Youth Dances by the Optimist Club are back 2026

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

For more than 25 years, the Optimist Club of Paris has provided a safe place for the community’s youth to gather, socialize and create memories. 

There’s a good chance the parents of today’s young generation have their own fond memories of grooving the night away, secretly crushing on a classmate or perhaps just holding the wall up at an Optimist Club youth dance.  The monthly dances started 1998, originating in the old Optimist Clubhouse at times filling the hall capacity with 185 energized pre-teens. When that Clubhouse was demolished for safety reasons, the dances moved to the Syl Apps Community Centre where they are still held today. 

“At the time, there were few entertainment opportunities/venues for youth in Paris,” shares Optimist Club President Julie Henwood, looking back at how it all started. “Parents had to take their children out of Paris for an evening where they could socialize with peers in a safe, supervised environment.”

Fast forward a couple decades, and while the town has changed drastically, there’s still very few youth-based activities. It’s through the dedication of volunteers that the dance has survived. Attendance has fluctuated over the years but in 2025 Optimist members were happy to welcome, on average, 100-150 students per dance in Grades 5 to 8. 

That attendance was a significant increase compared to 2024 when only 35-40 kids were attending and those low figures had volunteers worried and left wondering if the long-standing tradition was at risk of ending.   

Through articles in local media, social media posts and through word of mouth, Optimist members got to work spreading awareness on the dances and putting a specific focus on the safety element to reassure parents it was a safe environment for their pre-teens to enjoy a night out. All dances are chaperoned by a small army of volunteers. They overlook every aspect; monitoring the hallway and washrooms and making sure kids are on their best behaviour, no different than the behaviour that is expected of them at school. Everyone is required to provide the name and phone number of a parent/caregiver, the school they attend and their grade. High School students volunteer at the coat check where all hats and bags must be checked in. The DJ is instructed to play songs/videos that are age-appropriate, and volunteers are firm in their stance of no abusive or offensive language.

“Parents are welcome to come in and take a look at the hall and meet the Optimist members,” said Henwood, encouraging parents to ease their concerns. 

“One of the main mandates of Optimist Clubs is to bring out the best in youth. By giving them opportunities to enjoy an evening with their friends, they build confidence and develop basic social and life skills; it’s important,” reiterated Henwood. The first dance of the new school year is returning again next month on Friday, October 2nd at the Syl Apps Community Centre from 7 pm to 10 pm. Admission is $5, and that fee helps cover the cost of hosting the dance. There’s also a concession stand where youth can purchase snacks and drinks. If anyone has questions about the dance, they are encouraged to reach out to an Optimist Club member at 519-757-5020. Dances are held the first Friday of October, December, February, April and the last Friday in May.