A youth drop-in centre for 12 to 18-year-olds may be in place in the Village of Burk’s Falls by mid-year.
Town council took the final step during its Tuesday, Feb. 18 meeting to pass a bylaw that makes the Rural Youth Committee a committee of council.
The council also recognized the committee’s terms of reference.
Chair Marg French says as a committee of council, fundraising for the centre will be much easier since the Village of Burk’s Falls is a recognized authority and “there’s a governance aspect to all this.”
French says what this means is corporate Canada, as well as the provincial and federal governments, can trust where their grants are being applied. The municipality will hold the money and will also issue tax-deductible receipts to people making donations to the organization.
“Now we can hit the ground running,” said Barry Burton, a committee member.
It was Burton and French who began the organizational work eight months ago to create a youth drop-in centre.
After lining up several volunteers, Burton formally proposed the drop-in centre to town council at its Dec. 17, 2024 meeting.
Council liked the idea and at its Jan. 21 meeting endorsed the organization’s terms of reference, made it a committee of council, and then solidified all that by passing the bylaw at Tuesday’s meeting.
Burton says the goal is to have about $90,000 to $100,000 in place before the centre opens to young people.
French adds about 40 per cent of that budget will be used to hire a program director.
Residents of Burk’s Falls had no difficulty getting behind the youth drop-in centre proposal because it gives young people things to do in an otherwise quiet community.
Burton says the goal is to offer young people what they want “because we want it to be their centre." The committee plans to survey students at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School and Land of Lakes Public School.
No site has been identified yet for the drop-in centre, but the goal is to have it in downtown Burk’s Falls.
Burton says the centre will be equipped with a kitchen because there is interest among some young people to learn about cooking and food hygiene.
Burton has contacts who can offer guitar lessons and show youth how to fill out scholarship applications. In addition, the centre is expected to have several gently used computers and a variety of games to engage the students.
French doesn’t expect any difficulty in raising the required amount to launch the drop-in centre.
“Corporate Canada does a great job supporting youth in this country,” she said.
Burk’s Falls Mayor Chris Hope says the municipality will tap FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation for grants.
Hope says local parents are very interested in this initiative. The cost to the municipality is minimal, which includes providing a municipal recording secretary at committee meetings, Hope said.
Although the drop-in centre will be located in Burk’s Falls, Hope says it will be open to all young people across the Almaguin Highlands.
French is grateful that the organization was made a committee of council because it means town council recognizes what the drop-in centre means to young people.
Once operational, the plan is to have students drop by the centre after school.
However, Burton says everything is a work in progress, meaning if there is enough demand, the centre could also open on weekends and perhaps over the summer.
Burton says those scenarios would have to be addressed after the centre opens.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.