In only its seventh month of operation, the Timmins Youth Wellness Hub is reporting some impressive numbers and results.
Project coordinator Anne Vincent presented an outline, an update and thanks to city council this week. The city contributed $79,000. Vincent says it wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without it.
From September to March, the Hub organized activity sessions 38 times to hundreds of teenagers. Wrapped around whatever they’re doing are discussions about a wide range of topics facing them.
Youth mentor Riley Dickson says the kids – mostly 12 to 14 years old – don’t bury their noses in electronic devices.
“They’re talking with each other about mental health, about mindfulness, about well being,” Dickson told council members. “They’re playing new instruments. They’re picking up a trumpet, a saxophone, a thing that they might never, ever encounter again in their life and they’re trying it. They’re looking silly. They’re breaking down these boundaries, this stigma about mental health and about mindfulness in a way that’s non-aggressive.”
Nursing student Dickson says the programming is all based on what the youth suggest.
“We’ve tried movie nights and cooking things and sometimes they’re a hit and sometimes they’re not,” he admits. “And the one thing that drives it the most is that the youth are asking for it. The youth are asking about cooking lessons. What kind of 12 and 14-year-old boys are asking for cooking lessons?”
