Goal: To improve the lives of youth living in North Hastings County through an outreach program that would ultimately benefit the whole community. The Outreach Worker would be available where the youth of the community commonly gather providing support, referrals, information, and emergency items. This program would specifically target “At-Risk Youth” and be a “Youth-Led Initiative”. Intended Outcomes: - Increased Self-Esteem - Decreased Teenage Pregnancy through Access to Free Condoms - Increased Awareness of STD’s and Decreased Transmission - Healthy Relationships Among Friends, Family, and Intimate Partners - Youth Making Positive Choices - Youth Criminal Charges Decrease - Decreased Bullying and Harassment - Referral to Local Community Agencies - Access to Emergency Funds for Food, Clothing, Feminine Products, etc. - Informal Career Counseling - Assistance with Resumes, Cover Letters, and Portfolios

Supporting Organization: Maggie’s Resource Centre of North Hastings County is a not for profit community agency funded by the Government of Ontario, the United Way and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Since 1983 we have been providing a comprehensive network of services for women and children who have been victimized by violence including; providing safe shelter, advocacy, education, and non-judgmental supportive counseling within a feminist framework. Annually we serve between 200-250 families from the local community. Maggie’s Resource Centre also provides the Young Women Thriving Group and the It Shouldn’t Hurt To Be A Child program, both of which are designed as preventative measures for children and youth. Maggie’s recognizes the oppression of women and is committed to respecting individual differences, the rights of all persons, and accessibility to all people. We are firmly committed to the promotion of equality and the end of violence in our community and world. The entire community benefits when there is a reduction in violence and related criminal offenses. Our Board of Directors are: Brenda Brownlee, Mary Mask, Tracey Dale, Penny Woodzak, Jeanine Hughes, Megan Cavanagh, and Tara McEnery.

The proposed project involves hiring one staff member, the Youth Outreach Worker to work a minimum of 10 hours per week offering services to the youth of the local community. This would break down to 2 hours each day during the week. Ideally, these hours would occur immediately following school in the afternoon at community parks, downtown, and eventually at the skate park (once built). The Youth Outreach worker would be available during this time to address a variety of issues including; drugs/alcohol, sex/pregnancy/STD’s, eating disorders, parental conflicts, disputes among friends, school, work, and much more. At-risk youth aged 12-24 would be eligible for service from the Youth Outreach Worker. Effectiveness of this service would be monitored through client feedback, surveys, and related statistics from Statistics Canada. This would be a pilot project for the first year of operations; a report on the success and accomplishments of the project would be submitted at year-end to grant-funders.

Budget: Salary 1 Part-Time Youth Coordinator $15/hr = $7500 annually Resources Condoms Provided for free by the Health Unit Informational Pamphlets Provided for free by local agencies Emergency Clothing Provided for free by local agencies Emergency Grocery Gift Cards $100/month = $1200 annually Emergency Feminine Products $25/month = $300 annually Advertising Newspaper, Radio, Pamphlets $125/month = $1500 annually Total Cost of Program $10,500 annually