By Miriana Dundek
The recent grand opening of another youth centre in Ottawa will improve access to resources and opportunities available for a disadvantaged segment of the city’s population.
“Through projects like these, young Canadians gain the skills that will allow them to find productive and meaningful work and enable them to reach their full potential,” said Marlene Catterall, Liberal MP for Ottawa-West Nepean.
Located at 370 Catherine St., Youth Zone Jeunesse is a “one-start” free resource centre for young people aged 16-30.
It links unemployed, underemployed and at-risk youth, including high school and post-secondary students, with appropriate resources in the community to help them succeed.
Ottawa’s youth, city and federal officials and local organizations, were at the official ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday.
The centre is geared towards helping youth find employment. It also offers information and referral to a variety of local organizations that help youth pursue independent living, providing help in fields like housing, legal matters, recreation, health and child care.
Since it started serving clients in March, 1,400 registered members have made more than 6,000 visits to the centre. On average, about 50 youth visit the centre each day.
Officials said this greatly exceeded the initial total estimate of about 500 members for the first year.
“A sign of the success of this place is that you have welcomed nearly three times the number of young people who were expected to use it in this first period of its operation,” said Catterall.
Both employees and members say they hope the official opening will attract a continued stream of inner city youth.
“Now, more people are going to be able to know we’re out there, that we’re here if they need us. It’s important to have a place like this for any community if it is to succeed,” said 24-year-old Sarah Kennedy, a youth employment specialist at the centre.
The aim is not to duplicate services that already exist in the city, but to be a first stop in order for youth to be referred to those other agencies.
Kennedy hopes the grand opening marks the start of more issue-based workshops and community partners.
Andrea Wenham, a graduate student from Vancouver who frequents the centre, moved to Ottawa about a month ago to look for a position as a policy analyst.
With a masters degree in economics and an interest in international development policy issues, she said she initially thought it would be simple to find a job but has faced many obstacles.
“Here I am, educated, and I have no income and no money and an overdraft on my bank account,” explained Wenham. “I’m still confident that I can find something but it’s sometimes really difficult.”
Each day, Wenham spends a minimum of about one to two hours at Youth Zone Jeunesse searching for jobs in the Ottawa area.
She said it has been a very useful place for her to gain access to all the resources she needs.
“Since I don’t have the Internet at home it’s great to have a centre like this,” says Wenham.
“There is a considerable amount of cost-saving involved for centre users. It’s amazing, especially when you’re worried about loan companies or the price of rent.”
Other free services provided by the centre include personal consultations with employment advisors, information on programs and services such as career preparation, career training, volunteer possibilities, job listings and development workshops.