Question & Answer
What does the Youth Wellness Hub mean for local youth?
There’s no doubt that the formal services offered at the Youth Wellness Hub will fill vital gaps in the service provision for Northumberland, and provide easy, clear pathways to access those services. That is the primary purpose of the Hub.
However, I believe many youth will come to see the Hub as a Youth space first and a service space second. Everyone should have a home, but a home-from-home can be equally valuable, especially if your home isn’t always comfortable, for whatever reason. My dream is for the Youth Wellness Hub to become that space for all local Youth, giving them a place to be themselves without judgement or expectations – where they can relax or work, be quiet or get loud, and experience all their emotions without fear.
The Youth Wellness Hub will be designed not just with youth in mind but with youth involved, giving them ownership and influence over what the space means to them, and allowing them to actively design their own home-from-home.
What are you most excited to see happening at the YWHO?
I’d have to say youth supporting youth. Adults often talk about the dangers youth pose to each other – peer pressure, bullying, etc, but in many circumstances peer pressure can have beneficial effects and many of the worst influences on youth come from the adult world. I’m excited to see youth not only creating the space, but taking an active role in making it work – as Peer Support workers, helping to design programming, or simply making their own choices for how to participate, and supporting their friends – new and old – in the Hub’s programming, services and social spaces.
What does Rebound's value, "ripple-effect," mean to you?
I believe in the butterfly effect – every choice we make or action we take has infinite impacts in the world around us. Never is that more true than with young people. We have an opportunity to build the future by supporting our youth to be successful – whatever that means to them – and for every success the youth achieve, their community reaps lasting benefits.
Do you have a personal motto?
In my family, we always say “We are where we are”. In other words, you can’t change what has already happened, but if you focus on the future and the things you can change, you don’t feel stuck – there is a path forward and a brighter future ahead.
What is your favourite spot in Northumberland County?
There are so many places I love to go in the County, but my favourite place is the bridge over the rail tracks on Highway 2 between Port Hope and Cobourg. As you come over the bridge, in either direction, you can see ever-changing farmland on either side, with the Northumberland hills to the north and the lake to the south; if you’re lucky, the silos shine in the sunlight and a train rumbles along the tracks too. My spirit lifts every time I take that drive.