Council here is planning a financial contribution to a local youth centre.
Pat Savage, regional director of YFC/Youth Unlimited – Minto, which operates youth centres in Harriston and Palmerston, told council at its April 1 meeting the organization has been working with local teens for the past 14 years.
Presently centres are open Thursdays from 4 to 5:30pm in Palmerston and Fridays from 7 to 10pm in Harriston. The centre also operates a weekly Dinner Club program where teens come for food and participate in group discussions.
“Our small groups will be looking at character development like patience, kindness, self-control, helping others and more,” noted Savage. Numbers attending were down due to the long, cold winter, but he said the centres have seen a rise in attendance this spring.
“And some of them are new faces,” he added.
The youth centre and its programs have continued to evolve since it was first established at a downtown location in Harriston, said Savage.
“We’ve changed our face and the way we do things a little bit here or there to accommodate youth and the culture that they are growing up in and that culture changes, probably every six months in a lot of ways,” he said. “They are driven today a lot by the media, so we use a lot of media to reach out to young people and build relationships with them and help them through this journey of teenage years because it’s a very difficult time.” He noted centre staff have worked with thousands of young people since the program began.
“We’ve had peak seasons where we were working with 100 or more at one time. But it comes down to the individual, because we’re all important,” he stated.
Savage said the group is seeking a donation of $1,000 and a $500 credit for the rental of a town facility to use for a fundraiser. “We’re just looking for the same thing that you guys have done for us for the past 13 years,” he noted.
Councillor Mary Lou Colwell thanked Savage for his work with local youth. “We do appreciate it,” she said.
“It’s great to have people like yourself in the community that will take that time because it is tough,” added Mayor George Bridge.
While council did not deal with the request at the meeting, Bridge said, “I feel very comfortable about this. Every year you come for a small amount of money but you put a lot of effort back in.”
The program’s operating budget for the current fiscal year is $111,000, raised through donations from individuals, businesses, churches and fundraisers.
CAO Bill White said staff will present a resolution authorizing the requested donation at the next council meeting on April 15.
