News for February, 2010

Feature: Let’s Put a Cap on Youth Homelessness in Canada!

Toque Tuesday, Raising the Roof’s annual national public awareness day is on February 2nd, 2010.

There are solutions to youth homelessness — buying a toque is a great way to participate in and fund those solutions. The National Toque Campaign gives everyone the chance to have fun while raising funds and awareness in the fight against youth homelessness in Canada.

The campaign has been running in communities across Canada since late November 2009. Your purchase of a toque funds grass-roots agencies working to help our youth towards a better future. It’s an investment that makes sound economic and social sense.

Funds raised also help Raising the Roof educate Canadians about the causes and potential solutions to youth homelessness, such as the new report, Youth Homelessness in Canada: The Road to Solutions. The campaign also builds partnerships by giving corporations, community groups and individuals easy ways to participate in solutions to homelessness.

Toques in a variety of colours and styles are $10 each and are available:

• on-line through Raising the Roof
• at any Virgin Mobile store, or on-line through Virgin Mobile Canada/Virgin Unite, the Lead Partner of our National Toque Campaign
• at any Crystal Glass location in British Columbia or Alberta

Raising the Roof invites agencies to participate in next year’s 2011 Toque Campaign. For more information please contact Maureen Deery, Director of National Campaigns, after April 30, 2010 at mdeery@raisingtheroof.org. The 2011 Toque Campaign will confirm agency partners in September 2010 and launch in November 2010. Our focus is on prevention and long-term solutions to homelessness with a focus on youth homelessness. The Raising the Roof Toque Campaign partners with agencies who provide people with information, resources, services, programs and projects that help them move from homelessness to homes, and that assist people who are at risk of losing their housing to stay housed and off the path to homelessness.

Let’s put a cap on youth homelessness!

Community Spotlight: Engaging Youth in Creating More Inclusive Communities

YouthScape is a Canada-wide initiative to engage young people in creating long-term change. The program is based on the idea that all young people, even otherwise “excluded” youth, can make important contributions to their communities that result in more “inclusive, healthy, diverse and collaborative spaces for all members of society.”

In partnership with adults and key decision makers, YouthScape is creating the environment for young people to safely participate and contribute to decision making. The organizers say YouthScape is “young Canadians, communities and national partners embracing bold visions for change.”

YouthScape is convened by the International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD) and supported by the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the United Way of Calgary and Area. IICRD recently presented YouthScape’s annual report, which includes reflections and the work plan for the coming year. The “big dream” for YouthScape, IICRD said, is to “change the landscape of Canadian municipalities by creating a community-based youth-paced movement.”

Since 2006, YouthScape participants have been making new friends, swapping skills and experiences, and sparking new ideas to make communities healthier and more vibrant. Through YouthScape, young people, particularly the excluded and marginalized, are involved in planning and implementing community development projects to nurture systems change.

The program has five pilot municipalities across Canada including: Halifax Regional Municipality, Rivière des Prairies (Montreal), Thunder Bay, Calgary and Victoria. Each community is taking unique pathways to “change their landscape” from focusing on improving police - youth relations and making transit more youth friendly, to expressing youth voice through art, music and dance. The cities of Hamilton and Saskatoon are also YouthScape “learning communities.”

News Briefs: Register Now for Webinar on New Report on Youth and Harm Reduction

On February 17 at 1:00 pm EST, join Lorraine Barnaby from Shout Clinic in Toronto, along with the project’s Peer Researchers, for a free webinar (online seminar) to hear about her report Drugs, Homelessness & Health: Homeless Youth Speak Out About Harm Reduction, which presents the voices of high-risk, substance-using street-involved youth who are engaging in some of the most risky types of drug use and practices. Get more information and register today.

This webinar will focus on the following highlights of the report:

• Street-involved youths’ drug practices and related harms and risks
• Emergent health and social issues and the links between the social determinants of health and homelessness
• Barriers faced in the access to and implementation of harm reduction, addiction, health and community services and supports
• Recommendations for the provision of accessible and appropriate services geared to this extremely marginalized and vulnerable group

Teens Helping Homeless Haitian Teens

Following the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, which has left millions of young people orphaned, the Teens for Jeans drive in the U.S. and Canada is expanding its mission to help homeless Haitian teens. Once the jeans arrive in Haiti, the YMCA Haiti in Port-au-Prince will distribute them, as well as provide other services.

Covenant House Makes More Room for Homeless Youth in Vancouver

The newly renovated and expanded Covenant House shelter and resource centre in Vancouver now provides 32 new transitional housing beds with support services for homeless and at-risk youth, ages 16 to 22, at its Pender Street location. The B.C. Government provided $850,000 towards the renovations and will provide up to $3.9 million in operational funding over the next three years. The Government of Canada provided $800,000 and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) provided $250,000 as part of their Olympic Legacies program.

Animated Film Captures Glimpse of Youth Homelessness

Darcy Harvey acted as youth coordinator for Jeff Karabanow’s film project with street-involved youth. Their newest animated short explores health issues on the street and was recently released on YouTube. The film, entitled Walking Through Wonderland, captures a glimpse of youth homelessness in a surreal and edgy manner.