The Scarborough Youth Resource Centre family [Photography by Sarah O’Leary]
On Friday, December 20, 2013, five days before Christmas, I had the pleasure to attend the Holiday Youth Night hosted by the Scarborough Youth Resource Centre. The entire evening was filled with great music, great food, and most importantly, wonderful company. The staff and youth at the Scarborough Youth Resource Centre were so friendly to me—a complete stranger with a notebook and pencil—and they made me feel welcomed in their Christmas party.
Located inside the Scarborough Town Centre, the Scarborough Youth Resource Centre is a drop-in centre for youth between the ages of 12-24. The centre provides a wide range of workshops, special events, activities, and resources to promote personal enrichment, enhance social skills, and instil a sense of community for the youth in the Scarborough area.
“These programs were designed to build life skills, leadership abilities, and peer development,” said Cameal Johnson (aka Boss Lady), the manager of the Scarborough Youth Resource Centre. “We want to provide the youth with a safe environment where they will get the support that they need, whether it’s with family, school, or friends,” she explained to me.
The Youth Night is a two-hour long program held on the last Friday of the month and is open to all youth who wants to make new friends, take part in the activities organized by the Youth Leaders, or just hang out in a safe and welcoming environment.
“I’ve been coming here since I was thirteen; it’s my second home,” said Russean, an alumni who volunteered to be a part of the Holiday Youth Night by dressing up as ‘Ras Claus’, Santa’s personal courier sent to bring merriment to the SYRC.
T.K., an SYRC veteran, smiles for the camera with her raffle prize. [Photography by Sarah O’Leary]
From watching everyone at the party interact with each other like one big close-knit family, it’s easy to understand why so many of the area’s youth population enjoy spending their Friday nights at the SYRC. Throughout the evening, the youth leaders encouraged everyone to play the fun Christmas themed games for a chance to win gift bags filled with candy and movie passes. At one point in the evening, T.K., an SYRC veteran, won the fantastic mystery door prize. The fact that T.K.’s birthday was on the following day made the moment even more special (happy belated birthday to T.K. from Fresh Print magazine!)
Other highlights from the Youth Night included a photo booth and lots of food. Music was provided by Dan and Philemon from the 4Life Foundation. They played a great selection of soca, reggae, rap, and hip hop that got everyone dancing until the end of the evening. It was a lot of fun to see the youth teach the staff some cool urban dance moves. Even Kay-Ann Ward, the SYRC’s Program Coordinator for the Speckz’tacular Dance Program, busted out a few moves on the dance floor. The Youth Night ended with dessert and gift bags for everyone.
Dancing the night away [Photography by Sarah O’Leary]
The SYRC Holiday Youth Night was a fun and memorable experience. It’s clear to see that everyone who was there really enjoyed being with each other and that feeling of camaraderie and unity made the Youth Night that much more exciting. The twentieth anniversary of the Scarborough Youth Resource Centre will be on October 3, 2014 and I wish them many more years of shaping the youth into wonderful community-minded individuals. The Holiday Youth Night was proof that if you put a child in an environment filled with security, positivity, friendship, and support, that child will shine so beautifully.
