Mayfair New Recreation Centre Ready to be Used

Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief, minister responsible for the City of Winnipeg (at mic) was joined by City Councillor Jenny Gerbasi (left), Mayor Sam Katz (far right) and local children for the official opening of the new Mayfair Recreation Centre


August 13, 2014

PROVINCIAL, CITY FUNDING COMPLETES NEW CENTRAL COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTRE

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New Space Offering Play Space, Family-oriented Programming

Fort Rouge area families can now enjoy more recreation opportunities in a new state-of-the-art building for family enrichment services and programs at the Mayfair Recreation Centre, Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief, minister responsible for the City of Winnipeg, and Mayor Sam Katz announced today.

“This facility supports volunteers and community leaders who work to give families a sense of belonging in their neighbourhoods and provides young people opportunities to discover and grow their talents,” said Minister Chief.  “By working together on projects like these, we are building a city where the future is bright.”

The Building Communities Initiative II (BCI II) provided $1.5 million to the project, cost-shared equally by the city and province.  The City of Winnipeg also provided $800,000 from its capital fund.  Events at the site will include free-play programming and a variety of community-led activities by groups such as Winnipeg Harvest, Families Forward Pre-School Program, which is a provincially funded Healthy Child program, and Healthy Babies Group organized by the Women’s Health Clinic.

“Mayfair Recreation Centre serves the community by providing a safe place for youth and families to share in teaching and learning in the community kitchen, enjoy sports and recreational activities, and by providing much-needed space to community groups that support safe and healthy living,” Mayor Katz said.  “The City of Winnipeg is proud to partner with the Province of Manitoba to bring this invaluable neighbourhood facility to life.”

The new 3,600-sq.-ft., fully accessible facility is made of custom pre-fabricated concrete panels and includes a community kitchen, multi-purpose/skate change area, multi-purpose activity space, basketball nets and storage for Winnipeg Harvest.  Its design and construction has resulted in a Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Designation. The asphalt courts will be resurfaced and rink lighting will be added.  The skate bench in the multi-purpose space is made from reclaimed elm trees.

The BCI II partnership is a multi-year, cost-shared capital initiative developed jointly by the Manitoba government and the City of Winnipeg.  The goal of the funding is to support community revitalization through improvements to local infrastructure in targeted older neighbourhoods and contribute to the vitality, safety and health of communities throughout the city.

Phase One of BCI II provided a total of $10 million between 2010 and 2014.  Of the 38 approved projects under the first phase, 35 have been completed, with the remaining three to be completed in the 2014 construction season.

Phase Two of BCI II will provide an additional $10 million between 2013 and 2015.  An additional 46 projects have been approved under Phase Two, with 10 completed and the remaining to be completed in the 2014 and 2015 construction seasons.

Phase Three of BCI II will provide an additional $3.8 million.  Sixty per cent of the funding for this phase is provided by the City of Winnipeg and 40 per cent is contributed by the Province of Manitoba.  Twenty-seven projects have been approved to date and will be completed in 2014 and 2015.

BCI II projects include improving athletic fields, playgrounds, skate parks, spray and splash pads, basketball and tennis courts, lighting, seating, pathways in parks and upgrades of community centres.

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March 11, 2013

PROVINCE ANNOUNCES MANITOBA YOUNG AND BEGINNNING FARMERS CONFERENCE TO PREPARE NEXT GENERATION FOR AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS

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Conference to Highlight Management Tools, Strategies of Farming Operations to Help Increase Young Farmers' Success: Kostyshyn

The 2013 Manitoba Young and Beginning Farmers Conference on March 13 and 14 in Brandon will help young farmers prepare for the rapidly changing business of agriculture, Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today.
“Young farmers taking over the family business or those new to the agriculture industry will have the opportunity to meet with and learn from producers who face the same challenges and have the same desire to succeed,” said Kostyshyn.  “This conference will highlight the management tools and strategies of farming operations that will help increase young farmers’ chance of success.”
The 2013 Manitoba Young and Beginning Farmers Conference will focus on public relations and farming operations, human resource topics and farm management issues including the legal implications of farm business decisions.  The conference will also allow participants to learn more about farm financial tools and programs.
Keynote speakers this year include Cedric MacLeod, a consulting agronomist who will share strategies and actions for improving general farm management.  John Stewart, a lawyer with a farming background, will also be speaking about organizing the structure of a farm business to withstand difficult situations, as well as succession planning.
“The continuing prosperity and growth of farming in Manitoba will depend on present and future generations of producers making sound businesses decisions,” said Kostyshyn.  “This conference is an excellent opportunity to learn how to make farm operations more efficient, exchange ideas and share information.”
The 2013 Manitoba Young and Beginning Farmers Conference is funded in part by Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
For more information on the 2013 conference call 204-726-6293, call a local Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives GO office or visit www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/news/conferences/youngfarmerconference2013.pdf.

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Youth Leaders

Calling Youths Interested in Human Rights!!

Subject: FW: Seeking Youth Ages 16 - 35 for Human Rights Programs 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Global Youth Connect
Date: Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Subject: Seeking Youth Ages 16 - 35 for Human Rights Programs
Dear Shayna,

I wanted to share some human rights learning and activism
opportunities with you and with your networks: Global Youth Connect's
Summer 2013 human rights programs in the USA and in Rwanda.

The application deadlines for both programs are January 7th (early
decision) and February 15, 2013 (regular deadline). The applications
are available for download at
www.globalyouthconnect.org/participate.html

Please see below for more details (including links to our most recent
reports from our Summer 2012 Human Rights in the USA program, and our
Human Rights in Rwanda program).

We'd greatly appreciate your support in spreading the word about
these programs to young leaders (and budding young leaders) from the
USA, Canada and around the world. To access our announcement on
Facebook, please visit:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalYouthConnect/5c7d5113ed/b311c1d6df/18fbb004a7

Many thanks in advance. We would never be able to run these programs
without your support!

Happy Holidays to you and yours,

Jesse Hawkes
Executive Director
Global Youth Connect
www.globalyouthconnect.org

June 7, 2012

PROVINCE ANNOUNCES WINNING CREATE AND RATE ANTI-TOBACCO VIDEOS

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Videos Encourage Youth Not to Smoke: Rondeau

More than 126,000 online votes have been counted and two winning entries have been selected in the Create and Rate Challenge, the province’s school-based, anti-tobacco video contest, Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs Minister Jim Rondeau announced today.
“Our goal was to give students a creative outlet to express their thoughts about smoking and making wise choices about tobacco use,” said Rondeau.  “The first year of the contest has been a tremendous success, with 24 thought-provoking anti-tobacco videos submitted by Manitoba schools.”
Ten videos were selected as semifinalists by a judging panel.  Those videos were then posted online and students across Manitoba were given one month to cast their votes for the best video in the middle-school and high-school categories.
Based on student vote totals, the winning videos:

• Think Twice by Kildonan-East Collegiate in the high-school category, and
• Birthday Cake by Steinbach Junior High in the middle-school category.

The two winning schools will each receive an Apple iPad.  Sony digital cameras will be presented to the eight semifinalists including Morris School (two entries), Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard, Collège Béliveau (two entries), École Provencher and Gypsumville School.
The Create and Rate Challenge builds on existing initiatives to raise youth awareness of the dangers of smoking including the Review and Rate program, now in its ninth year and the Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) program, which has youth teams in 20 Manitoba schools taking a leadership role in preventing youth tobacco use.
The top 10 videos can be viewed online at http://www.mbcreaterate.ca/.

Steps taken by the Manitoba government to encourage youth to quit smoking or avoid taking it up in the first place have contributed to cutting the smoking rate for Manitobans aged 15 to 19 nearly in half to 15 per cent in 2010 from 29 per cent in 1999, said Rondeau.  Steps taken include:

• becoming the first province to implement a smoking ban in enclosed public places and indoor workplaces in 2004;
• implementing restrictions on the display, advertising and promotion of tobacco products in 2005; and
• banning smoking in a private vehicle with anyone under the age of 16.

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Tuition Waivers for Youth in Care

March 15, 2012

UWINNIPEG FIRST TO OFFER TUITION WAIVERS FOR YOUTH IN CARE IN MANITOBA

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Removing Hurdles to Help Children and Youth in Care Achieve Their Full Potential

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012
WINNIPEG, MB– When she was just 14-years-old, Shirley Delorme Russell and her four siblings were placed in foster care.  She would change homes three times in the next several years.  Although she was a bright student, Shirley stopped going to school after graduating from Kelvin High School.
“I had no money.  I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I was not really sure what student loans were and the thought of them and getting into debt terrified me,” said Shirley.  “It is awkward for a child in care because you can feel you are not really anyone’s kid.  So at 18 I went out to work.”
Young people like Shirley will now be able to achieve their full potential.  The University of Winnipeg today launched the Youth In Care Tuition Waiver program to ensure that youth who have grown up in care can dream about and plan for their academic future at UWinnipeg regardless of socio-economic background.  This is the first program of its kind in Manitoba and believed to be unique for a University in Canada.
“We have a very deep commitment to addressing the needs of youth who are underrepresented in University classrooms, and we know that children and youth in care face multiple barriers that keep them from pursuing post-secondary learning, including financial hurdles,” said Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor, UWinnipeg.  “Removing the tuition hurdle dissolves an important barrier, but more importantly, it says to this group of young people who have faced so many challenges that their dreams matter, that they are welcome and they belong here.”
UWinnipeg expects to support 10 students per year through its Youth In Care Tuition Waiver program in the initial pilot project stage, beginning September 2012.  The Province of Manitoba Authorities will cover all additional living expenses for youth on extensions of care, including housing, textbooks and meal plans, up until age twenty-one and while they are attending The University of Winnipeg.  There are more than 9,500 children and youth in care in Manitoba, the majority are First Nations and Metis, and it is estimated that less than 5% ever pursue a post-secondary education.

“Children in care often face hardships growing up that don't end when they turn 18,” said Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief.  “I want all our children to be able to look forward to a future full of opportunities.  With this initiative, The University of Winnipeg is setting an important example of looking past hardship to the potential in each young person.”
“We all strive for better opportunities for our children and children in care should be no different,” said Bernice Cyr, CEO of the Metis Child and Family Services Authority.  “The relationship between Child and Family Services, the Province of Manitoba and The University of Winnipeg is an extraordinary example of how in searching for successful outcomes for our children substantial opportunities arise.”
“Belief is one of life’s most powerful emotions.  With that in mind we strongly believe this program will go a long way in realizing dreams,” said Elsie Flett, CEO of the First Nations of Southern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority.
Today, Shirley Delorme Russell is a mother of two and a successful Education and Resource Coordinator with the Louis Riel Institute.  She went back to school at the age of 28 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education in a joint University of Winnipeg - Red River College program.
“I would have gone straight into University after high school if the help had been there,” she said.  “To know that a University believes you have the skills, ability and strength and that if you want to come, we have a spot for you, that’s incredible.  It is an incredible message of affirmation for young people.”

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 UWinnipeg is consistently ranked in the Top-10 in the country on an annual basis by both Maclean’s Magazine and The Globe & Mail newspaper.  UWinnipeg is noted for academic excellence, Indigenous scholarship, environmental commitment, small class sizes and for nurturing “Leaders of Tomorrow.”  Find out more by visiting uwinnipeg.ca. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The Province of Manitoba is distributing this release on behalf of the Government of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg.

Grants to help youth develop leadership skills

January 10, 2012

NEW PROVINCIAL GRANT PROGRAM TO HELP YOUTH DEVELOP SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

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Youth to Design Projects That Make Positive Differences in Schools, Communities: Rondeau

Nine schools and one youth-serving organization from across Manitoba are the first recipients of the province’s new Youth Making a Difference (YMAD) grants, Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors Minister Jim Rondeau announced today.
“The goal of YMAD is to empower students and youth between the ages of 16 and 24 to develop and implement social justice and community development projects in their schools and communities,” said Rondeau.  “Projects will be implemented between January and May.”
During the past few months, youth have worked with educators, counsellors and adult supervisors to develop grant proposals that engage students and youth in projects that make a positive difference in their schools and communities, the minister said.  Educators, counsellors and supervisors will receive funds for approved projects and will work with youth to ensure projects are implemented and final reports completed.
The first approved YMAD projects include:

• a student group that is helping refugees to improve their English-language skills;
• two student-initiated community recycling programs;
• an after-school peer-tutoring program to assist English-as-an-additional-language students with their homework;
• school fundraising events to provide supplies to a sister school in Kampala, Uganda;
• student-organized hockey and ringette tournaments to raise money to help children in low-income families to participate in organized sports;
• a youth traditional camp where young people will learn about Aboriginal culture and traditional teachings;
• a day of change event that brings youth from several communities together to increase student involvement in social justice projects;
• a community action program called Make the Right Choice, in which inner-city youth create plays and organize workshops that address issues such as poverty, substance abuse, gangs and education; and
• an evening of arts fundraiser to support after-school programs in the inner city. 

The YMAD will complement other provincial youth programs including We Day, the We Schools in Action program and the social action component of the Grade 12 global-issues course, which is being piloted this year.
Each of the 10 grant recipients will receive a grant ranging from $250 to $1,000.
A detailed list of approved projects is available at: www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/youth/leadership/youthmakingadifference.html.

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Rural Youth in Manitoba gets a boost

January 4, 2012

GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND MANITOBA HELP YOUTH AND UNEMPLOYED WORKERS IN THE MINNEDOSA AREA PREPARE FOR THE JOB MARKET

Minnedosa, Manitoba, January 4, 2012—People who face barriers to employment in the Minnedosa area will get job preparation training through federal-provincial support for an employment project.  The Honourable Peter Bjornson, Manitoba Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade, and Robert Sopuck, Member of Parliament for Dauphin–Swan River–Marquette, made the announcement today.
“Our government is investing in education and training opportunities to help people build successful careers right here in Manitoba,” said Minister Bjornson.  “We are committed to supporting the growth of a skilled workforce and this initiative will help Manitobans in the Minnedosa area contribute to and benefit from that growth.”
“Our government’s top priority is jobs and the economy,” said MP Sopuck.  “That’s why we are proud to partner with the Government of Manitoba to help youth and unemployed workers find and keep jobs.”
With assistance from the Manitoba and federal governments, Yellowhead Regional Employment Skills and Services Inc. will help approximately 250 unemployed individuals in the Minnedosa area, including 19 youth, develop the skills and experience needed to find a job or the confidence to return to school.
Project participants will work with career counsellors to develop action plans that will help them reach their employment and educational goals. To help them overcome their employment barriers, the participants will also attend one-on-one counselling sessions that will focus on topics such as interview preparation, effective resumé writing and job preparation skills.
Yellowhead Regional Employment Skills and Services Inc. will receive $73,808 from the province of Manitoba and $27,602 in Skills Link funding from the Government of Canada.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Youth Voices: Harper’s Crime Strategy | Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Is building bigger jails the best use for our hard-earned tax dollars to contain criminals or will the money be better used in programs that would turn these criminals into productive members of our society. Who benefits from putting healthy young men and women in jails?  I'll tell you - the Police, Judges, Magistrates, Social Workers, Probation Officers, Security Guards and the people employed in the prison industry, least of all is the people we are trying to rehabilitate and society at large.
I agree some people need confinement because there is no hope of rehabilitation but the majority of those sitting in jail could be helped with the proper programming. Jails have been used to put prisoners since time immemorial and that has not produced results for us. Let us try something else. Let us listen to the Voices of our Youths of Today, they can teach us.

Youth Voices: Harper’s Crime Strategy Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Harper’s Crime Strategy: Closing the Doors on Youth

On November 12^th, 2010, the federal government announced an investment of $45 million to increase the number of beds in Manitoba jails. Steven Harper’s Conservative government has made it well known that getting tough on crime is a top priority. While there is evidence that crime rates in Canada are lower than they have been in decades, it is also true that violent crime remains a very real problem and especially so in neighbourhoods with high rates of poverty. The correlation between crime and poverty tells us that attending to the root causes of crime is an essential component of a crime reduction strategy. Yet the Harper plan centres on an increase in punitive measures as a method of deterring criminal behaviour, while at the same time cutting funding for successful crime prevention programs. This move is contrary to  a long list of longitudinal research posted on the federal governments website that shows crime prevention through social development to be effective.

According to the recent CCPA national report The Fear Factor, Harper’s tough on crime agenda stems from a report of the Correctional Service Canada Review Panel in 2007, called Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety. The report recommended tough measures with no recognition of human rights or the negative implications of such policies; the report provided little rationale for this drastic change in the direction for the way the government deals with crime. It is clear that Harper has embraced the punitive recommendations made in The Roadmap by proposing and implementing legislation such as mandatory minimum sentences, ending the “double-time” credit while in pre-trial custody, abolition of statutory release, abolition of faint hope, tougher young offender laws, and limiting the use of conditional sentencing.  

At the same time Harper’s government gets tough on crime, it has cut back on supports to programs aimed at keeping kids safe and out of trouble. This is the case in Winnipeg’s inner city. Within the past five years, five successful programs were implemented in Winnipeg to address the needs of inner-city youth and to prevent their participation in gang activities. But the new federal policy direction has shifted the interest away from prevention, and federal funding for each of these programs will end in March 2011.

Each of these programs has shown to be an important resource for youth and a benefit to the broader community. West Central Youth Outreach, run by the Spence Neighbourhood Association, helps youth in the West End and Spence neighbourhood to steer away from engaging in gang activities. The program provides youth with mentoring, outreach, and support circles for youth and their families. Circle of Courage, run by Ka Ni Kanichihk, works with youth to deter gang activity in the Centennial neighbourhood.  Youth involved in this program develop life skills, resiliency, are provided with counselling and education supports, and become involved in cultural reclamation programming. Project O.A.S.I.S., sponsored by New Directions for Children, Youth, Adults and Families, specifically helps African refugee/newcomer youth who are at high risk for gang involvement. This program provides education, employment, and recreation resources, and works closely with families and meets the additional needs of youth who often have experienced considerable violence in their home countries. Turning the Tides is run by Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc and works with gang-involved youth in the North End. The program provides mentoring and life skill development through engaging the youth in community services and paid employment programs. The Just TV Pilot Project, sponsored by the Broadway Neighbourhood Community Centre, works with gang-involved youth in the West Broadway neighbourhood. Participants are provided with social resources and the opportunity to express themselves creatively through music and video programming.   The elimination of federal funding puts all five programs at risk, closing yet another door for inner-city youth.

The positive effects that these programs have must not be underestimated. First and foremost, these programs provide a safe place for young people. Program staff have been able to build relationships, trust, and confidence with kids who are, because of the poverty-related circumstances in which they grow up, instilled with the belief that the social system is completely untrustworthy. As one program leader noted, these programs “have taken the place of family for some kids” and this is critical to help them resist the lure of gangs. 

It is important to note that vulnerable youth are not the only ones who benefit from preventative programs. Steering kids away from crime keeps us all safe and saves us money. Prevention approaches give kids the tools they need to resist the lure of gangs and make better choices. Incarceration can have the opposite effect, strengthening their ties to the criminal world.

Cutting funding to programs like West Central Youth Outreach, Circle of Courage, Project O.A.S.I.S., Turning the Tides and Just TV Pilot Project makes no sense.  As noted by one program leader, “dropping the programs defeats what they wanted us to do in the first place”, which is to prevent kids from becoming involved in street gang activity. By cutting funding to the programs they are throwing the kids back into lives of violence and crime. And that costs us all in the long-term. As described by Mark Totten (2008), in the report Promising Practices for  Addressing Youth in Gangs, the best prevention programs are not only more effective over the long term, they are far less expensive than incarceration. The average annual cost of incarceration in federal prisons is now $100,000 per inmate, according to the most recent report by Howard Saper, Canada’s Correctional Investigator. By comparison, the programs described above cost between $9,507 to $19,645 per person each year.  And this doesn’t include the long term economic benefits that result when we steer youth in a positive direction.  If even one child is steered away from a life of crime, prevention vs. detention is cost effective.  

The evidence shows that prevention works. But the Harper government has chosen to ignore the evidence, opting for more jails and tougher penalties while at the same time cutting back on programs that give young people hope.

November 30, 2010

Volunteering Pays - Youths can volunteer for bursary

Did you know that students who volunteer for an organization for more than 100 hours per year are eligible for a bursary from the Manitoba government? See the website for more details - and pass this info on to people who might be interested.http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/youth/employers/youthserves

October 30, 2008

NEW $1-MILLION BRIGHT FUTURES FUND ENCOURAGES AT-RISK STUDENTS TO STAY IN SCHOOL, PURSUE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY
Disadvantaged students who need added encouragement to stay in school and pursue a college or university education will receive community-based supports from the first four new initiatives funded under the province’s $1-million Bright Futures Fund, Advanced Education and Literacy Minister Diane McGifford and Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson announced today.

Besides additional encouragement and support, students participating in Bright Futures initiatives will also receive scholarships or a registered education savings plan (RESP) grant toward the cost of post-secondary education.

“Manitoba has one of the most affordable and accessible post-secondary education systems in Canada, but we still have many disadvantaged students who feel college or university isn’t an option for them. Bright Futures initiatives address specific social, educational and financial barriers that might otherwise discourage such young Manitobans from pursuing a post-secondary education,” said McGifford, who made the announcement at the site of a homework tutoring program today.

“All Manitobans deserve a quality education. By empowering low-income and disadvantaged students, Bright Futures equips students with the supports required to stay in school and the encouragement needed to continue with college or university,” said Bjornson.

The first four new initiatives under the Bright Futures Fund include:
· Power Up
This homework tutoring program is receiving $60,960 this year to expand to six Winnipeg sites. The initiative encourages at-risk secondary-school students to mentor younger peers, empowering them to succeed in school while improving the confidence, social skills and attitudes of both age groups. Each high-school teenage mentor in the program will receive a $1,000 RESP contribution for each year in which they successfully volunteer their time.
· Career Trek
This initiative, which exposes 10- and 11-year-old students to up to 80 careers in 16 fields, will be expanded in the Parkland region and established in Westman. Career Trek, which will establish a $500 RESP for each successful student in the new or expansion site, incorporates family involvement, mentors and opportunities for employment after post-secondary graduation. During 2008-09, Career Trek will receive $297,297.

· Community School Investigators’ (CSI)
Working with six‑ to 13-year-old Winnipeg inner-city students for five weeks over the summer break, students are engaged in activities that focus on literacy, numeracy, and science and field trips to keep them focused on learning. Receiving $287,162 in this fiscal year, the CSI Summer Learning Enrichment Program will contribute $400 to an RESP for each student who completes the program at any of its sites.

The Seven Oaks School Division is also working with the Winnipeg School Division, the Community Education Development Association (CEDA) and the Mount Carmel Clinic to develop an intervention program for grade 9 to 12 students that will include tutoring, mentoring and scholarship incentives to empower students to complete high school and pursue post-secondary education. This project will receive $350,000 in funding during 2008-09 and will provide $1,000 scholarships to successful students in each of the four years.

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