Human Resources, Labour and
Employment
June 22, 2007
Major Expansion of Community Youth Network in Province
The Community Youth Network (CYN) in the
province got a major boost today with the Budget 2007 announcement of
$650,000 to expand the number of chapters and improve programs and
services. Of this, the Provincial Government is providing $300,000 to
enable the establishment of six additional CYN chapters in underserved
areas. The remaining $350,000 is allocated to extend outreach services
at existing CYN chapters.
CYN is a youth service agency that helps young people, generally between
the ages of 12 to 18 years old, successfully engage is the life of their
community while participating in programs and services which support
their social, educational and recreational development.
�This is a great day for the young people of our province,� said the
Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment. �The Provincial Government recognizes the valuable
contribution that a CYN chapter brings to an area, and that is why we
are investing $300,000 to expand the network�s presence to six
additional sites on the Avalon, Burin, Bonavista and Northern Peninsulas
and into central and western Newfoundland.�
As a result of this initiative, 4,000 young people in the communities
and areas of Cape Broyle, Bonavista, St. Lawrence, Grand Falls-Windsor,
Corner Brook, and St. Anthony will join 10,000 others who enjoy access
to a local CYN chapter.
CYN offers a variety of programs and services, in a supportive and safe
setting, to help youth move forward in life and make a more informed
decision regarding their future. These include opportunities to support
a young person�s needs in the areas of learning, career planning,
employment, recreation, community capacity building, and leadership
development. This requires solid community-level partnerships.
There are 200 community partnerships in place in the province that
ensure the successful operation of a CYN. Partners include
municipalities, financial institutions, community service clubs, local
health and education boards, and police services. A dedicated sponsor is
also critical to this effort.
The CYN sponsor is the foundation of a thriving CYN chapter. The
sponsoring agency helps to manage and coordinate youth activities. The
sponsor enables the hiring of staff and the development of a volunteer
base.
The sponsoring agencies for the new chapters are the CYN Steering
Committee Partnership in Cape Broyle, the Random North Development
Association in Bonavista, the St. Lawrence Youth Association, the Youth
2000 Centre Corporation in Grand Falls-Windsor, the Corner Brook-Bay of
Islands CYN Steering Committee, and the St. Anthony Boys and Girls Club.
�While the number of partners province-wide are too numerous to mention,
I acknowledge the important role that our municipalities play, and the
hard work and commitment shown by the six sponsoring agencies, who
presented proposals and made the case for a CYN chapter in their
respective areas,� said Minister Skinner. �They are to be commended for
their support in helping young people move ahead; in fact, by bringing
to the table other interested community groups, businesses and agencies,
they demonstrate how we can move forward from vision to action in
meeting the needs of youth.�
The Williams Government is firmly committed to expanding services for
young people, and to building capacity at the community level, in
support of the long-term goals and objectives of the provincial Poverty
Reduction Strategy.
�It is important to note that departmental student and youth programs,
such as the Linkages Program and the Student Work and Service Program,
continue to be successful because the various CYN chapters in the
province help as local partners in the delivery and promotion of these
programs to youth,� said Minister Skinner.
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Media contact:
Ed Moriarity
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
709-729-4062, 728-9623
edmoriarity@gov.nl.ca
2007 06 22
12:05 p.m. |