Youth Centres' Foster Change
Through my involvement at the Nelson and District Youth Centre (NDYC), I have witnessed rural youth centers’ incredible capacity to foster change in young people’s lives. Youth centres facilitate empowerment and transformation in many ways: they adapt and respond to new issues and challenges youth face, meet youth where they’re at and with a non-judgmental, supportive attitude, and foster linkages between youth and the community.
Staff people at the NDYC understand the issues youth go through within a contemporary context. In order to provide information and support that meets the needs youth have, staff programmers at the youth center keep up-to-date on challenges and questions youth go through in relation to body image, substance use, and relationships. The NDYC is also able to address key concerns facing youth through its board of directors, which receives community input and informs community members about current issues youth deal with. As individuals who are passionate about building strong communities, staff programmers at the NDYC strive to foster a space where youth have their strengths recognized and affirmed. They make the Centre a welcoming and inclusive environment for all youth by accepting youth as they are and taking youth seriously. Through listening and modeling skilled communication, youth centre programmers facilitate a transformation by which youth become leaders in their community.
During my practicum at the Nelson and District Youth Centre, I was lucky to play a role in introducing youth to new attitudes about intimate relationships. With support from youth center staff such as Christine Schmidt and Anisa Farhengi, I developed a curriculum that I facilitated in high school classes, Cicada Place youth services and housing, the Katimavik youth volunteer program, and the Nelson and District Youth Centre. Out of all of these youth groups, the NDYC group was the most rewarding and eye-opening, since it was the only group composed entirely of young men. Throughout our discussion of stereotypes, respectful communication, and boundaries, I was blown away by the extent to which young men are thinking and concerned about the ways they relate to people they have a romantic interest in. The group of young male skateboarders shared so much knowledge and insight with a great deal of honesty and frankness. I think society underestimates young men’s interest in engaging in conversations about respectful relationships, so it was wonderful to have the opportunity to make the conversation happen.
