New Sunshine Coast Youth Outreach (SCYO) team leader Johanna Gustafson wants to raise the profile of the SCYO, which links 13 to 24 year olds with supports in the community and offers safe rides home.
“We do a lot of referrals and we’re really knowledgeable about the programs and resources available because we’re on the front lines. We’re out on the streets all the time and we’re in the schools,” Gustafson said. “The other thing we do is a safe ride program, so if [youth] find themselves, say, out at a party and their ride has been drinking and they can’t get home safely, they can call us and we’ll come pick them up.”
During the summer her team, which consists of five other part-time outreach workers, has been going to beaches and youth hang outs to connect and see how youth are doing.
“We record how many kids we talk to every single time we’re out and, for example, we had over 800 youth contacted between December and March,” Gustafson said.
The former school teacher turned outreach worker said she and her team members strike up casual conversations with youth to find out what’s going on in their lives. They also hand out condoms and information sheets with phone numbers and contacts for services such as 24-hour help lines.
Outreach workers have noticed a common theme when speaking with youth on the Coast.
“There’s drug and alcohol stuff always on the Coast. They’re so bored,” Gustafson said.
That’s why she wants to create more events and activities geared towards youth, but her limited budget only provides for outreach right now.
The youth outreach team is funded by the Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast Regional District and runs through the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society (SCCSS).
Gustafson added that SCCSS is able to take donations on behalf of the program and she’s hopeful more people will give as they become aware of the program and what they want to do.
“With a little more money, we could do a lot,” she said.
Another prevalent problem for teens on the Coast is homelessness.
“We hear about a lot of issues with parents and being kicked out of the house. We’re seeing a fair amount of that, and that’s always an issue too because we don’t have a safe house for youth at this point on the Coast,” Gustafson said. “Since December I’ve had four cases of kids being kicked out of their homes and becoming homeless.”
She’s looking to connect with people who might have some ideas to address the problem.
Youth can connect with SCYO on Facebook or by calling 604-741-1129.
There is also information for youth and their parents about SCYO online at www.coastyouth.com.
