ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: November 3, 1998

Author/Local: A.Montani/6032

RTS No. 209

CC File No.4102

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Child and Youth Advocate Youth Services Coordinator, Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT:	Civic Youth Strategy Progress Report

RECOMMENDATION

Following from the City of Vancouver’s commitments in the Civic Youth Strategy it is recommended

A.THAT Council endorse the City Clerk’s Office initiative to work with the Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee to examine strategies to improve youth participation in civic elections, including enhanced civic voter education for young people.

B.THAT Council direct Human Resource Services staff to work with youth, youth employment services providers, civic unions and other civic departments to examine ways to enhance opportunities for youth employment, work experience and mentorship within civic workplaces, and report back in 12 months.

C.THAT organizers of conferences involving youth-related issues in which the City of Vancouver participates be encouraged by the City to include seats for young people without charge.

D.THAT Council allocate annual financial support to Youth Week coordination at $5,000, to be added to the Child and Youth Advocate’s budget, without offset, out of the 1999 operating budget.

E.THAT Council direct the Child and Youth Advocate to work with the appropriate agencies and civic departments to bring forward a report looking at the opportunities and obstacles related to late night social/recreational activities and venues for youth within the City.

F.THAT Council write to the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority requesting a review of late night public transit use that would include reference to the safety concerns of youth and would include youth as participants in the review.

G.THAT Council continue to support partnerships and projects that meet the need for safe and affordable housing for youth.

H.THAT Council write to the Ministry for Children and Families, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and the Vancouver Richmond Health Board urging them to increase funding immediately for alcohol and drug treatment resources and mental health services for youth in their home communities, and to provide core funding for preventative services and programs.

CITY MANAGER’S COMMENTS

The City Manager acknowledges the significant work done by all the civic departments, as well as the Health Board and the School Board in meeting their partnered commitment to work with youth and the larger community on issues affecting youth. This report targets specific initiatives related to greater youth involvement in elections, employment, housing, transportation, educational and recreational activities. The City Manager RECOMMENDS A, B, C, E, F, G and H for Council’s approval, and submits recommendation D for Council’s CONSIDERATION. As the Civic Youth Strategy represents a partnership, continued shared funding is important. As there is funding in the current Child and Youth Advocates budget to cover expenses related to project work, Council needs to consider whether it wishes to fund this project directly which would leave the currently approved budget to be reallocated to other projects.

POLICY

Vancouver Children’s Policy

The Vancouver Children’s Policy was adopted by Council on March 12, 1992. It is a statement of commitment to the children of Vancouver and includes: Children’s Policy, Statement of Entitlements and an Action Plan.

Vancouver Civic Youth Strategy (CYS) Policy

The Vancouver Civic Youth Strategy was adopted by Council on March 28, 1995. It is a statement of commitment to work in partnership with youth and the larger community to:

·280·Ensure that youth have "a place" in the city,·280

·280·Ensure a strong youth voice in decision-making,·280

·280·Promote youth as a resource to the city,·280

·280·Strengthen the support base for youth in the city.·280

The implementation of the CYS is an on-going venture in which policy, objectives and principles of the CYS are translated into action. (See Appendix 1 for an overview of the Strategy.)

Vancouver Child and Youth Advocate - Practical Model of Advocacy

This policy was adopted by Council on April 27, 1995, following on Council’s approval of the Social Planning report on the position of the Child and Youth Advocate.

Civic Youth Strategy Progress Reports

The May 14, 1996 meeting of Council approved a recommendation directing the co-chairs of the Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee to provide annual progress reports to Council on the Civic Youth Strategy.

SUMMARY

In Discussion, Section I, this report puts forward a number of recommendations for Council’s consideration that arise directly out of the work of implementing the Civic Youth Strategy over the past few years. Some of the recommendations are intended to consolidate and sustain the gains made to date in youth involvement and support. Others are intended to help move forward in areas that youth have identified as needing more attention by the City, or senior levels of government. The report also provides a snapshot of the context in which the Civic Youth Strategy work is being undertaken. Discussion, Section II provides an overview of the types of activities undertaken and the achievements by City departments and the other CYS partners over the past year in support of the City’s youth population. Section III highlights gaps in services for particularly vulnerable or disadvantaged groups of youth. Lastly the report looks forward to the coming year’s agenda.

PURPOSE

This is the third annual progress report on the implementation of the Civic Youth Strategy.

BACKGROUND

Demographics:

The 92,685 young people between the ages of 10 and 24 make up 18% of Vancouver’s population (1996 census data). This breaks down into 24,110 10-14 year olds, 27,595 15-19 year olds and 40,980 20-24 year olds. The city neighbourhoods with the largest youth populations are:

·280·Renfrew-Collingwood·280

·280·Kensington-Cedar Cottage·280

·280·Sunset ·280

·280·Hastings-Sunrise·280

·280·Victoria-Fraserview·280

·280·Killarney.·280

Forty-one percent of the population 15-24 years old live in poverty. Although it appears that the Aboriginal population statistics from the 1996 census data seriously under-represent actual numbers, the data indicate that 66% of 15-24 year olds in this sub-group live in poverty. Fifty-one percent of the youth in this age group with activity limitations live in poverty. Knowing that poverty exacerbates, in many ways, the risks to the healthy growth and development of young people, these are alarming figures.

Thirty-nine percent of the people in this age group in Vancouver were born outside of Canada.

Public Interest and Support:

The public and governmental interest in youth and youth issues remains high, as evidenced by the various federal and provincial initiatives aimed at ameliorating the disproportionately high rate of unemployment youth are experiencing, removing barriers to post-secondary school access for youth and designing more effective youth justice systems. An interest in developing more formal youth leadership training initiatives continues to be evidenced in Vancouver, other Lower Mainland municipalities and across North America. Partnerships between members of the business community and youth service providers are increasing.

Media coverage of youth issues nation-wide has reflected the various government youth initiatives and the systemic problems they are intended to address. The issues of sexually-exploited youths and the effectiveness of our juvenile justice system also received high profile coverage. Local media have made some attempts to balance their stories of youth linked to violence and crime with stories highlighting youth involved in community service and other inspiring activities.

Government Service Reorganization:

The restructuring of services within the Ministry for Children and Families (MCF) has served to stimulate collaborative planning of youth services in the six network areas of the City and city-wide for some groups. The new Midtown Youth Services Advisory Committee, the Westside Services Team, the Vancouver Ethnocultural Partnership Society, and the Vancouver Aboriginal Council are examples of positive steps in this process.

However, the uncertainty and instability created by the lengthy process of change, and the perceived mixed messages about what level of decision-making actually rests with the MCF Regional Operating Agency, has taken a toll on the child- and youth- services sector.

Structural and policy changes within the School District have also had an impact on relationships between the educational community and other service providers.

The overall climate of budget restraint has meant government and non-profit service providers are trying to do more with less.

DISCUSSION

This section of the report gives the background and rationale for each of the recommendations, reviews some of the progress made in implementing the Civic Youth Strategy over the past year, notes some outstanding gaps in available youth services and indicates some plans for work in the coming year.

I. Recommendations in this report.

A.Youth and civic elections: The City Clerk and CYS Core Committee members met in July and identified barriers to youth involvement in civic elections and the need for raising awareness and knowledge of civic government among young people. With a civic election coming up next year, the City Clerk’s Office indicated a willingness to work with the CYS Committee to examine youths’ ideas on election planning and voter communication.

The work around civic education targeting youth may best be linked with the actions arising from the Public Involvement Review Report.

B.Youth employment support: Youth unemployment statistics continue to rise. Nationally, 18.4% of 15 to 24 year-olds were unemployed in August, 1998. The figure for B.C. is currently 17.2%. As a large, highly visible employer, the City is well-positioned to lead by example in assisting youth with their career development.

Discussions with management representatives from the Human Resource (HR) Services Department and Equal Employment Opportunities Office identified that the City has initiated some very successful and on-going career development projects for youth, (e.g. Partners at Work, Generation Y, Fire and Police Department outreach). Our discussions also identified a need to further explore strategies aimed at enhancing youth employment opportunities within civic workplaces. Service providers working directly with youth seeking paid or unpaid work experience in civic worksites frequently approach City staff for help. Enhancing opportunities for youth with the City through better union-management cooperation is a commonly referenced theme.

While recognizing that the HR Services Department currently has many projects and challenges on its plate, youth are impatient to begin an exploratory dialogue with the City about steps that could be taken to expand job shadowing and mentoring opportunities, co-operative education placements and student jobs in the City, supported by federal or provincial grants, among other ideas.

C.Conference seats for youth: Vancouver’s Civic Youth Strategy recognizes youth as a resource to the City. Interested youth are often unable to afford the cost of attending conferences that are held where the issues under discussion directly or indirectly affect them. By adopting this recommendation, Council will commit the City to advocating in a practical way for including youth at the table when their interests are under discussion or likely to be affected. When a conference is sponsored or organized by the City itself, it can model the inclusive behaviour it seeks from others. Additionally, this can serve to broaden recognition of the value of youth participation.

When cost recovery is necessary, options like charging other conference participants a slightly higher fee in order to subsidize youth participation, or seeking sponsors willing to cover youth fees, can be considered.

D.Youth Week support: Vancouver has joined Burnaby in providing regional and national leadership in supporting Youth Week for the past three years. The essential coordination work has been done without the benefit of a dedicated budget, primarily by Park Board staff, with "found" dollars and time. The Child and Youth Advocate’s budget was able to provide some financial assistance ($4,000 in 1997, $3,000 in 1998) to hire a part-time youth coordinator. The competing demands on this budget to facilitate direct youth participation in Civic Youth Strategy activities is making it increasingly difficult to guarantee this amount will be available in future years. (See Appendix 2 for budget details.)

The $5,000 requested addition to the Advocate’s budget, if approved, would be designated in full to hiring a part-time youth coordinator for Youth Week annually. Besides providing a job for a youth, it would demonstrate the City’s commitment to supporting Youth Week in partnership with the other current contributors (Park Board, ICBC, School Board, Vancouver Youth Voices, community associations).

The previous contributions from the Advocate’s budget for a youth coordinator for Youth Week have come at the expense of other Civic Youth Strategy projects that youth need support to accomplish. Work on:

·280·development of a workshop/materials for city staff on how to better include and involve youth in their work,·280

·280·creating an easy-to-use "youth as resources" package for use by the City, the corporate community, the media, etc.·280

·280·the City’s youth web page,·280

·280·city-wide outreach (including translated materials) to increase participation,·280

·280·preparation of youth-positive stories for release to the media,·280

are just some of the projects waiting in line for allocation of resources.

The benefits of our involvement in Youth Week are multiple. Youth Week is the only time in the year when the City celebrates youth achievements in an organized fashion, giving us an opportunity to focus media attention on the positive images of youth. It gives a strong message to youth in the City that their contributions are valued. The week serves as a catalyst, city-wide, for community development among youth and youth service providers, through the active participation of many community-based organizations. It is the growth in this participation that has made city-wide coordination an increasingly bigger job, which needs to be staffed, preferably by a young person.

E.Late night youth activities: CYS youth participants have identified two issues concerning late night activities for youth. Firstly, that the City currently has very few late night (e.g., after 10 p.m.) social/recreational opportunities for youth under 19 years of age. Significant numbers of youth do not have homes able to accommodate having several friends over. Youth have said they would like to have safe places to go in their neighborhoods where they can hang out (i.e., enjoy music, do sports and otherwise socialize and have fun together). For some youth this later night activity would be primarily on weekends. But for some youth, being out late even on a week night is not uncommon due to circumstances at home. Broad cooperation among the CYS partners in developing such places would enhance the safety of youth who are out late, while ensuring attention is paid to all the areas of potential concern (noise, permitted use, zoning, supervision of younger youth, etc.).

There is also the issue of late night entertainment venues for older youth. There are young people in the City who are already organizing "underground" late night events. Many of these young people are interested in working with the City to legitimize their events, (bring them "above ground") in order to improve the safety and quality of the events. They would like to work with the City to keep these events drug and alcohol free, as well as use them as a place to do peer education on sexual health practices and harm reduction. Some discussions have taken place over the past year with civic staff from various departments but progress has been slow.

A secondary result of increasing cooperation between City staff and late night youth event organizers would be to lessen tensions which currently exist between youth and police, who are usually the ones called upon to shut down events. Ideally, police and youth can work together as partners in ensuring safety.

F.Late night public transit services: The recommendation to request a review of late night public transit services arises out of safety concerns voiced by youth who rely on public transit or who would choose public transit as a safer mode of transportation if it were available later. A few bus routes already provide service, designated as "owl service," until 3:00 a.m. The SkyTrain closes down just after 1:00 a.m., earlier on Sundays.

G.Housing for Youth: Lack of safe, affordable housing remains high on the list of issues placing youth at risk. For a variety of reasons, some youth find themselves without family supports and/or unable to return home. Depending on their age, and how long they have been living away from home, foster care and group homes are not an option, even for some minors. Youth in these circumstances, most of whom face a multitude of challenges, lose out in the competition for the better low-priced housing options and end up living on the streets, in squats or in unsafe accommodation, sometimes with their infant children. Their energies become focused on day-to-day survival and they become less able to move out of street life. Their lack of safe housing increases their risk of involvement in the sex trade, drug use and trafficking and property crimes. They are more vulnerable to physical and sexual assaults and other health risks. Young women are particularly vulnerable and have fewer emergency shelter options than men.

The City has made significant contributions over the past few years to the creation of safe, affordable housing for youth. The City has leased land for non-market housing for youth developed under the Province’s Homes B.C. programs. In addition, the City has supported the development of safe houses and independent living units by non-profit groups and other government agencies. In July 1998, VanCity Place opened. It is a 50 unit project developed through a partnership between the City, VanCity and other sponsors, for youth. The City contributed a $2 million grant to the $4.5 million

total cost of the project. And in 1997, the City and the Province entered into a partnership to develop two projects with over 200 units of housing for low-income urban singles in the Downtown. Unlike social housing developed in the past for low-income singles, which is restricted to those over the age of 45, these new projects will be open to low-income singles 19 years of age or older, and will be able to accommodate low-income youth. The City is contributing $2 million to these two projects.

Developing housing that is affordable to low-income youth is expensive, as it is for any low income group, and at the same time the need is increasing. Solutions require partnerships between the City, the other levels of government, and the private and non-profit sectors. It is recommended that the City continue to support partnerships and projects that meet the need for safe and affordable housing for youth.

H.Provincial Government support: At the crisis end of the service continuum, numerous reports and forums in the past year, and in previous years, have identified the urgent need for expanding our capacity to meet the needs of youth who need detox, substance abuse treatment programs and mental health care. There is an alarming trend of 11 to 13 year olds becoming addicted to drugs like heroin and crack-cocaine. There have been 1,000 requests for detox bed placements for youth since April of this year (Ministry for Children and Families information). Service providers are seeing more young people with acute mental health problems, sometimes coupled with drug use. A significant proportion of street-involved and homeless young people are coming to Vancouver from other parts of B.C. and Canada. It is essential, therefore, that we develop responsive programs and services both here and in other parts of the province, in order to avoid creating a "service magnet" for troubled youth.

There is widespread agreement that there should be more support for preventative youth programs and services, both universally accessible and those aimed at youth-at-risk and high risk youth, but financial resources have not been forthcoming in proportion to the needs. As noted in last year’s CYS report: "The unmet treatment and intervention needs of youth in trouble and at risk make it difficult for government and non-government service providers to shift limited and reduced resources to the preventative end of the service continuum. . . . . .Our challenge is to build public understanding of the need to pay at both ends in the short-term, before the long-term social benefits of investment in prevention become apparent."

The City’s leadership in supporting preventative youth services (e.g. community-based youth workers funded through the Park Board and Community Service Grants), remains an example deserving of more emulation by senior levels of government.

II. Highlights of CYS Progress and Achievements in 1997/98

Detailed descriptions of each department’s, board’s, or other partner agency’s activities over the past year can be found in Appendices 3 and 4. The following highlights are in addition to the projects noted earlier in this report.

·280·Child and Youth Advocate and the Park Board continued to co-chair the CYS. Park Board’s commitment was enhanced by the hiring of a full-time Youth Services Coordinator. Permanent funding was endorsed for full-time youth workers at Dunbar, Killarney, Sunset, Champlain Heights, Hastings, Riley Park and West End Community Centres.·280

·280·Youth Week was again a successful celebration of youth achievements and ideas with over 25 events held throughout Vancouver, thanks to the cooperation of the Park Board, Vancouver Youth Voices, Vancouver School Board and many other partners.·280

·280·The Family Court/Youth Justice Committee, assisted by the Child and Youth Advocate, hosted a Forum on Street-Involved Youth Issues with over 150 attendees. Follow-up activity to address the concerns raised at the forum has included a productive meeting between youth and Chief Constable Bruce Chambers.·280

·280·Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee members, Planning Department staff, Vancouver Youth Voices and other youth-driven organizations held numerous focus groups and facilitated youth getting their voices into deliberations on a range of topics, including new City by-laws, local and provincial youth services planning and evaluation, and urban planning issues.·280

·280·A seat for a youth representative on the Development Permit Board Advisory Panel was endorsed by Council and the first appointment was made.·280

·280·Planning and Engineering staff worked closely on a number of projects with both elementary and secondary students. CityPlan Community Visions staff solicited opinions from over 270 students at Lord Byng, John Oliver and Gladstone schools about issues in their communities. Engineering staff offered a variety of environmental education programs for children in kindergarten up to youth in senior high school grades.·280

·280·The Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth (see Appendix 5), supported in part by a Community Services Grant from the City, continues to tackle the mammoth task of supporting coordination and collaboration between children and youth service providers across the City. The Coalition has restructured to create working subcommittees on Advocacy/Policy, Education/Professional Development, and Project Development and has chosen sexually-exploited children and youth as a major focus for the coming year.·280

·280·The Partners at Work: Show What You Know project, a joint venture between the City and the School Board, offered 130 one-week work experience placements to Grade 11 and Grade 12 Career Preparation students. Placements were arranged in every City department.·280

·280·Partnerships are underway between Park Board, Urban Native Youth Association, other Aboriginal service providers and school personnel to better serve Aboriginal youth in the Grandview Woodlands/Trout Lake areas. A Community Services Grant for a First Nations outreach worker is supporting this work.·280

·280·Training events for youth workers and peer training sessions for youth on personal skill development and organizational development were organized by Park Board, Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth, Vancouver Youth Voices and Environmental Youth Alliance.·280

·280·The City-wide Youth Initiative Project, supported by a partnership between the schools, Park Board, the Ministry of the Attorney General, Police and ICBC, involved secondary students in specific, action-oriented projects like a multiculturalism leadership camp, a multi-media performance event on youth issues, an anti-violence fun run and a youth employment project.·280

·280·Through the Hastings Institute, the City is collaborating with the Building Corporation of B.C. to run a highly successful life skills and work experience program for troubled young people looking to change their lives and enter the work force.·280

·280·Day-time dance events, organized by youth, were safely held in various locations with the support of the library and civic theatres.·280

·280·Preparatory work on a restorative justice pilot project for youth in the Hastings Sunrise area has been proceeding with the support of the Hastings Community Centre youth worker, the Family Court/Youth Justice Committee and other partners.·280

·280·Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment has done some valuable work in bringing together concerned members of the corporate and youth services community.·280

III. Outstanding Gaps in Support for Youth

As discussed above, major gaps in services to high risk youth remain. Detox and youth-appropriate alcohol and drug treatment programs, mental health services and help for youth to successfully exit from the sex trade are in short supply. The lack of affordable safe housing for youth without family supports, insufficient spaces in alternate school programs, especially for ESL youths, and difficulties obtaining income support services for youth who have left home all make youth more vulnerable to exploitation and harm.

Aboriginal youth and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning youth are two groups whose members are over-represented in the high risk categories. Services specifically designed for these groups remain stretched to the limit and under-resourced. Similarly, culturally and linguistically competent services for immigrant and refugee youth are lacking adequate support.

The cluster of services for street youth that are currently housed in the Comox Building of St. Paul’s Hospital, particularly the Dusk to Dawn Youth Resource Centre, need a long-term plan for their relocation. Vancouver Youth Voices will also face the challenge of finding new, affordable space when this rent-free building is no longer available. (It is still unclear when the Hospital will issue notice to move to these tenants.)

The safety and well-being of youth in care of the government and support for youth coming out of government care are two areas of continuing concern. There are currently about 1,300 Vancouver children and youth in care (664 of them aged 10 to 18 years). The long-awaited proclamation of Section 9 (Youth Agreements) of the Child, Family and Community Services Act would help those young people who have left home and for whom a foster care or group home placement would not be appropriate. Proclamation of Section 10 of the Act would extend the same supports to 19 year olds coming out of government care.

IV. The Coming Year

In addition to the areas of work arising from the recommendations in this report, the Civic Youth Strategy partners will continue building on the commitments made in the CYS policy statements and in previous action plans. These tasks include:

·280·Building partnerships with civic departments, boards, as well as media and corporate supporters, to create and enhance opportunities for youth;·280

·280·Improving the City’s youth web page;·280

·280·Outreach to promote awareness of the Civic Youth Strategy and to encourage participation from youth throughout Vancouver;·280

·280·Promoting and supporting youth as a resource to the City, including peer training in advocacy and other skills;·280

·280·Working with provincial and federal authorities and others on strengthening the support base for youth through coordinated service planning in neighbourhoods and city-wide;·280

·280·Seeking the official endorsement of the Civic Youth Strategy from the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board;·280

·280·Strengthening partnerships between Park Board, the Health Board, the School Board and community organizations like The Centre, Urban Native Youth Association, and others to better address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth.·280

Some new projects in 1998/99 will be:

·280·Helping shape and build a millenium youth legacy project for the City;·280

·280·Reviewing the support structures for youth involved in carrying out the Civic Youth Strategy;·280

·280·Examining the dimensions and consequences of youth poverty.·280

CONCLUSION

The list of concrete steps taken by the City alone or in partnership with others to achieve the core objectives of the Civic Youth Strategy is growing longer each year. We have many successes to acknowledge. While some specific actions can be pointed to as definite achievements (e.g., youth appointments, support workers hired), some of the CYS objectives engage us in longer-term processes, where the outcome is less tangible. An example of a longer-term process is creating an environment where youth views on matters affecting them are regularly sought, heard and respected by adult decision-makers. Real progress is being made in achieving these longer-term objectives as well, but this progress is uneven and sometimes slow.

The specific recommendations brought forward in this report, if adopted by Council, will augment the steps taken to date in support of the City’s youth and strengthen our partnership with the leaders of tomorrow.

The skills, energy, creativity and integrity the young people of Vancouver bring to the work of implementing the Civic Youth Strategy, offer the best guarantee that its principles will continue to be honored and its objectives achieved. In this endeavor, they truly are our best resource.

* * * * *

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: Overview of the Civic Youth Strategy

APPENDIX 2: Budget Information

APPENDIX 3: Departmental/Boards’ Actions and Plans

APPENDIX 4:Vancouver Youth Voices: Program Overview

APPENDIX 5:Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth: Information Sheet

APPENDIX 6:Membership of the Civic Youth Strategy

Core and Departmental Representatives

Committees for 1997/98

OVERVIEW OF THE CIVIC YOUTH STRATEGY

1.The Civic Youth Strategy is a municipal government initiative designed and developed in consultation with youth. On March 28, 1995 the City Council of Vancouver unanimously approved the CYS.

2.The CYS is civic government’s formal statement of commitment to work in partnership with youth and the larger community on issues affecting youth. The implementation of the CYS is an on-going venture in which the policy, objectives and principles of the CYS are translated into action.

3.The Civic Youth strategy includes:

·280 ·A Policy Statement on the City’s relationship with and commitment to youth.·280

The City of Vancouver commits to involving youth as active partners:

1.In the development, assessment and delivery of civic services which have direct impact on youth, and

2.In broad spectrum community consultations and initiatives.

The City of Vancouver promotes and supports youth-driven youth groups as a key consultation resource to the City to ensure that the voices of youth are heard.

·280 ·Four Core Objectives·280

#1. Youth have "a place"/belong in the City:

a) services are accessible and user-friendly

b) there are youth-dedicated spaces

#2. Youth have a strong voice in decision-making

#3. Youth are seen as a resource in and to the City

#4. There is a strong support base for youth in the City.

·280 ·Three Principles of Action to guide work related to meeting the objectives:·280

- strong youth involvement at the local level

- partnership in planning and implementation

- assistance and support rather than control and management.

·280 ·Leadership structures to sustain the Strategy - a coalition of municipal government, the Vancouver School Board and youth; a core working committee.·280

·280 ·Current action plans for implementation of policy and objectives.·280

BUDGET INFORMATION

Youth Week Coordination Annual Budget

(Estimate for 1999 based on 1998 figures)

Revenue

Cash

Community Centre Associations (10 x $100) $1,000

Park Board 2,500

ICBC (Vancouver promotion) 1,000

Ticket sales (kick-off event) 1,000

Total cash revenue $5,500

In Kind Donations

Park Board (admin. support, office supplies, faxing)

School Board (printing and distribution of 25,000 brochures)

City Clerk’s Office (staff time for art work, press release)

ICBC - Lower Mainland promotion (transit shelter ads, Talking Yellow Pages,

est. $3,000 value)

Expenses (excluding in kind donations)

Youth Coordinator(s) wages (8-10 months) $5,000

Part-time staff wages 1,700

Kick-off event 2,100

Lower Mainland Youth Week Ctte contribution 100

Promotion/publicity 1,600

Total expenses $10,500

Cash shortfall 5,000*

*This is the amount requested in recommendation D. The Child and Youth Advocate’s budget was able to contribute $4,000 and $3,000 in 1997 and 1998, respectively. This contribution is not sustainable (see Advocate’s budget detail below).

Child and Youth Advocate’s Budget (1998)

All funds in this account are designated to support youth involvement in the Civic Youth Strategy.

Budget categories:

Honoraria for youth participants in the

CYS Core Committee work and other youth projects $8,000

Expenses such as youth travel costs, childcare costs,

or food at youth meetings 2,000

Support/Research money for assistance with data

collection, preparation of written materials, etc. 5,000

_______

Total: $15,000

Actual expenses, including estimates to year end:

Honoraria (includes $3,000 for Youth Week youth

coordinator) $11,000

Expenses 2,800

Support/research 1,200

_______

Total: $15,000

DEPARTMENTAL/BOARDS’ ACTIONS AND PLANS

The departmental/ board actions for the last quarter of 1997 through to 3rd quarter of 1998 are listed below along with planned initiatives for 1999:

ALL CIVIC DEPARTMENTS - participate in the "Partners at Work: Show What You Know" project, a career preparation experience for Grade 11 and 12 students. The project is coordinated by the City and the Vancouver School Board. Since its inception in 1995 it has given over 300 students an opportunity to learn about how the City of Vancouver works. Plans are now underway to offer the next "Partners at Work" placements in the Spring of 1999.

CITY CLERK’S - 1998 achievements included support to the Family Court/Youth Justice Committee. This committee worked with the Child & Youth Advocate to host a forum on street youth issues. The forum was initiated as a follow-up to the committee’s discussions of service gaps affecting street-involved youth. The forum was attended by 156 participants, of whom 43 were young people. Four panellists spoke about their problems and experiences of street life, followed by facilitated discussion groups. Major areas of concern raised at the forum were shelter and housing needs, service availability and outreach needs, the lack of services for youth with drug and/or alcohol addictions, health care needs, employment and training needs, police (and others’) attitudes toward street youth, the need for more and better prevention programs and services, and the importance of involving youth directly in finding and creating solutions. A more detailed report on the forum was previously distributed to Council members, and is on file in the City Clerk’s Office.

The Communications Division supported Youth Week (an annual, national celebration of youth that occurs during the first week of May) with design work on the poster, and two news releases. The division also played a major role in producing a youth targeted television show, city.vancouver TV.

Future Initiatives: 1999 Civic Election - The City Clerk met with the Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee (CYSCC) to discuss youth outreach for the 1999 civic election. The CYSCC may wish to hold an all-candidates meeting for youth. City Clerk’s department will assist by providing a list of civic political party contacts, when available, as well as contact names from community groups who have experience organizing all-candidates meetings.

Suggestions from CYSCC members regarding location of voting stations, hours of voting, the holding of Saturday elections, and possible advertising mediums have been referred to elections staff for consideration. The City Clerk will meet with CYSCC again, about 6 months before the election, to share additional ideas and discuss potential implementation of others.

Youth Outreach - QuickFind

The City Clerk’s Department will incorporate youth groups into the Inventory of Community and Neighbourhood-based Organizations, which is currently being updated. This list is used for notification of reports, election information, appointments to Advisory Committees and Boards, etc. Once updated, the Inventory will be accessible through QuickFind, making the information on youth groups available to other civic staff.

CIVIC THEATRES - worked with the Vancouver School Board in placing students from their Hospitality and Tourism program into on-site work experience positions; assisted youth in securing mentoring positions in Civic Theatres or placements with other professional theatre organizations; conducted theatre tours for 47 youth groups, ages 25 and under (total 1321 youth); provided performances for 46,603 youth; offered discount rates to Vancouver and region schools for graduation ceremonies (currently 20 schools take advantage of this), and provided low cost office space to the Vancouver Children’s Festival.

CORPORATE SERVICES - participated in the Partners at Work project, and will continue to do so. Plans to pass on surplus computers to the School Board have been realized. Corporate Services have forwarded over 300 used computers to the Vancouver School Board for use in schools.

ENGINEERING SERVICES - Staff produced and presented to elementary school children educational programs on recycling ("Rethink") and water conservation (The A2Z of H2O"). Another show that is running in the schools is called "Clean Up Your Act" as part of the "Keep Vancouver Spectacular" project. It teaches kids (Kindergarten-Grade 5) about graffiti, littering, and vandalism. Staff are also establishing an education program at our demonstration garden at City Farmer. A staff member is the chair of the Youth Education Committee of the BC Water & Waste Association. This committee is involved with education on drinking water and wastewater.

Staff participated in "Partners at Work", offering placements in a variety of worksites. Staff provided projects and supervision for BCIT students. Employment opportunities are provided for students in various areas of the Department.

Opportunities were provided for youth to participate in the "Keep Vancouver Spectacular Program", a city-wide project hosted by Tourism Vancouver and Engineering Services to involve businesses and the community in the clean-up of their neighbourhoods. Several initiatives are underway involving youth cleaning-up graffiti in their communities. These initiatives are coordinated through the Riley Park Community Centre and Community Police Offices in Granville, Broadway and Joyce. There is also a Street Youth Job Action program involving street-involved youth cleaning-up graffiti on Granville Mall.

This year the City acquired a new anti-graffiti vehicle, which is co-sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Vancouver. The vehicle will be made available to the Rotary on weekends for the Urban Peace Initiative, wherein they hope to use street youth programs and restorative justice programs to involve youth in the removal of graffiti from neighbourhoods.

Staff provided information to two teachers so that they could do a high school class on Vancouver’s Lost Streams. Staff did a presentation/workshop with Shad Valley participants on Trout Lake. Staff went to Gladstone High School’s Career Awareness Day and spoke about what it is like to be an engineer at the City. As well, staff participated in the Scientists in School Program. School tours of the recycling depot have been hosted. Staff attend the Fraser River Estuary Management Plan and Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Plan’s Voices for Choices workshop every year. This workshop is meant to educate high school students on the issues behind water quality and the marine environment.

Training and a safe environment for kids going to and from school are provided through the joint efforts of Police Services and the Vancouver School Board. Education and maps for bicycling are provided for everyone including youth.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (EEO) -

Partners at Work: Show What You Know

A joint venture between the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver School Board, "Partners at Work" is entering its fourth successful year. "Partners at Work" started as a response to the Civic Youth Strategy’s recommendation to provide opportunities for youth in the City in 1995.

Since then, for two weeks every year, Grade 11 and Grade 12 Career preparation students work at various City worksites, gaining invaluable on-the-job experience that helps them to make better informed decisions about their future. "Partners at Work" offered 70 placementsin 1995, 107 placements in 1996 and the number rose to 130 placements in 1997. Placements were arranged in every City department.

In the current program, the placement dates are March 1 - 5 and March 8 - 12, 1999. The Project team includes Equal Employment Opportunity, Social Planning, the Vancouver School Board, Parks & Recreation, Fire, Civic Theatres, City Clerk’s Communications division, Library, Permits and Licenses, Human Resources and Engineering.

Aboriginal Career Fair

The Equal Employment Opportunity Office, Social Planning, Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire and Rescue Services participated in the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation - Aboriginal Career Fair held at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre in January 1998. The Career Fair brought together around 1000 youth from throughout Vancouver and B.C. as well as representatives from government, business and industry. The career fair is an excellent avenue to get in touch with the aboriginal youth and make them aware of the opportunities available in the City of Vancouver.

Generation Y Program

Through the Hastings Institute, a not-for-profit organization owned by the City of Vancouver and the training arm of the Equal Employment Opportunity Office, we participated in an innovative program for at-risk youth. In collaboration with the Building Corporation of BC (BCBC), the Hastings Institute designed a unique language and life skills training, combined with full-time work opportunity for street youth offered and funded by the BCBC. Now entering its third year, this project opens doors for troubled young people who otherwise would have no access to the conventional job market or a life away from the problems of the street.

Information Sessions on Employment Equity, Human Rights and Harassment Issues

The staff of the EEO office make presentations on the above issues to youth in schools, educational institutes like BCIT and other pre-employment programs.

Work Practicums

In addition to "Partners at Work", the EEO office facilitates placements/practicums for many young people at various civic worksites on a regular basis. These placements are offered as part of their curriculum in pre-employment programs, and the programs are usually funded by the provincial or federal government.

FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES -

Job Shadowing Opportunities

Fire and Rescue Services offered a number of placements for students taking part in the "Partners at Work" project. Fire staff provided orientation sessions to students at their schools and helped with a general orientation session for all students placed at City worksites. Students attended the Fire and Rescue Services Training Centre and observed a number of job sites including firehalls, inspection services and the 911 dispatch centre.

CPR Training

Discussions are happening with the School Board about expanding job shadowing opportunities at Fire and Rescue Services worksites. In addition, staff want to be able to offer inexpensive CPR courses to high school students in school settings. This will be part of a community program to educate a number of citizens about CPR, and life saving equipment that will eventually be available in community buildings (e.g. defibrillators).

HOUSING CENTRE - Through the land lease program, the City, along with a City grant of $2 million toward construction costs, co-operated with VanCity in the completion this year of a 50-unit development at 326 W. Pender Street for core-need singles under 45 years. This project is the third one tailored for singles, including street youth, wherein the City has played a major role.

The Tenant Assistance Program continues to provide service to youth, both to individuals and groups.

HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES - continues to participate as an active member of the staff project team implementing the "Partners at Work" project. The department helped support the student project team with the production of an orientation manual, an orientation

session and wrap-up evaluation meetings for all of the students. The department also cost-shared the expenses of the orientation manual with the School Board.

LEGAL SERVICES - continues to take part in the "Partners at Work" project.

PERMITS AND LICENSES - continues to participate in the "Partners at Work" project.

PLANNING - continues to play an active role in the Civic Youth Strategy. The following is a summary of our contribution towards this work:

General

·280·continued participation in the Civic Youth Strategy Departmental Representatives Committee; and ·280

·280·participated in the "Partners at Work" project by hosting 5 students in work placements for a one week period (December 1997). ·280

CityPlan Community Visions Program - Youth Consultation

·280·in 1997, staff developed the YouthView program which offered students a variety of exercises designed to produce images, reports or media presentations displaying the students’ views and opinions on issues in their communities; last year we reported that over 650 students participated in the Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Dunbar areas;·280

·280·in February 1998, community surveys were distributed in the two neighbourhoods to give people an opportunity to vote on the directions of the Community Visions; staff consulted youth at Grade 9 and 11 social classes at Lord Byng in Dunbar and Grade 11 socials classes at John Oliver and Gladstone in Kensington-Cedar Cottage; staff worked with the students on the Choices Survey; the students gave their opinions on issues in their communities; in total, we received 99 responses from students in Kensington-Cedar Cottage and 169 responses from students in Dunbar; at Gladstone school, we also had the opportunity to consult youth in the Step Program (non-mainstream alternative school); it was very enlightening to hear the issues and concerns of youth in the Step Program.·280

·280·community outreach during February and March also included public displays in a variety of key community locations including community centres, grocery stores, parking lots and SkyTrain stations; we were able to speak to many youth at these venues, particularly the SkyTrain stations;·280

·280·staff worked with Grade 12 students from Churchill Secondary’s Fine Arts program todevelop sidewalk stamp designs for embossing on Heather Street sidewalks. Twenty-eight students submitted designs with accompanying written descriptions. Four designs were chosen through a juried selection process. These designs will be used along the Heather Streetscape walkway project in the Fall of 1998 and·280

·280·prompted by last year’s Civic Youth Strategy Report, the Development Permit Board recommended that Council appoint a young person to the DP Board Advisory Panel. This was approved and in March 1998, Darren Chung, who is doing a BA in Urban Geography, was appointed as an additional general public representative.·280

South East False Creek - Including Youth Voice

·280·The Southeast False Creek planning process included representatives from the Environmental Youth Alliance and from the Urban Youth Alliance on the SEFC Advisory Group. This group met with the planning team for SEFC, biweekly from October 1997, to June 1998.·280

·280·The SEFC planning team has included several university classes in the planning project, made numerous presentations, and is also planning to open discussions with other youth groups, including high schools this fall (98).·280

POLICE - are continuing to work closely with youth and have implemented in Districts One and Two a "High Risk Youth" car. This unit deals with high risk youth who are attempting, with service providers’ assistance, to get off the street. The Vancouver Police Department soccer team once again ran the Raul Sanghera Soccer Tournament in the schools. This tournament involves youth from various schools with the soccer team offering approximately $3,000 in scholarships. Further, the Vancouver Police Soccer Club for the 5th year ran a week long soccer school at Andy Livingstone Park. We continue to liaise with Dusk to Dawn, Street Youth Services and the Adolescent Services Unit. The Police Chief has had meetings with street youth to hear their ideas for improving service delivery. Constables Lemcke and Schaaf have continued to reach out to youth by offering free pet clinics, with the help of a veterinarian. The police continue their regular school and community centre visitations.

SOCIAL PLANNING -

Carnegie Community Centre

The Carnegie Community Centre, located at Main and Hastings Streets, provides intergenerational programming. Recreational, First Nations Cultural Sharing, and Learning Centre programs are all well used by youth, as are the ongoing programs at Oppenheimer Park. Youth who attend the centre or make use of other local services were involved withthe Carnegie Community Centre Association's ''Walls of Change" mural project. Carnegie staff encourage pre-teens and teens who come to the centre to connect with RayCam and the Strathcona Community Centres where there are services and supports in place for youth.

This is done in an effort to link youth to positive programs and role models within their community.

Community Services

The Community Services section of Social Planning provides administrative support to the Child and Youth Advocate. Staff work with youth-serving community agencies and Provincial ministries to help strengthen support for Vancouver’s youth and identify needed services or service delivery improvements. The Director for Community Services chairs the Interministerial Street Children’s Committee (IMSCC) and in October 1998 reported to Cynthia Morton, the Provincial Children’s Commissioner, about service gaps for street youth. The report was titled You Have Heard This Before: Street-Involved Youth and the Service Gaps.

As a part of the Community Services Grants (CSG) process Social Planning and Parks and Recreation staff met to clarify funding criteria for youth workers (e.g. Community Services Grants administered by Social Planning will be used for meeting city-wide, ethno-cultural services while Parks will focus on meeting neighbourhood-based needs). The CSGs are funding preventative programs for Aboriginal, Vietnamese, Latin American, Chinese and LGTB (lesbian, gay, transgendered and bisexual) youth. Vancouver Youth Voices and the Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth also receive financial support from this City grants program. Up until this summer Social Planning provided the Coalition with office space.

The Social Planning Department continues to actively support "Partners at Work" by co-chairing the staff project team with the Equal Employment Opportunities office. Staff are also supporting SUCCESS’s 25th anniversary initiative, "Youth Leadership Millennium", by developing and presenting training modules on social and cultural awareness. This program is preparing 150 of Vancouver’s youth to take on leadership roles in our City.

Office of Cultural Affairs

Cultural Grants: Cultural Affairs reviewed and recommended, and Council approved, funding from both Operating and Project Grants to a variety of youth serving arts organizations. These ranged from the ongoing support to organizations such as Arts Umbrella, the Vancouver Children’s Festival, Greenthumb Players and others, to new levels of support for initiatives by the Vancouver Opera and Goh Ballet.

Arts for Youth: Council approved a number of youth-oriented Community Public ArtProgram projects recommended by Cultural Affairs. Among these were the "Walls of Change" murals on banners and hoardings in the Downtown Eastside. Diverse groups of youths involved in community services such as DEYAS’ Youth Action Centre and the Carnegie Centre worked with artists to create banners and murals along Hastings Street. Another project involves youth from Mount Pleasant and Grandview-Woodlands areas in the development of "Banners on Broadway". These banners will be displayed along Broadway from Main to Commercial.

Vancouver Arts Initiative: The task force has completed its work, however a sub-committee is continuing to meet on the topic of access to the arts for children and youth. With a small stipend from the City, the sub-committee brought Arnold April of the "Chicago Arts Partners in Education (CAPE)" to Vancouver to share his knowledge on developing partnerships among parents, teachers, artists, children, school administrators, arts managers, and funders. OCA acted as support staff for the discussions and continues to examine appropriate opportunities for City involvement.

Millennium: Cultural Affairs staff have co-ordinated the work of the City’s Millennium Committee. The Committee has resolved, in principle, that the millennium initiative be a city-wide youth legacy. Substantial staff time has gone into the co-ordinating role, and into exploring the options and potential partners for such a youth legacy. To date, no decision has been made about the exact nature of this legacy, however OCA staff and the Child and Youth Advocate are working with the Committee Chair (Councillor Clarke) and Committee members to provide Council with a report before year’s end.

The Gathering Place

Street Youth Food Bank: This food bank is back in operation at the Gathering Place, run by youth. It operates on Friday afternoons in the theatre and serves street youth (25 years and under). On average it serves 60 youth per week out of which around 15 are single parents with small children.

The Slice Magazine continues to be published by young people who meet every Thursday at the Gathering Place. The magazine which is sponsored by Family Services of Greater Vancouver features poetry, prose and drawings by street youth. It is published every 2 months.

Vocal Dose Cafe: On Tuesday nights it’s open mike in the Gathering Places’s theatre. The cafe evening is targeted to youth but all ages are welcome. Performances, music, poetry readings all take place impromptu.

Recreation Activities: In cooperation with the Roundhouse Community Centre, the Gathering Place now offers their youth patrons once a week gym time at the community centre. Summer soccer and football take place at David Lam Park. Through a partnership with Youth Services Canada and Youth Urban Challenge 2000, four young people organized two weeks of activities such as trips to Lynn Canyon, Pacific Spirit park, the IMAX Theatre, Science World etc. Outdoor camping at Alice Lake was also offered to give youth a summer break from city life.

Other Projects included supporting youth who presented their stories to the "Street Youth Forum" held by the Family Court/Youth Justice Committee in March 1998. Ongoing implementation arising from the forum continues to involve youth at the Gathering Place and the youth programmer. A partnership with Dusk to Dawn to serve youth in the sex trade is continuing. Staff from a number of Downtown South agencies host Inside/Out

for youth involved with prostitution, primarily targeted at young males, 21 years and under. Family Services and the Gathering Place jointly run a single parents drop-in night where a meal, parent support and counselling are offered. A variety of resource workshops are offered from time to time on writing or making videos. Youth from the Gathering Place are also participating in the Dance Arts of Vancouver project "Fire" which deals with anger.

VANCOUVER BOARD OF PARKS & RECREATION -

Partnerships

The Park Board continued to work with the Vancouver School Board on the delivery of he "Partners at Work: Show What You Know" field work placements. In 1997, Parks shared the administrative tasks of implementing the project with Social Planning and EEO.

Social Planning and Park Board staff met to discuss efficiencies in the delivery of youth services. It was decided that the Park Board would continue to provide youth services at the local community level and that Social Planning was better suited to provide youth services that are not geographically based (i.e. ethno-cultural workers). We have also continued to provide support to the ethno-specific youth workers that are funded through the City Community Services Grants and have expanded our Youth Worker Action Team to include or involve other community-based youth workers.

Park Board staff continued to work collaboratively with the First Nations community and Urban Native Youth Association to enhance programs and services to Aboriginal youth in the Grandview Woodland/Trout Lake areas.

The Park Board worked together with the Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth and Langara College to offer the Youth Worker Training Institute. This workshop was designed to look at similarities of community-based youth work and start some dialogue on youth worker competencies and the standards for "best practices’.

The Park Board will continue to co-chair the Civic Youth Strategy and play a leadership role in the Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth. The Park Board will continue to work with the Ministry for Children and Families and Youth and the Vancouver School Board in developing community-based youth services.

Youth Week

The Park Board took the lead role for the third year in organizing Vancouver’s Youth week. There were over 25 events in Vancouver with over 2,500 participants in attendance throughout the week. There is continued partnership with Social Planning, Vancouver Youth Voices, Vancouver School Board, other youth serving agencies, and the business community.

Youth Support Staff

In 1997, the Park Board received the final evaluation report for the six Pilot Youth Projects and unanimously endorsed the following:

-permanent funding for full time youth workers at Dunbar, Killarney, Sunset, ChamplainHeights, Hastings, Riley park and West End Community Centres; and

-hiring a full time Youth Services Coordinator to provide guidance, support, and leadership to youth workers and other staff and represent the Park Board on youth issues.

The Youth Advisory Committee of the Park Board has determined their next priorities for full time youth projects (Kerrisdale, Renfrew, Mt. Pleasant and Douglas Park Community Centres) and are currently researching sources of funding to implement their plan.

The Vancouver Park Board completed an external needs assessment for the five remaining community centres (False Creek, Kitsilano, West Point Grey, Renfrew and Marpole-Oakridge) that do not have Youth Development Workers. The Community Association in these locations are in the process of working towards developing a funding implementation plan that will first create part time services as a step towards sustaining a complete youth project.

A Youth Worker Orientation Manual will be produced to aid in training and orientation of staff and outline youth work "best practices".

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY -

Global Youth Forum: 200 teens took over the library to work with Robert Muller to brainstorm strategies for after the year 2000. This was turned into a film by the Vancouver Film School and is soon to be aired on Knowledge Network replete with reading suggestions and curriculum ideas.

Webzine and Youth@BC: Four youth worked on internet web pages and a youth webzine for the InterLINK area for the summer months. A group of volunteer editors is taking over the production of the webzine for the Winter.

Native Youth Writers Mentor Programme: In October 1998 volunteer native writers will be mentoring young Native and Metis writers who are between 14 to 21 years of age.

Other Youth Initiatives: The library made space available for Youth Week events and four youth organizations hosted a youth resource fair. Space was also provided at no cost for a federal employment workshop for teens. The Friends of the Public Library donated funds to develop a simple but distinct notice board area for teens. Staff have produced some special interest booklists on topics such as gay and lesbian teen fiction. Library events of special interest to teens will be appearing on a specially designed bookmark to be made available at all library branches.

VANCOUVER SCHOOL BOARD - Over twenty-five thousand Youth Week brochures were copied by the Vancouver School Board and distributed to all Vancouver secondaryschool students to promote this celebration of youth activities and special events.

Grade 11 and 12 students were placed on one-week work placements through the "Partners at Work: Show What You Know Project". This cooperative venture between the School Board’s Career Programs department and the City exposed students to a broad range of career possibilities with the civic workforce. Evaluation of the project by the students and sponsors was very positive and plans are underway for the Spring 1999 placements.

As a follow-up from the 1997 city-wide Youth Conference, last year youth action teams developed projects to address the identified issues such as racism, violence, environment, and education. Schools organized events and projects such as Multiculturalism Week, a Youth Employment Project, a Fun Run, a large scale art project, a Multicultural Leadership Camp, an event called "Images and Voices" featuring music, dance, drama and choral performances, anti-violence videos and a play about street life. Plans are underway for the next stage of the Citywide Youth Initiative, now a partnership of the School Board, ICBC, Ministry of the Attorney General, the Vancouver Police and the City. A second survey will be conducted in all Vancouver Secondary schools asking a cross-section of students to prioritize issues in and about school. A conference will be held to develop youth led projects addressing the identified issues. As well, leadership training and educational seminars will assist the project teams reach their goals.

VANCOUVER/RICHMOND HEALTH BOARD -

Youth Clinic Services

This past year has seen the expansion of youth clinic services into Mount Pleasant weekly and an expansion of clinical services to the lgbt population weekly out of Downtown South Clinic. While these latter services are not specific to youth, they are inclusive of youth. The Healthy Attitudes Project targeting young people who are developing unhealthy ideas about food and preoccupations with weight, exercise and body image moved to South Unit in January of this year and will remain there. The project and youth clinics will analyse the expansion of these services into the already existing youth clinic services. Drug and Alcohol counselling services are now available every 2 weeks at Pine Clinic in partnership with MCF; Pine staff have also been offering outreach to street youth at Watson House - making "house calls".

School Health Program

The school health program is being analysed and realigned for the coming year as result of reallocation of staffing within the health promotion and prevention program. Within each of the six community health areas of the City there will be staff designated to supporting the health of the school-aged children and youth. This past year the Grade 12 population inVancouver received the Hepatitis B vaccination series as they are now the only grade who had not been vaccinated by the institution of "Grade 6 HepB program" some years ago.

Partnering

V/RHB staff are participating in various inter-agency meeting and planning committees: with MCF and local Midtown agencies developing a "youth centre" for "at-risk" youth in the area; active participation with the West Side Youth Services Team. V/RHB staff initiated inter-agency meetings regarding heroin use among Westside youth.

Community and Public Involvement

CONDOMANIA will be launching a web site in September designed to interest 12 - 15 year old boys. During the summer Angus Reid conducted interviews with this age group to establish a benchmark of their attitudes and knowledge. This information will be used to later measure attitude and knowledge change.

The Children and Youth Advisory Committee has submitted recommendations to the Board regarding mental health services for youth who self-identify as needing some help with the stressors and pressures facing them. The recommendations are presently under review by staff committees within the Board.

Vancouver Youth Voices #122 - 1056 Comox Street Vancouver BC V6E 4E7 Tel (604) 893-8967 Fax 893-8968 We are a coalition of youth, adult supporters and youth service agencies including: AIDS Vancouver AMSSA Youth Council Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver Civic Youth Strategy Dusk to Dawn Environmental Youth Alliance Federation of Youth in Care Networks First Line Coalition GAB Youth Services Hispanic Centre Youth Programs Hastings/Sunrise Youth Services Midtown Youth Action Circle Mind, Body, Love Nexus Odyssey II Pacific Legal Education Association Prevention in Education Sierra Youth Coalition Strathcona Youth Council Street Youth Job Action United Youth Movement Vancouver Youth Week Youth Committed to Change We coordinate youth initiatives, share information, facilitate youth involvement in decision making, support youth voices. We receive funding and in-kind support from: City of Vancouver - Social Planning CKNW Orphan’s Fund Greater Vancouver Mental Health Service Society Office of the Child, Youth & Family Advocate Pacific Legal Education Association Vancouver Foundation

Vancouver Youth Voices Program Overview Vancouver Youth Voices is a coalition of over 20 youth serving agencies, adult supporters, individuals & youth in the City of Vancouver. Our goal is to link up youth agencies as well as individual youth. We are youth-driven and provide opportunities for peer support and training. We are trying to create ways for our voices to be heard before decisions are made. We connect youth with government and community organizations looking for youth input. The following are just some of our programs: Advocacy Training and Support (ATS program): The ATS program offers a variety of training programs for youth. Two four-day intensive trainings have been conducted for youth from across the City. Workshops included advocacy, critical thinking, problem solving, anger management, conflict resolution, negotiation, time and stress management, public presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills. In addition to specific trainings for youth, the ATS Coordinator provides ongoing support for youth working within other agencies as well as the youth volunteers at Vancouver Youth Voices. Civic Youth Strategy: VYV continues to attend and contribute to monthly CYS meetings and events and to host members of the CYS at VYV meetings. In addition to meeting participation, VYV and CYS are working to reaffirm our partnership and develop new and meaningful mechanisms for expanding the representation and civic participation of youth. Collective Echoes: Vancouver Youth Voices is working with Kristine Germann and M. Simon Levin on the development of "Collective Echoes." In addition to offering the opportunity for the creative expression of youth voices, the project is designed to advance non-traditional partnerships with youth, youth serving agencies, multicultural organizations and the arts community. The value of this project rests not only in the final artistic outcome but in the process of collaboration with youth, community organizations and artists.

Evaluation: With the support of the Vancouver Foundation, VYV is currently undergoing anextensive evaluation of its four year existence. Three youth have been hired to document the founding of VYV, evaluate its current programs and projects, and work with coalition members to develop a three year strategic plan.

Monthly Coalition meetings: Each month VYV brings together members of the coalition to discuss issues of concern, devise strategic responses, offer coalition support to youth projects and programs in the City, provide guest speakers with an opportunity to consult with coalition members. The coalition members include youth, agency representatives, adult supporters and VYV staff.

Meeting Our Needs: This program is designed to assist youth, adults and organizations to have meaningful, respectful interactions. Laura Gingerich is developing a pamphlet outlining the do’s and don’t’s of meeting with youth for distribution in November ‘98. Partnerships for this program include Youth Participation Jeunesse, a national youth organization.

Ministry for Children and Families-Vancouver Region Consultations: With the assistance of the Greater Vancouver Mental Health Service Society, VYV is working with several MCF Vancouver advisory committees to develop on-going youth participation in service provision.

Province Youth Journalism Program: Eleven youth are undertaking a 14 week pilot program in partnership with the Province newspaper. The course covers story development, interview techniques, editing and layout, digital imaging, and more. The target constituency for participants are street-involved youth.

VanCity Place for Youth: VYV’s ATS coordinator is working with the St. James Society and several other youth to interview residential applicants to the VanCity Place for Youth.

Volunteer support and development: Vancouver Youth Voices relies on and benefits tremendously from the volunteer contributions of youth and adult supporters. Currently, over 170 volunteer hours are donated to VYV each month.

Weekly Fax-Out: The weekly fax-out which began as a service to our agency members has become an institution within VYV. The weekly fax-out is a summary of youth events, programs, job opportunities, and other postings that is broadcast to over sixty agencies throughout Vancouver. We are exploring ways to expand the network to meet the increasing demand.

Youth Week: Vancouver Youth Voices provides support to the Vancouver Park Board to plan Youth Week in Vancouver each May. Although Youth Week events occur over one week, planning occurs throughout the year.

Assoc. of Neighbourhood Houses Britannia Community School Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Van. Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House The Centre City of Vancouver’s Child & Youth Advocate City of Vancouver - Councillor Chiavario Collingwood Neighbourhood House Covenant House DAMS Dusk to Dawn Environmental Youth Alliance Family Services of Greater Van. First Call! Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House Gathering Place Gladstone Secondary School Gordon Neighbourhood House Hastings Sunrise Youth Services Immigrant Services Society Kidsafe Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Kiwassa Neighbourhood House Learning Disabilities Assoc. Little Mountain Neigh. House Ministry of Attorney General - Youth Programs Ministry for Children and Families Moberly Elementary School MOSAIC Mount Pleasant Community Centre Multi and Immigration BC Nisha Pacific Immigrant Resources Soc. Ray-Cam Community Centre Riley Park Community Assoc. School Age Child Care Assoc. Self Help Resource Centre Sexsmith Elementary School South Vancouver Neigh.House Strathcona Elementary School SUCCESS Sunset Community Centre Urban Native Youth Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Vancouver Native Health Vancouver Park Board - Youth Services Vancouver Public Library Vancouver/Richmond Health Board Vancouver School Board Vancouver Social Planning Department Vancouver Youth Voices Watari Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre Working Group on Poverty YWCA

V C C Y Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth 210 W. Broadway, Vancouver BC V5Y 3W2 Tel: 709-5661 Fax: 709-5662 "Building Stronger Services Together for Children and Youth" VISION: We believe that every child and youth has a right to accessible and coordinated services and programs. We believe that when government and community based child and youth serving organizations come together in a coordinated effort, services to children, youth and their families will improve. We believe that services for children and youth must reflect diversity and cultural competency. OUR GOAL: The Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth represents a diverse group of government and community based child and youth service providers. The goal of the coalition is to develop stronger services for children and youth through needs analysis, program and professional development, building positive working relationships between service providers, and by encouraging the delivery of culturally competent and diverse programs. The Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth meets on a quarterly basis. Coalition members are invited to participate in working groups, committees, focus groups, workshops and conferences. The coalition chooses one major campaign to focus on annually. This year the coalition will be addressing the issue of child and youth sexual exploitation. for more information... If you are interested in joining the Vancouver Coalition for Children and Youth or would like more information, please contact Renata Aebi (Coalition Coordinator).

MEMBERSHIP OF THE CIVIC YOUTH STRATEGY CORE AND DEPARTMENTAL REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEES FOR 1997/98

Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee

Adrienne Montani, Child & Youth Advocate, co-chair

Jule Hopkins, Manager of Youth Services, Park Board, co-chair

Debbie Anderson, Youth Services Coordinator, Park Board, co-chair

Randi-Lee Taylor, youth support, Vancouver Youth Voices

Curtis Blaney, youth member, Native Youth Movement

Liane Chapman, youth member, Churchill Secondary School

Marie Didas, youth member, Kitsilano Secondary School

Traci Humchitt, youth member, Native Youth Movement

Darrin Klassen, youth member, United Youth Movement, PIE

John Khuu, youth member, Trout Lake Youth Council

Karun Koernig, youth member, Environmental Youth Alliance

Janey Lew, youth member, Strathcona Community Centre

Robin McConnell, youth member, United Youth Movement, VYV, PIE

Chrissie Oleman, youth member, Native Youth Movement

Trinh Pham, youth member, Trout Lake Youth Council, BC Youth Parliament

Theo Rosenfeld, youth member, Vancouver Youth Voices, MindBodyLove

Janice Douglas, Vancouver Public Library

Rick Schaaf, Vancouver Police Department

Joanne Stygall, Vancouver School Board

Monica Stokl, Vancouver/Richmond Health Board

Coralys Cuthbert, Social Planning Department

Civic Youth Strategy Departmental Representatives Committee

Adrienne Montani, Child & Youth Advocate, co-chair

Jule Hopkins, Manager of Youth Services, Park Board, co-chair

Debbie Anderson, Youth Services Coordinator, Park Board, co-chair

Andis Celms, Civic Theatres

Coralys Cuthbert, Social Planning Department

Janice Douglas/David Johnstone, Vancouver Public Library

Lance Ewan, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services

Jim Hall, Engineering Services

Sy Jung, Permits and Licences

Catherine Kinahan, Law Department

Rajpal Kohli/Rod Cunningham, Equal Employment Opportunities Program

Nancy Largent, City Clerk’s Office

Paul Heraty, City Clerk’s Office, Communications Division

Rick Schaaf, Vancouver Police Department

John Scholtz, Housing Centre

Monica Stokl, Vancouver/Richmond Health Board

Joanne Stygall, Vancouver School Board

Branca Verde/Trish French, Planning Department

Lorenz von Fersen, Office of Cultural Affairs

Donna Wong/Ruby Mah, Human Resource Services

Alice Yee, Corporate Services

* * * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver