Blog, Letters

Expanding Recreational Services for Youth is Progressive and Achievable

04 December 2013

Dear Councillor Perruzza and Members of the Community Development and Recreation Committee:

 RE:     CD25.6 – Recreation Services for Youth:  Expansion

CUPE Local 79 supports the Recreation Service Plan and the engagement strategies, programs and services for youth. Investing in youth is a priority for this City, and any improvement to youth services that any of the Divisions introduce is welcome.

Parks, Forestry and Recreation is recommending 10 new youth spaces be added to the existing 39 locations that offer youth lounge programming. This is good news for youth and communities across the city – and the youth drop-in centres/lounges are free.

The enhanced youth drop-in centre model will provide much needed supports and help to integrate services available to youth, and connect them to agencies that provide a full range of services. Improvements will need to be made to the existing 39 youth lounges to bring them in line with the new model. This enhancement to existing programs is also welcome.

CUPE Local 79 was pleased to see that the Youth Outreach Workers will continue to provide information and referral services for youth, and that the YOWs will acquire new skills. Training in the areas of anti-oppression, harm reduction, conflict resolution, crisis intervention, mental health awareness, leadership facilitation and youth engagement strategies will give the YOWs more resources and boost their ability to provide services that Youth need.

The expansion of this youth space model would include a full-time Youth staff dedicated to each youth lounge as well as part-time youth staff to provide general supervision and skill-based instruction in programs such as fitness, wellness, dance and sports.

The comprehensive and consultative approach to increasing youth spaces across the City, makes the findings and recommendations in this Report – to expand recreation services for youth – progressive and achievable. 

 Yours truly,

 Tim Maguire, President