Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre (CFEC) has received funding to develop an innovative approach to supporting vulnerable youth.
The $11,500 Community Action Initiative (CAI) convening grant will help the committee develop a proposal for a Healthy Transitions for Vulnerable Youth project.
CFEC executive director Lisa De Paoli says this effort will span the next three months and will include preparing a full grant application, which, if successful, would provide up to $200,000 towards implementing the project.
That's the maximum amount offered by the CAI Service Innovation grant, which is provided through a $10-million contribution from the provincial government.
She adds the CFEC worked with many local youths and several community partners to prepare the initial proposal.
"CFEC took the lead to work with Lea [Smirfitt] at the South Cariboo Community Planning Council (SCCPC) to gain input from about 30 community [service] providers, and had input from youths."
The hundreds of anonymous questionnaires that local youths completed at the request of the province provided important information on a variety of aspects of their daily lives, De Paoli explains.
More than 400 local youths commented on a wide variety of topics that included: their interactions and communication with parents and friends; if they smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs; how they feel about access to current recreational opportunities; and their ideas for potentially expanding youth programs, she explains.
De Paoli adds the success of the project depends on its alignment with key objectives that include targeting youths in an innovative and evidence-based approach.
"This will be a youth-led process; it needs to be what youths want. This is not what CFEC wants to do, necessarily, or what community providers want to do – but needs our valuable input, of course."
A meeting to gather more community input on the project will be held at 2 p.m. on July 19 at CFEC, 486 Birch Ave., and anyone interested is invited to attend. For more information, call De Paoli at 250-395-5155, or Smirfitt at 250-395-5642.