blast Camps, offered every spring and summer for kids aged 5 to 10. These camps are high-energy, imagination-fueled adventures in painting, sculpture, music, movement, and drama. They’re a lot of fun, but more importantly, they’re powerful confidence builders. There’s nothing quite like seeing a young artist beam with pride while showcasing their work in the Mary Irwin Theatre.
As kids grow, programs like Youth Arts Drop-ins and the Youth Arts Council give teens a safe, casual space to keep exploring their creativity without pressure or judgment. New spring, fall, and winter programs are always offered, ranging from crocheting to beatbox dancing to help them learn new skills.
For families looking to create together, RCA’s new Family Art Saturdays are offered twice a month. Themed sessions like Art Around the World and Seasonal Art invite parents, grandparents, caregivers, and kids to sit side by side and make something special. After these sessions, I often hear how grateful people are to slow down, reconnect, and just be creative together. In a fast-paced world, these moments really matter.
We’ve also expanded our Seniors Programming for the active 55+, creating dedicated spaces for older adults to rediscover the joy of making art, whether it’s a brand-new experience or the return of an old passion. The benefits are universal: improved wellbeing, new friendships, and the reminder that creativity doesn’t have an expiry date. To deepen this work, we recently launched an Intergenerational Program that brings seniors and youth together through printmaking, where connection grows as naturally as creativity.
The truth is, we all painted before we wrote. Art is our first language. It’s how we connect, express, and understand one another long before we have words. At the RCA, we carry that belief into everything we do, especially in programs for families and youth. Whether it’s a child discovering how colours blend, a teen telling a story through a painting, or a grandparent sharing a laugh with their grandchild over a messy art project, art brings generations together.
The gift of the arts is an investment in our families, our schools, and our communities. It’s something that continues to ripple outward long after the paint has dried or the music has faded. That’s why connection is at the core of everything we build. We’re not just nurturing artistic skills. We’re nurturing curiosity, empathy, resilience, and joy. And when families create together, those qualities ripple outward, strengthening homes, schools, and communities.
As one participant, Anna, shared:
“RCA is a very welcoming place with great instructors and lots to inspire creativity.”
Of course, it’s not just structured programs that make RCA special.
Our ongoing community events like Jazz Jam, Blues Night, Dance and Move, Draw Your Art Out, Beyond the Music, and Feel the Rhythm invite everyone to experience creativity in a way that’s spontaneous and joyful. No experience is needed, just a love of art in all its forms.
Investing in the arts means investing in families for more connected communities. The children who create today become the empathetic leaders of tomorrow. The families who bond through art grow stronger. The communities that make space for creativity become places where everyone feels safe, seen, and supported.
Let’s keep creating together. Visit us at www.rotarycentreforthearts.com.
Angela Roy is a bilingual artist-educator and the RCA’s Educational Program Coordinator. A recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence and recently featured in West Coast Visionaries, Angela brings over 20 years of experience as a performing artist and arts educator. She has led artist-in-residence programs across Western Canada, Central America, and Chile, specializing in songwriting and performing arts. She also collaborates with UBCO teaching students to develop curriculum, and oversees all educational programming at the RCA which is shaped and led by a diverse network of over 150 professional artists from across the Okanagan. Her leadership helps ensure that RCA’s programs remain rooted in artistic excellence, inclusivity, and community engagement.